At the recent inaugural National Committee for Effective Literacy (NCEL) Summit, the closing panel—former secretary of education Miguel Cardona, Dr. Nell Duke, Amelia Larson, and Jody Slavick—offered a clear message: multilingual learners must be centered in the nation’s literacy systems, not treated as an add-on.
Secretary Cardona made the message even clearer: “If we’re serious about literacy, multilingual learners can’t be an asterisk in the plan.” This is the same message that Language Magazine has been trying to get across for years, so it is gratifying to hear it being reiterated on a national level by such an esteemed panel, who managed to succinctly cover key barriers to progress, including emphasis on reporting without instructional support and guidance; scheduling that ignores language and content; using assessments that measure English skills rather than academic achievement to compare multilingual learners to their monolingual peers; and the lack of leaders at state, district, and school level who recognize multilingualism as an essential asset, not just a bonus that’s nice to have.
“If we’re serious about literacy, multilingual learners can’t be an asterisk in the plan.”.
Former secretary of education Miguel Cardona
The last barrier that the panel covered is particularly relevant to this magazine because it is at the core of our mission. The panel recognized that research should be “accessible, timely, actionable, and relevant for multilingual learners,” but it often targets academic journals instead of district decision-makers. All of Language Magazine’s contributors will find these criteria familiar, since the core requirement for publication is that any article is “accessible and actionable,” and timely goes without saying. It’s also very encouraging to see that district leaders are now our fastest-growing readership demographic, as it shows many are prioritizing the success of their multilingual learners as a fundamental part of their district’s overall performance.
There is plenty of research to show that knowledge gains and language development happen concurrently, that bilingual and monolingual literacy paths differ, that translanguaging and cross-linguistic transfer help learning, that assessments aligned to bilingual development work, as well as evidence that some accepted strategies are not effective. However, leaders are busy managers who need information summarized and presented in a clear format with actionable points that can easily be put into practice.
Presentation of research and recommendations in a clear format without overreliance on academic jargon and without the presumption that the consumer—be they a superintendent, principal, teacher, or other educational professional—has had the time to read all the preceding studies is needed to encourage buy-in to new practices and methods. Of course, reference to supporting evidence is required and it may be very technical, but it should not be an impediment to grasping concepts quickly.
Effective Literacy for All is Language Magazine‘s mission, our readers’ and writers’ mission, and most of our partners’ mission, so together we will continue providing clear, actionable ideas, and pedagogical guidance based upon research and experience by experts in a format that is easily accessible and quick to read.