To write the report, Lost in Translation — Teachers Report Feeling Unprepared to Support Multilingual Learners, researchers drew from the findings of the 2024 Instructional Resources Survey, which collected data from over 9,000 teachers and principals.
The report cites other research finding that as of 2021, multilingual students made up about 10.6 percent of all K-12 students nationally, but the population can be as high as 20 percent in states including Texas and California and is growing rapidly in many areas.
MLL students often struggle academically and are less likely to graduate from high school
Key Findings
- About one-half of teachers serving MLLs reported feeling not at all or only somewhat prepared to teach MLLs.
- Addressing the needs of MLLs ranked low among principals' priorities for selecting teachers' professional learning and instructional materials, even in schools with a moderate to large proportion of MLLs.
- Slightly less than one-third of teachers serving MLLs reported that their curriculum materials were adequate for helping MLLs master their state standards and language in English language arts, mathematics, and science.
- About 60 percent of teachers reported a moderate or major need for more or better curriculum materials that provide options for MLLs.
Recommendations
- State and local leaders should consider using curriculum review tools to identify and select standards-aligned instructional materials that integrate supports for MLLs.
- When developing, assessing, or selecting curriculum materials, curriculum developers and state and local leaders should ensure that they are addressing the needs of secondary teachers and science teachers.
- State and local leaders should prioritize supports for MLLs, including professional learning opportunities that help teachers coherently address the needs of MLLs.
- State and local leaders should help schools hire additional qualified and credentialed educators to serve MLLs.
- Curriculum developers should partner with researchers and subject-matter experts to embed best practices and strategies for teaching MLLs into curricula.
