Bilingual Education

Learn more about the education model where students are taught part of the day in their first language and the rest of the day in a language that is new to them, typically English
U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona speaks at the agency's Seal of Biliteracy Summit on June 24, 2024 in Washington, D.C. The gathering celebrated the special designation on high school diplomas that recognize students' bilingualism.
U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona speaks at the agency's Seal of Biliteracy Summit on June 24, 2024 in Washington, D.C. The gathering celebrated the special designation on high school diplomas that recognize students' bilingualism.
Isaiah Hayes/Education Week
English-Language Learners Students Nationwide Can Earn a Seal of Biliteracy. How It Can Be More Accessible
All 50 states and the District of Columbia have passed legislation to formalize a seal that celebrates students' bilingualism.
Ileana Najarro & Isaiah Hayes, June 27, 2024
•
4 min read
A group of fourth grade students complete lessons in Spanish in the Global Immersion Academy program at Mountain View Elementary School, on Sept. 18, 2022, in Morganton, N.C. With the inaugural class of the Global Immersion Academy (GIA) at at the school entering fourth grade this year, Burke County Public Schools is seeing more signs of success for its dual language program.
Fourth-grade students complete lessons in Spanish in the Global Immersion Academy program at Mountain View Elementary School, on Sept. 18, 2022, in Morganton, N.C. New national poll data finds a majority of parents prefer bilingual education programs.
Jason Koon/The News-Herald via AP
English-Language Learners How Parents Feel About Bilingual Schools and English-Only Programs
A majority of parents would prefer to enroll their children in bilingual education programs.
Ileana Najarro, June 21, 2024
•
4 min read
052824 Translanguaging Thumb BS
English-Language Learners Video ‘Translanguaging Is What Bilinguals and Multilinguals Do’: A Primer for Teachers
What is translanguaging? Here is a guide to the practice, as well as examples for incorporating it in the classroom.
Ileana Najarro & Jaclyn Borowski, May 28, 2024
•
3:47
Student trying to navigate a landscape of a different language
Nicole Xu for Education Week
English-Language Learners ‘A Unique Challenge’: What English Learners With Disabilities Need
From language barriers to bilingual education program lockouts, dual-identified students face unique challenges researchers say.
Ileana Najarro, May 13, 2024
•
7 min read
High school teacher Tara Hobson talks with a student in the school cafeteria at San Francisco International High School in San Francisco on April 19, 2016. Some districts have gone to extraordinary lengths to accommodate migrant students, who often come to join relatives, sometimes escaping criminal gangs or extreme poverty. San Francisco International High School rewrote young-adult novels at a basic level to spark the newcomers' interest in reading.
High school teacher Tara Hobson talks with a student in the school cafeteria at San Francisco International High School in San Francisco on April 19, 2016. The quality of education for English learners, including migrant students in San Francisco, has evolved over the last years in part due to landmark civil rights Supreme Court decision.
Jeff Chiu/AP
English-Language Learners How a 1974 U.S. Supreme Court Case Still Influences English-Learner Education
Fifty years ago Lau v. Nichols required schools to provide language support to English learners to ensure access to public education.
Ileana Najarro, January 19, 2024
•
7 min read
Photo of Hispanic teacher helping Hispanic elementary school boy using a tablet computer
iStock/Getty
English-Language Learners The Challenge of Growing Dual Language Programs, in Charts
As the English learner population grows nationwide, researchers and education leaders are grappling with how best to serve these students.
Ileana Najarro, September 29, 2023
•
1 min read
Education Week opinion letters submissions
Gwen Keraval for Education Week
English-Language Learners Letter to the Editor Celebrate Bilingualism and Multicultural Identities at School
Students should be encouraged to maintain their native languages, writes an educator.
August 22, 2023
•
1 min read
Close up of a Diploma and blue graduation ribbon.
E+/Getty
English-Language Learners Biliteracy Seals Recognize Multilingualism, But Schools Can Do More
Almost all states now offer some form of distinction on diplomas for proficiency in English and additional languages.
Ileana Najarro, June 30, 2023
•
7 min read
Students in Dalia Gerardo’s 2nd grade class have access to school supplies labeled in Spanish and English at West Elementary in Russellville, Ala. Seals of biliteracy programs promote multilingualism as an asset across the country.
Students in Dalia Gerardo’s 2nd grade class have access to school supplies labeled in Spanish and English at West Elementary in Russellville, Ala.
Tamika Moore for Education Week
English-Language Learners Earning Seals of Biliteracy Are Beneficial to Students. Here's What the Research Shows
There's emerging evidence that seals of biliteracy benefit students, but more empirical data is needed.
Ileana Najarro, June 30, 2023
•
5 min read
Photo of computer and newspapers.
iStock / Getty Images Plus
Curriculum Q&A Teaching Students to Be Media Literate in Two Languages
A former television reporter helps students learn to process news critically in both Spanish and English.
Evie Blad, June 7, 2023
•
4 min read
English-Language Learners Quiz Quiz Yourself: How Much Do You Know About Supporting English Learners?
Answer 7 questions about supporting English Learners.
February 21, 2023
Inside the mobile book bus on Dec. 20, 2022.
Natalie Griffin, the executive director of special programs for the Mineral Wells school district, in Mineral Wells, Texas, has directed more resources, including a mobile book bus, to help English learners.
Nitashia Johnson for Education Week
English-Language Learners Photo Essay PHOTOS: When Support Starts at the District Office
EdWeek photographer Natashia Johnson reflects on her day with Natalie Griffin, a 2023 Leaders To Learn From honoree.
February 6, 2023
•
1 min read
Natalie Griffin, Executive Director of Special Programs for Mineral Wells ISD, pictured at the mobile book bus on December 20, 2022.
Natalie Griffin has successfully recruited bilingual teachers to her Texas district.
Nitashia Johnson for Education Week
English-Language Learners Leader To Learn From She Defied Expectations as a Pregnant Teen. Now She’s Helping English Learners Do the Same
Natalie Griffin found bilingual educators for a district with a long-neglected English-learner population.
Caitlynn Peetz, February 6, 2023
•
7 min read
ELL Thumbnail BS
English-Language Learners Video Teachers, Try This: Incorporate Students' Home Languages Into Your Classrooms
One Texas teacher utilizes her ELL students’ home languages to build community.
Lauren Santucci, December 15, 2022
•
2:56
Load More ▼