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# Raise the Bar: Pathways to Multilingualism

# Raise the Bar: Pathways to Multilingualism

                                    -        *Goal: Provide every student with a pathway to multilingualism.* The Problem **Multilingualism One-Pagers**EnglishEspañol
 The  number of people in the United States who speak a language other than English  at home has nearly tripled over the last three decades, our nation is continuing  to grow more diverse, and our economy is becoming ever more globally connected.  But only 20 percent of Americans can converse in two or more languages. Additionally,  English learners are one of the fastest-growing student populations in our  nation’s public elementary and secondary schools; yet, far too often, the  opportunities for English learners in school are limited. 

 We must do all we can to improve the learning  environments in which English learners are learning English and increase access  to high-quality language programs so that they, along with all students, have  the opportunity to become multilingual. 
 Our Strategies
 To be sure, the over 5.1 million English learners  in our nation’s classrooms must be seen as assets—young people who come to  school with wonderful languages and cultures to be shared and valued—and  multilingualism should be viewed as the superpower that it truly is. 

 The Department is committed to working with  leaders at the state and local levels to invest in, promote, and support  evidence-based language practices and programs. Strategic action in the areas  below represent key levers to provide every student with a pathway to  multilingualism.
 Equitable Access for English  Learners: 
 To  expand equitable access to a high-quality education to all English learners,  the Department is developing and implementing processes that enhance oversight  for the civil rights protections of English learners, as well as related  funding obligations for English learner services. We also are promoting evidence-based  practices to address the barriers that English learners can encounter in education.  And importantly, the Biden-Harris administration has expanded funding for Title  III over the last few years, which is crucial to supporting millions of  multilingual learners across the country. Through $890 million in Title III grants to states, the District of  Columbia, and Puerto Rico, the Department will continue to help improve the  education of English learners and immigrant youth.

 The  Department also is continuing its robust oversight of the obligations that  schools have to serve English learners under Title VI. The law requires that schools, districts,  and state educational agencies take affirmative steps to address language  barriers so that English learners may participate meaningfully in their  schools' educational programs.

 Despite  progress across the country, the current, unfortunate reality is that English  learners continue to graduate from high school at a lower rate than their peers  and face barriers to a high-quality education that other students do not have  to overcome. It is important to pay close attention to graduation rates because  this data can be indicative of larger issues around equitable access to core  curriculum, advanced coursework, and extracurricular programs.

 The table below shows the percent of English learners graduating  in four years compared to the overall graduation rate across the United States  for the 2020-2021 academic year. 

**High School Graduation Rates for English Language Learners SY 2020-2021**(download data as a spreadsheet)

 
 Increase Access to Quality Bilingual  Education for All:
 Knowing  additional languages along with English is a much-needed skill that will have  an enormous impact on our nation’s future workforce as well as our ability to  compete and engage globally.

 The  Department is working diligently to increase access to high-quality language  programs. We are continuing to provide technical assistance and oversight to promote research-based bilingual  educational opportunities and language instruction in early childhood education  settings and beyond. 

 The Department also is highlighting states and districts that are implementing innovative approaches  to serving multilingual students and we are elevating evidence-based programs,  including seals of biliteracy at the state level. 

 The map below shows  the total number of districts and the percentage in each state with dual language  or two-way immersion programs that receive federal Title III funding. 

 Being bilingual and  biliterate are proven to have significant academic, cognitive, economic, and  socio-cultural benefits that are important to recognize and leverage as we  prepare students to move into post-secondary education or careers. 

**Bilingual Education for English Language Learners, 2020 - 2021**(download data as a spreadsheet)

 
 Prepare a Diversified Bilingual/Multilingual  Educator Workforce:
 To  develop and grow a diverse educator workforce that can robustly serve our English  learners, multilingual leaners, and multicultural students, the Department is  providing technical assistance and funding opportunities through competitive  grants, including through first-time funding for the August F. Hawkins Centers of Excellence program. 

 We  also are disseminating information about and supporting evidence-based state  and local programs that are building educator workforce capacity, including grow-your-own  programs, teacher residencies, and apprenticeship programs. Additionally, the  Department is supporting graduate fellowships and colleges and universities that  are prioritizing English as a Second Language and bilingual educator  preparation programs for bilingual and multilingual educators.  If we are to prepare students for a global  society and economy, we must continue to increase opportunities for future  educators to participate in state, local, traditional, and non-traditional educator  preparation programs that provide teacher candidates with the knowledge and  skills to serve English learners and multilingual students.

 Through  the use of the bully pulpit, grant funding, and a new Native  Language Resource Center, the Department will continue to elevate the need to  support a diverse and multilingual educator workforce to serve our increasingly  diverse students and ensure they have the skills to meet the needs of a global  economy and society.
 Sampling of ARP  Funding Highlights:- Through the American Rescue       Plan (ARP), states and districts are engaged in important work to expand       pathways to multilingual education and to support English learners. For       example:
Indiana's Teacher of English Language        Learners
 (I-TELL) program
 
is        paying for tuition and fees for current educators to earn the additional        licensure they need to become teachers of record for students who are        learning English. This program is a partnership between the Indiana        Department of Education and the University of Indianapolis' Center of        Excellence in Leadership of Learning.
​
The Red Hawks Rising Teacher Training        Academy
 is a partnership among        Montclair State University, the Newark Board of Education, and the        American Federation of Teachers. The program prepares students of color        to become teachers who reflect the diversity of the Newark community.
Collier County Public Schools 
in Florida has launched specific strategies to bridge        the digital divide for migrant students based on feedback from migrant        students and families and community partners. Schools within the district        also are home to Migrant Resource Centers where students and families can        go to receive targeted supports, services, and mentoring.
California's 
West Contra Costa Unified School        District** **
is        using surveys to keep track of English learners' overall well-being and        providing their families with translated communications on available        services, including school counseling.
​
The Illinois State Board of Education
 has created a $4 million grant from federal pandemic        relief funds that will help to increase the number of bilingual educators        in the state.
​

Grants and  Resources:- To capture the ways in which       the Department is working to provide every student with opportunities for       multilingual learning, the agency released a  one-pager  with links to federal resources and grants.
- For the first time ever, the       Department awarded funding for the  Augustus F. Hawkins Centers of Excellence       program . Through this program, $18       million in federal funds will be put to use to support colleges and       universities in prioritizing educator preparation programs that prepare       multilingual teachers of color to become fully certified to teach       multilingual learners, including in dual language programs.​
- The Department's  National Professional Development  grant program is supporting 44 colleges and       universities to deliver professional learning for teachers of English       learners, with a focus on school readiness and early childhood       development.
- The National Clearinghouse for English Language Acquisition  has disseminated more than 25,000 resources to       the field, including briefs, fact sheets, toolkits, podcasts, and other       information to serve multilingual learners and highlight their needs.
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