From Isolation to Collaboration: How Content and EL Teachers Can Partner for Student Success

Every new school year begins with a fresh mix of optimism and challenge. The policies may shift, the funding might fluctuate, and the acronyms may change, but one thing remains certain: students thrive when educators work together. For multilingual learners (MLs), collaboration between content and English learner (EL) teachers isn’t just a nice-to-have; it’s essential. […]

Stronger Together: How to Partner with Parents Across Languages 

By Rachel Hawthorne  Parent involvement is one of the strongest predictors of student success. When parents feel connected to their child’s school, students are more motivated, achieve higher, and build stronger confidence. For many teachers of multilingual learners, encouraging parent involvement can feel challenging. How can you explain what’s happening in the classroom or invite […]

Starting the School Year Strong: What We Do Know

Every August brings a mix of anticipation and uncertainty. This year, the headlines may feel even heavier—funding questions, shifting policies, and debates that too often put multilingual learners at the center without giving them a voice. But amid the uncertainty, there’s power in remembering what we do know. As educators, advocates, and administrators, we already […]

Looking Back, Moving Forward: How EduSkills Is Powering a New Era for ML Support

A New School Year, A Renewed Mission As educators step into a new school year, there’s a shared sense of urgency and opportunity. Multilingual learners are at the forefront of conversations in both policy and practice, and schools are looking for better tools, deeper insight, and stronger systems to support them. That’s been the EduSkills […]

Start Strong for MLs: Using Last Year’s Data to Guide This Year’s Success

You know those manila folders — the ones with each student’s name scribbled on the tab, filled with paperwork from kindergarten to now? The ones in the front office’s many filing cabinets for every grade level and every teacher? The cumulative (cum) folders, as we call them. For new students, those folders are thin, may […]

Beyond the Rope: Reimagining Reading Instruction Through a Multilingual Lens

By Laura McBride Reading reform is everywhere. And if you’re in the education space, chances are you’ve heard phrases like “structured literacy,” “phonics first,” or “back to the rope” more than once this summer. The momentum around the Science of Reading (SoR) has reshaped district priorities and instructional practices across the country. At its core, […]

Planning with Purpose: Supporting English Learners Amid Title III Uncertainty

As districts prepare for the upcoming school year, one reality is clear: the future of Title III funding, the only federal funding stream specifically dedicated to multilingual learners, is uncertain. While no long term changes have been enacted, the current response to this reality, in many systems, has been a kind of freeze —a pause […]

Your Roadmap is Ready: Using an Overlooked Resource to Differentiate with Confidence

by Rachel Hawthorne Have you ever wondered how to continue to differentiate EL instruction beyond the basics? Many times, after the use of visuals, multisensory methods, or TPR strategies, teachers find themselves out of ideas for how to further support their English Learners. But it doesn’t have to stop there. Depending on your state, there […]

Phonics Isn’t Enough: A Closer Look at Oral Language for MLs

The Science of Reading (SoR) movement is shaping literacy policy and practice. But if you’re serving multilingual learners (MLs), the question isn’t just whether your practices align with SoR—it’s whether they reflect the full picture of what reading development really looks like for your students. And more and more experts agree: Oral language is the […]

Unlocking Newcomer Success: How an Asset-Based Approach Provides a Path Forward

If you’ve ever had a newcomer in your class, chances are you’ve asked yourself one, if not all, of these questions. Many times, EL teachers can feel stuck or at a loss when considering how to best teach and meet their newcomer’s needs. Questions like the ones stated above are left unanswered. With a simple […]