Multilingual Learners (MLs) are not a single monolithic group. MLs are diverse in terms of their cultural backgrounds, academic profiles, linguistic experiences, and educational histories. Specifically, the duration of their experience in the US school system matters.
As instructional leaders in schools with MLs, we cannot simply ask ourselves what we can do for MLs and find a one-size-fits-all approach that will help everyone. Instead, we have to consider the various subgroups of MLs. Even within the subgroups, we won’t find a single solution that works for everyone, but there are steps that we, as school leaders, can take to unlock more opportunities for more of our Multilingual Learners.
This guide uses both academic and practitioner literature to recommend supports for an oft-forgotten subgroup of MLs. Experienced Multilingual Learners (EMLs) have been attending U.S. schools for at least five years but have not yet met the statewide exit criteria. In the US, there are approximately 1.5 million EMLs, who comprise about one-third of the total classified ML population (Villegas, 2023). The more commonly used term for EMLs is Long-Term English Learners (LTEL), but I have rejected that term for this guide because of its deficit orientation. Five years is a critical policy threshold because it marks the beginning of increased federal scrutiny under ESSA.1
Is this Guide for Me?
If you are a school leader at a school with MLs, this guide is for you. Specifically, I have written this guide with the following educators in mind:
- School Principals
- Vice Principals
- Instructional Coaches
- School Counselors
- ELD Lead Teachers
- Special Education Lead Teachers
- School Leadership Team Members
- ELD Task Force Team Members
Because EMLs have been participating in US schools for at least five years, this guide is most directly relevant to schools that have grades four through twelve. Students who started US school in Kindergarten become EMLs at the beginning of fifth grade. I include fourth grade because the transition between fourth and fifth grades marks the beginning of a new EML cohort.
What can we do?
Many EML resources focus on what we need to do to fix our students, but our students already come to us with a variety of strengths and assets. They don’t need fixing. They need us to build systems that allow them to shine. Namely, Experienced Multilingual Learners need schools where:
- Adopt an asset-based stance that values multilingualism and challenges deficit labeling.
- Use the Ever-Classified Multilingual Learner Framework2 to analyze school data.
- Ensure equitable access to the full scope of the school’s academic and extracurricular programming.
- Embed academic literacy instruction into all content-area classes to support reading and writing development.
- Leverage students’ full linguistic repertoires, including home languages, as critical resources for learning and assessment.
References
- In states where the “LTEL” label has been formally adopted as a legal definition, state regulations define this subgroup. The number of years of US school enrollment could be as up to seven years in your state. Utah has not adopted the “LTEL” label. ↩︎
- More commonly known as the Ever English Learners Framework ↩︎