As leaders across the country respond to our country’s legacy of inequity for students categorized as English learners, magnified by a pandemic and the mounting complexities of distance learning, it is essential that we seek alignment in current research-based pedagogy and practice. At the moment, we still see widespread practices that contradict the clear and broadly-accepted implications of the research evidence. EL classification is not designed to impact the social status of students, but there is wide recognition that pull-out programs and remedial courses often result in social stigmatization and barriers to educational opportunity within schools. In addition, EL policies have changed substantially over time, and lack of consistency across schools, districts, and states has added unnecessary instability to the educational experiences of an already traditionally marginalized population.