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NCEL News
Resources on Teaching Literacy to Multilingual Learners
April 2026
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Happy fifth anniversary to NCEL, launched in February 2021! 🥳
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Since our last issue, we’ve been navigating policy and funding updates while continuing our respective work to partner with schools, lead higher learning, and engage with research—all to to keep our advocacy work for multilingual learners moving. Check out what we have been up to!
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Science of Reading Act of 2026 (H.R. 7890)
On learning that a new bill on the science of reading was proposed in the U.S. House of Representatives in March, NCEL leaders sprang into action. The Science of Reading Act aims to improve reading outcomes by requiring schools that receive Comprehensive Literacy State Development Grants to use evidence-based instruction aligned to the science of reading (which they define as including phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, and writing). It also prohibits three-cueing and prioritizes funds to be used for evidence-based literacy instruction.
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Just after the House bill was introduced, NCEL spoke with the bill’s organizers about the pending companion Senate bill. NCEL requested expanded language that supports all learners through knowledge-building, language development, and coherent literacy systems, while remaining aligned with science of reading principles. That bill is expected to be introduced soon and has bipartisan support.
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We will keep you up-to-date as we learn more about final bill language and how Congress plans to proceed to move the legislation forward.
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Member News
Scaffolding (Without Overscaffolding) for Multilingual Learners [blog + tool]
Scaffolds are meant to enhance access—not do the thinking for students. This post by NCEL member Jessica Costa and her colleague Paola Mendizábal unpacks how overscaffolding can get in the way of MLs’ literacy development and offers practical ways to design responsive scaffolds for students without lowering expectations. It also includes a free tool that leaders and teachers can use to identify unproductive overscaffolding and engage in meaningful coaching conversations.
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Learning to Read by Writing: How Children Discover Literacy and Biliteracy [blog]
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This post by NCELers Bárbara Flores and Esteban Díaz with former CABE CEO Edgar Lampkin highlights the powerful connection between reading and writing, emphasizing that early writing experiences can accelerate reading development. In fact, it makes the case that children learn to read by writing—using early spelling attempts to map sounds to letters and build foundational literacy skills. Writing isn’t just an outcome of reading instruction; it’s a key driver of it.
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NCEL Summit
On January 21, the National Committee for Effective Literacy (NCEL) hosted its first literacy summit, bringing together nearly 500 educators and leaders to focus on building inclusive literacy systems that honor multilingual learners. Speakers, including former U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona, emphasized the importance of centering students’ cultural and linguistic assets in literacy instruction. NCEL promotes a holistic approach to literacy—including oral language, vocabulary, and comprehension—and highlights the need for strong partnerships among families, communities, and policymakers to support all learners.
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New Affiliate Resource
Organized into five grade bands, the document offers specific considerations, strategies, and tools in these areas:
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- Linguistically and Culturally Responsive Learning Environment
- Oracy Development and Linguistic Interaction
- Literacy Instructional Practices, Curriculum, and Assessment
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IL-CEL’s recommendations are designed to guide teachers and school leaders to nurture multilingual learners’ growth as readers, writers, and orators by providing opportunities to explore and express themselves in multiple languages and modes of communication.
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Key NCEL Resources
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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.
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Copyright ©2026 National Committee for Effective Literacy, all rights reserved.
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