April is National Bilingual/Multilingual Learner Month

April is National Bilingual/Multilingual Learner Advocacy Month, a time to recognize and support the diverse language learners in our communities.As the populations of bilingual and multilingual learners (MLLs) continue to grow, we celebrate their accomplishments, affirm the assets that they bring to the educational environment, and advocate for the resources they need to succeed in school and life.

This month we join partners and advocates around the country to uplift the benefits of multilingualism in academic and economic success and for our community as a whole.

‍Benefits of Multilingualism

‍There are multiple benefits to being multilingual, multiliterate, and multicultural in today’s global society. Knowing more than one language from birth, acquiring a new language through school, or learning languages later in life, can provide tangible advantages in many areas.

From delaying cognitive signs of aging, to earning college credits, and getting a better job offer, multilingualism is an asset that can benefit English learners as well as native English speakers in a variety of ways.

‍SEAL Publications that Support Bilingual and Multilingual Learners:

‍Centering English Learner/ Emergent Bilingual Students in Literacy Research and Instruction

Authored by Dr. Martha Martinez and Patricia Montes Pate from SEAL, this article focuses on SEAL’s contributions at the Reading League Summit in March 2023, where hundreds of practitioners, researchers, and other experts gathered to discuss current research, practice, and policy considerations regarding reading development and instruction for EL/EBs. Our team participated in two panel sessions.

‍Read moreA P-3 Framework: Centering English Learners

SEAL's P-3 Framework: Centering English Learners authored by Dr. Laurie Olsen, provides a vision of an inclusive, equitable P–3 system that draws on EL expertise to create an aligned schooling system responsive to English learners from early education through the elementary grades.

‍Read more Centering Multilingual Families in California Community Schools

Community schools are schools where resources and voices of the staff, families and community are organized around supporting student success. They have shown promise in improving student learning and well-being, particularly with underserved populations such as Dual Language Learners and English Learners.

The brief by SEAL and Community Schools Learning Exchange provides useful guidance and resources for educators and administrators seeking to expand family-school partnerships as part of their community school strategy.

‍Read moreSEAL Brief: Promising STEM Practices for ELs/EBs

Focuses on research-based guidance from a 2018 National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) report and brings to life how California educators can align the proposed Math Framework policy with the realities of teaching and learning in the classroom.

Authored by SEAL Program Manager Dr. Joanna Meadvin, the brief shares how SEAL teachers cultivate inclusive and affirming classroom cultures that celebrate multilingualism as an asset; actively engage with math and science curricular materials, transforming them to be responsive to students’ language and content needs; and provide ELs/EBs with multiple opportunities for rigorous, scaffolded engagement with math and science content. Read more

SEAL Videos about Bilingualism and Multilingualism

• Bilingualism: Through the Eyes of a Student
• Bilingualism: Through the Eyes of Families
• Bilingualism: An Educators’ Perspective
• Bilingual/Dual Language Education
• Bilingual/Dual Language Education - Families
• TheDictado - Bilingual 2nd Grade Classroom
• Transfer & Designated ELD in a Spanish bilingual Classroom
• Asi se Dice - That's how you say it - Bilingual 2nd + 3rd Grade Classroom

What SEAL Partners are Saying:

"Thank you for continuing to support our emerging multilinguals and ALL students! I wish this had been the experience I had while learning the English language."  - Administrator from SEAL’s August 2023 Dual Language Teacher Institute“I have seen my multilingual learners grow more confident in using academic language to explain their thoughts and ideas, especially when they get to be the "experts" when I incorporate their home languages into charts or chants. There is more buy-in for them versus before when they wait for others to respond.” - Educator from SEAL’s 2022/23 end of year survey

SEAL Partners Advocating for Bilingual and Multilingual Learners

• Californians Together
• California Association for Bilingual Education
• Catalyst California
• Early Edge California
• National Association for Bilingual Education
• Parent Institute for Quality Education

Partner Resources

• National Clearinghouse for English Language Acquisition
• Multilingual Learning Toolkit
• U.S. Department of Education: Raise the Bar
• Bay Area Council Economic Institute
  • The Economic Benefits of Multilingual Learning
  • Policy Brief: Enhancing Multilingual Learning Programs in California

Let’s embrace linguistic diversity and promote equitable access to education for all. Join us on our social channels to share together – @SEALedEquity.

‍#MultilingualLearners

‍#AdvocacyMonth