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 as immigrant hubs, has exposed a troubling leadership gap.
Many principals are stepping into roles without the preparation needed to serve linguistically diverse student bodies.
Yet the research is clear: school leaders play a critical role in improving outcomes for English learners. From instruction to staffing to program access, principals shape the policies and culture that either support or hinder multilingual success.
This blog highlights how school leaders can become EL equity champions, showcases states and institutions doing it right, and outlines how donors can help close this gap.
The Principal Leadership Preparation Gap Challenge
Why Principals Aren’t Ready to Support ELs
According to a 2025 National Council on Teacher Quality review, only 13 states currently require principal preparation programs to include EL-focused coursework.
This means that, in the remaining 37 states, aspiring principals can earn certification without ever learning about second-language acquisition or effective strategies for EL instruction.
The implications are widespread, particularly as EL enrollment grows in places without bilingual teacher pipelines or dual-language infrastructure.
New principals often lack the knowledge to:
• Build linguistically inclusive school cultures
• Use EL data to inform instruction and intervention
• Align resources to meet diverse student needs
• Supervise or evaluate bilingual/ESL staff with confidence
At the district level, expectations around EL leadership remain unclear.
Most districts provide limited PD tailored to EL-specific strategies for school leaders. Without clear guidance or coaching, even well-intentioned principals may miss key opportunities to support multilingual students.
What Role Principals Play in School’s Equity
Principals influence nearly every aspect of a school’s learning environment. When multilingual equity is prioritized, principals:
• Hire bilingual educators, counselors, and cultural liaisons
• Set a general vision of high expectations for ELs
• Embed EL strategies into professional learning plans
• Build master schedules that support co-teaching and ESL inclusion
• Champion dual-language or transitional bilingual programs
• Create systems that encourage linguistically inclusive family engagement
Promising Models and State Examples Across the U.S.
Illinois: Setting Standards for Principal Certification
Illinois updated its principal certification standards over 10 years ago to include EL and special education leadership competencies. These additions ensure that school leaders graduate with practical knowledge of bilingual programming, inclusive data practices, and equitable supervision practices.
California: Bilingual Leadership in Principal Preparation
California’s Administrator Content Expectations (CACE) revised its preparation standards to include evidence-based strategies for EL support. Principals are expected to demonstrate their capacity to lead culturally and linguistically, navigating biases, gaining experience in varied educational settings, and more, as part of their certification process.
Iowa: Integrating EL Instruction into Leadership Training
Iowa law fully embeds EL best practices into principal preparation coursework, and also seeks to make sure all aspiring principals must know how to meet the needs of all kinds of learners. This not only includes multilingual youth, but also students from diverse backgrounds, with disabilities, those gifted and talented, or even dealing with substance abuse and other issues outside of school.
Texas: Regional Bilingual/ESL Leadership Networks
Through its education service centers, Texas created networks of school leaders focused on bilingual and ESL practices. These communities of practice offer peer learning, ongoing coaching, and shared strategy development.
South Carolina District: Strategic Training Partnerships
Back in 2019 and in collaboration with the Intercultural Development Research Association (IDRA), a South Carolina district launched both in-person and online training programs to equip over 1,800 teachers and principals to better serve multilingual learners.
Washington, D.C.: Principal-Driven Dual Language Expansion
DC Public Schools has implemented dual-language immersion in 15 schools, with principals playing a critical role in implementation and sustainability.
More than that, principals are facilitating Learning Labs at their institutions along with instructional coaches and classroom teachers, where all participate in professional learning.
5 Effective Practices Principals Can Do Today
Integrating support for multilingual learners doesn’t require a total overhaul.
Principals can follow a simple, repeatable framework:
1. Assess Current Capacity: By auditing school staffing, programs, and PD offerings through an EL lens and identifying strengths and gaps in bilingual and ESL supports
2. Align Leadership Priorities: Try setting goals that explicitly include multilingual student outcomes and embedding EL success metrics into school improvement planning
3. Activate Staff and Systems: This means building co-teaching and co-planning structures and elevating bilingual staff into leadership and mentoring roles when possible
4. Engage Families Intentionally: Done through translated materials and multilingual outreach and proactively centering community voice in school decision-making
5. Track Progress with Language-Sensitive Tools: Principals can use disaggregated data to monitor academic and language growth and then celebrate milestones and spotlight EL achievements across the school.
By following these steps, principals can slowly change the script and make multilingualism truly valued in their communities.
How Investing in Principal Pipelines Looks Like
Philanthropy can help bridge the leadership gap by:
• Backing certification reforms that require EL competencies in administrator prep
• Funding university partnerships to design and deliver bilingual leadership programs
• Launching principal equity academies that embed EL strategies in job-embedded PD
• Supporting regional coaching networks for current principals in high-EL districts
• Collaborating with organizations like the Sullivan Family Charitable Foundation to scale national models
Donors can also support leadership mentorship pipelines that prioritize diversity, ensuring future principals reflect and understand the communities they serve.
Every EL Student Deserves a Champion at the Top
The principal’s desk is one of the most powerful levers for equity in education.
With the right preparation and ongoing support, school leaders can build inclusive systems that accelerate learning and belonging for multilingual students.
Yet far too many principals remain underprepared.
It’s time to change that through targeted investments, cross-sector partnerships, and leadership models designed for today’s diverse schools.
Partner with the Sullivan Family Charitable Foundation to strengthen strategies and spaces for multilingual equity.
