Looking for your local newcomer center? Most U.S. districts route intake through a central office — search “[your district name] newcomer center” or contact your district’s Multilingual/EL office. This article is written for the district leaders and funders who build and sustain those centers. A Venezuelan family arrives at a suburban district office in October.… Continue reading Newcomer Welcome Centers: The “Front Door” Strategy for Enrollment, Placement, and Belonging
The number of dual language immersion (DLI) programs in U.S. public schools more than tripled between 2010 and 2021, from roughly 1,000 to over 3,600, according to the American Councils Research Center’s national canvass. That growth is good news. But a program’s existence tells you nothing about its quality, and the accountability systems built between… Continue reading How to Measure Dual Language Program Quality: 4 Indicators Beyond Test Scores
Here is a question teachers are likely asking themselves: “I love the idea of translanguaging, but I only speak English. Isn’t this for bilingual teachers?” It’s the most common question we hear, and it rests on a misunderstanding that quietly blocks one of the most powerful, lowest-cost supports available to multilingual learners. Translanguaging is not… Continue reading Translanguaging Strategies for Monolingual Teachers in a Multilingual Classroom
Across the U.S., districts continue searching for sustainable teacher shortage solutions, especially in bilingual education and English learner programs, and many are exploring how a teacher apprenticeship program can help strengthen educator pipelines from within their existing workforce. Vacancies remain difficult to fill and multilingual student populations continue to grow. In fact, at the start… Continue reading Teacher Apprenticeship Program for Transforming Bilingual Paraprofessionals into Certified Educators
A teacher sends an important message about a student’s academic progress. A principal emails families about a schedule change. A district shares information about enrollment, transportation, or special education services. Increasingly, schools are turning to translation AI tools to help ensure these messages reach multilingual families quickly and in their preferred language. For English-speaking families,… Continue reading School-Home Communication Translation AI: Accuracy, Privacy, and the Human-in the-Loop Model
The Seal of Biliteracy (SOBL) has emerged as one of the clearest ways school systems can recognize multilingualism as an academic achievement. Awarded at high school graduation, the Seal certifies that a student has attained proficiency in two or more languages and places that recognition directly on their diploma or transcript. What makes the Seal… Continue reading Seal of Biliteracy as a Graduation Equity Lever: Closing the “Access Gap” (2022-2026)
A dirt road stretched toward a temporary encampment, as access to health in rural Mexico often remains out of reach. The nearest clinic lay hours away. Families waited. Some walked. Some were traveling in caravans. Some went without care. Then came a van. Bright and steady. It rolled toward the groups gathered there. It offered… Continue reading Bringing Hope on Wheels: How a Mobile Medical Unit Is Expanding Access to Health in Rural Mexico
Gifted education is designed to cultivate potential, but for many English Learners (ELs), that opportunity remains out of reach. Although ELs make up about 10% of the U.S. K–12 population, they represent fewer than 3% of students in gifted and talented programs. We’re talking about just 101,000 of the 5.3 million students in these programs.… Continue reading Unlocking Gifted Education Potential: Identifying and Serving ELs in Advanced Programs
A well-designed multilingual family literacy initiative won’t transform a household overnight—but when sustained and culturally responsive, it can open up long-term pathways to opportunity. That’s the promise of two-generation education models: they combine early learning for children with adult education, including ESL and workforce training, to support whole families, not just students. These programs meet… Continue reading Two-Generation Education: Multilingual Family Literacy Programs for Communities
The rise in English learner (EL) students in American K-12 schools and increased dual-language program demand have reshaped the realities facing public school leaders, making principal leadership more important than ever. While multilingual learners (MLLs) have long contributed to the cultural and academic vibrancy of schools, their growing presence, particularly in districts not historically seen… Continue reading Principal Leadership for EL Success: Building Multilingual School Champions
