What We Do For Education Leaders
We work with state and district leaders to drive systemic change by ensuring curriculum adoption & implementation plans include high-quality instructional materials that support multilingual learners.
The Challenge
Nationwide, the population of multilingual learners is growing, yet 70% of teachers report feeling unprepared to support them effectively. Compounding this issue, 80% of educators feel they cannot rely on their existing instructional materials to provide the research-based practices required to improve outcomes for these students.
How We Help
ELSF partners with state and local education agencies to build their capacity through tailored services, including adoption training, curriculum-based implementation training, and strategic advisory and systems support. By fostering collaboration and providing expert guidance, we empower leaders to ensure that high-quality instructional materials are inclusive, asset-based, and designed to amplify learning for all students.
Outcomes
With ELSF’s support, education leaders are empowered to:
- Identify, adopt, and implement instructional materials that center multilingual learners’ academic and linguistic needs.
- Use curriculum budgets more effectively to achieve greater impact for all students.
- Improve student outcomes by ensuring multilingual learner needs are met.
The Challenge
Nationwide, the population of multilingual learners is growing, yet 70% of teachers report feeling unprepared to support them effectively. Compounding this issue, 80% of educators feel they cannot rely on their existing instructional materials to provide the research-based practices required to improve outcomes for these students.
How We Help
Nationwide, the population of multilingual learners is growing, yet 70% of teachers report feeling unprepared to support them effectively. Compounding this issue, 80% of educators feel they cannot rely on their existing instructional materials to provide the research-based practices required to improve outcomes for these students.
Outcomes
Nationwide, the population of multilingual learners is growing, yet 70% of teachers report feeling unprepared to support them effectively. Compounding this issue, 80% of educators feel they cannot rely on their existing instructional materials to provide the research-based practices required to improve outcomes for these students.
- Identify, adopt, and implement instructional materials that center multilingual learners’ academic and linguistic needs.
- Use curriculum budgets more effectively to achieve greater impact for all students.
- Improve student outcomes by ensuring multilingual learner needs are met.
How we can collaborate
Curriculum Adoption support
We review and recommend adoption frameworks, processes, and resources to ensure multilingual learners’ needs are embedded from the start. Our guidance includes evidence-based practices and practical strategies for integrating MLL criteria into every stage of curriculum selection. Examples include:
Maryland State Department of Education: Facilitated Benchmarks of Quality training for state agency staff and rubric designers to ensure their evaluation tools effectively reflect research-based practices for MLLs.
Fresno County Office of Education: Equipped local districts with clearer criteria to evaluate and adopt math materials that ensure multilingual learners can access and excel in high-level math.
Curriculum Implementation Support
We prepare districts for effective and equitable implementation of instructional materials. Our recommendations focus on building strategies, structures, and systems that prioritize MLLs, helping leaders create sustainable plans that work in real classrooms. Examples include:
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education: A multi-year partnership to enhance the state's curriculum review processes and train leaders to prioritize linguistically sustaining practices in early literacy and math.
Hillsborough County Public Schools: Conducted a comprehensive audit of the district’s curriculum guides to help educators more effectively implement their adopted high-quality instructional materials.
Strategy and systems support
Through comprehensive professional learning, we equip participants with the knowledge and skills needed to center multilingual learners throughout adoption and implementation. Sessions are tailored, research-backed, and designed to ensure leaders can confidently champion MLLs in their schools and districts. Examples include:
Rhode Island Department of Education: Previously, supported district leaders in building the systemic conditions to center multilingual learners through professional learning rooted in curriculum literacy. Currently, developing professional learning modules to help district leaders translate Rhode Island’s new MLL Awareness regulations into actionable classroom practices.
It's about weaving students' thinking into instructino; giving students a voice. That's what a high-uality curriculum does. Then, we need professional learning to support teachers in maximizing that curriculum. That's what we did in this project and why we made so much progress.
To ensure that [MLLs] received high-quality, inclusive instruction, with materials that reflected their diverse cultural and linguistic experiences...RIDE partnered with ELSF. The goal was to... help district leadership teams follow through on the state’s Blueprint for Multilingual Learner Success by better addressing the needs of these students in core instruction, school design and programming.
Fresno was ready to... explore curriculum that lets English learners learn and practice math on an equal playing field, so we reached out for partners... ELSF contributed expertise to ensure English learners were accounted for throughout the process by demonstrating how to examine materials for appropriate language supports and accessibility.
