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A new study highlights how schools in Massachusetts serve newly arrived immigrants in high school.
H-1B visa holders make up less than half a percentage point of all Texas teachers, but they fill important gaps in urban districts - the Governor's proposal is unnecessarily cruel and solves no problems while making the staffing crisis worse.
WASHINGTON, DC — More than 2.3 million English Learners (ELs) are enrolled in U.S. secondary schools, and in states such as California nearly 43 percent of all ELs are in grades 6 through 12. Yet bilingual education programs, which have been credited with strengthening language skills and academic outcomes for ELs, remain heavily concentrated in elementary grades, leaving many older multilingual learners without a clear path to building proficiency and mastering grade-level content while meeting graduation requirements.A new Migration Policy Institute (MPI) report, Paving the Way for Secondary Bilingual Education Programs: An Analysis of Policy and Practice, examines the barriers that have kept bilingual programs from taking root in middle and high schools, as well as the features that support successful implementation and sustainability in places where programs exist. The analysis draws on interviews with bilingual education policy experts, teacher preparation faculty and district leaders in California, Illinois, New Mexico and New York.The authors, Victoria Kim, Lorena Mancilla and Gloria Choi of MPI’s National Center on Immigrant Integration Policy, find that secondary schools operate under a different set of constraints than elementary settings, where most bilingual programs are concentrated. Individualized student pathways, specialized content offerings, graduation and course requirements, master schedules and specific teacher credentialing requirements all complicate efforts to extend elementary models upward. The report identifies three integrated, interdependent areas of program success: policy, capacity and perseverance; planning and partnerships; and pathways and pipelines. The report discusses how these can be built out with clear, actionable policies and dedicated funding; leaders with expertise in bilingual education and the determination to translate policy into practice; proactive planning across feeder schools and engagement with students and families; and sustained investments in well-designed bilingual teacher preparation programs, high-quality instructional materials and workable student schedules.The report calls for coordinated, system-wide action and offers recommendations for policymakers, state education agencies and district leaders, including that they:Invest in and develop stable state and district policies for secondary bilingual programs, including accountability structures, technical assistance and dedicated funding streams that are not tied solely to EL classification.Translate policy into practice by reviewing existing policies for hidden barriers, such as rules that unintentionally penalize students for taking content courses in a partner language and publish clear implementation guidance for districts.Address the unique challenges and opportunities of secondary schools and integrate bilingual coursework in core subjects to prevent students from having to choose between required bilingual coursework and the electives that interest them.Build pipelines for development of the full ecosystem of bilingual program staff, including counselors, administrators, paraprofessionals and community liaisons, not just classroom teachers."The pathway forward for secondary bilingual education programs will therefore require system actors to demonstrate persistence and patience," the report notes. "The road ahead will not be easy, but the benefits that bilingual education promises students and their communities make the effort worthwhile."Read the report here: www.migrationpolicy.org/publication/secondary-bilingual-education.
Earlier this summer, Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools decided to close Glenwood Elementary, which houses a popular STEM and Mandarin magnet program that attracted many Chinese heritage families to the area. This week, school board members will meet to discuss options for moving the program, which could displace many students at Rashkis Elementary.
In 2025 the Migration Policy Institute analyzed states' use of native language assessments.
Williams: Some advocates fear that the science of reading is a poor fit for English learners, but there are ways to make its practices work.
The national professional development grant program has experienced upheaval in the last year.
An EdWeek Research Center survey found gaps in trained staff for dually identified students.
A 2021 survey of 125 U.S. organizations found wide gaps between family languages spoken and services offered; flexible, culturally responsive two-generation (2Gen) programs can help.
A new internal report warns the Education Department has lost capacity to serve students after losing more than 40% of its staff.
Conor P. Williams and Leigh Mingle believe it’s high time to move past warmed over reading wars For all the years of talk about “reform” and “disruption” and “reinvention” in K–12 schools, it’s sometimes striking how little has changed in public education over the past several decades. Most classrooms are still organized to face a […]
When Congress strengthened Title III in the early 2000s, the focus was helping students acquire English and access academic content. That goal remains important, but the classrooms of 2026 look very different from those of 2001.
Last year's formula funding delay has prompted some districts to budget more cautiously.
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The 2025–2026 school year has brought significant changes to the educational landscape for immigrant, newcomer, and multilingual students. The U.S.
Administrators and technologists must look at digital strategy as a key bridge to equity and inclusive school communities.
Anti-immigrant rhetoric does not stop at a school's gates, even where many students are immigrants.
Sylvia Marquez graduated from SAISD a few months ago. Now she's working in one of the district's classrooms with hopes of becoming a teacher.
Leslie Villegas Save as PDF Public school enrollment in the United States is in decline. Over the last five years, the K–12 public school population has shrunk by 2.3 percent, or approximately 1.18 million students.
The Migration Policy Institute found 35 states and the District of Columbia offer native language assessments.
Districts will no longer be liable for "disparate impact"—in discipline, course access, or CTE programs.
California is expanding bilingual teacher pipeline programs to recruit future educators and address a shortage affecting dual-language classrooms statewide.
Dual Language Learners (DLLs) make up 32 percent of young children nationally. The U.S. and 30 state fact sheets here offer a sociodemographic sketch of the DLL population.
David Young, the CEO of Participate Learning, shares evidence for dual language programs supporting school attendance.
Springfield Public Schools is cutting Dual Immersion at Hamlin Middle and Springfield High due to budget shortfalls.
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