LITERACY FOR MULTILINGUAL LEARNERS
The National Committee for Effective Literacy uplifts research, policies, and practices to ensure that English learners/emergent bilinguals leave school as proficient readers and writers in English — and preferably more languages — and who thrive and succeed in school and their communities.
NEW RESOURCE FROM ILLINOIS AFFILIATE
Accessible and Responsive Literacy Instruction: Grade-Specific Recommendations for Multilingual Learners in Illinois
New from the NCEL affiliate, Illinois Committee for Effective Literacy, these recommendations are a companion to the 2024 Illinois Comprehensive Literacy Plan. These recommendations offer linguistically and culturally responsive guidance for educators and school and district leaders in Illinois and throughout the country. The guide provides targeted considerations, strategies, and tools to support multilingual learners who are developing English as a new language in school.
NCEL SUMMIT 2026
Panel Summary: Designing Literacy and Language Systems for a Multilingual Nation
The closing panel of the inaugural National Committee for Effective Literacy (NCEL) Summit offered a clear message: multilingual learners must be centered in the nation’s literacy systems, not treated as an add-on.
In this analysis, panel moderator Amelia Larson summarizes the panel conversation among Dr. Miguel Cardona, Dr. Nell K. Duke, and Dr. Jody Slavick. The summary includes a call to action for what educators and system leaders can do to improve literacy instruction for multilingual learners.
NEW TEACHER EDUCATION DIGEST
Teacher Education for Effective Literacy Instruction for English/Emerging Bilingual Learners
By Dr. Magaly Lavadenz, Dr. Ester de Jong, and Dr. Patricia Venegas-Weber
This new digest explores what research tells us about preparing and supporting teachers to provide effective, assets-based literacy instruction for English learners and Emerging Bilinguals (EL/EBs). It highlights promising practices from teacher education programs nationwide—including case examples, field-based learning models, and bilingual instructional strategies that bridge knowledge into practice.
At a time when nearly one in four students in U.S. classrooms are emergent bilinguals, this resource underscores how teacher preparation programs can build the knowledge, skills, and mindsets needed to ensure equitable literacy outcomes for all students.