ELs With Disabilities

Silhouetted photo of a student with icons overlaid and the letters "IEP" in scrapbook style. The icons shown include a checklist, scribbles, fidget spinner, clock, speech bubble and doodle of a smiling face wearing a headset.
Collage by Gina Tomko/Education Week + Canva
English Learners Download How to Align IEP Goals and Language Supports for English Learners: A Guide
English-language development teachers should review IEPs of dually identified students.
Ileana Najarro, October 30, 2026
•
1 min read
September 15, 2026 Browne Middle School 261
Eighth graders work on math problems in a dual language class taught primarily in English at Joseph A. Browne Middle School in Chelsea, Mass. on Sept. 15, 2026. Many students in the school are English learners. When students are English learners with disabilities, their language development teachers should be involved in IEP meetings, according to experts.
Sophie Park for Education Week
English Learners Why ESL Teachers Need a Seat at the IEP Table
English learners with disabilities benefit from cross-departmental collaboration.
Ileana Najarro, October 30, 2026
•
4 min read
Chromebooks, to be loaned to students in the Elk Grove Unified School District, await distribution at Monterey Trail High School in Elk Grove, Calif., on April 2, 2020.
Chromebooks fill a shelf at a high school in Elk Grove, Calif., on April 2, 2020. In a recent Education Week webinar on how to support English learners with disabilities, Sara Kangas, an associate professor at Lehigh University’s college of education and a participant in the discussion, suggested teachers consider whether the technology being used is hurting or helping peer-to-peer interactions among English learners with disabilities.
Rich Pedroncelli/AP
English Learners How Tech Can Help or Harm Instruction for English Learners With Disabilities
Devices and AI-powered tools can lead to engagement or isolation, researchers and advocates say.
Jennifer Vilcarino, October 20, 2026
•
3 min read
Thu., October 15, 2026, 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. ET
English Learners Webinar How Can School Districts Better Support English Learners With Disabilities?
Join this webinar to hear recent findings from the EdWeek Research Center and discover practical strategies for improvement.
Register
October 15, 2026
English Learners Reports Teaching Multilingual Learners: Results of a National Survey
Based on an educator survey, this report examines views on staffing, instructional approaches, and training to teach multilingual learners.
October 1, 2026
September 15, 2026 Browne Middle School 102
Eighth graders work on math problems in a dual language class taught primarily in English at Joseph A. Browne Middle School in Chelsea, Mass. on Sept. 15, 2026. About a third of the students at the middle school are classified as English learners.
Sophie Park for Education Week
English Learners How Schools Can Better Support Older English Learners
Strategies exist to help students who carry the English-learner label beyond elementary school.
Ileana Najarro, September 21, 2026
•
8 min read
Third-grade students learn about identifying story elements as part of an elementary school's Dual Language Program in August 2023.
Third-grade students learn about identifying story elements as part of Crestwood Elementary School's Dual Language Program in August 2023 in Tampa, Fla. Due to silos in the teaching profession, English learners with disabilities may miss out on language services such as dual language programs in favor of special education programming.
Douglas R. Clifford/Zuma Press/Tampa Bay Times via TNS
English Learners How Schools Are Failing English Learners With Disabilities
An EdWeek Research Center survey found gaps in trained staff for dually identified students.
Ileana Najarro, July 24, 2026
•
4 min read
The dyslexia program in Brownsville ISD.
Special Education Video How This District Teaches Bilingual Students With Dyslexia
Students with dyslexia receive instruction in Spanish or English, depending on their dominant spoken language.
Jaclyn Borowski, December 11, 2025
•
2:28
Pictures show what mouth shape different sounds make on the walls of Diana Oviedo-Holguin’s class at Heritage Elementary School in San Antonio, Texas, on Sept. 3, 2025.
Pictures show what mouth shape different sounds make on the walls of Diana Oviedo-Holguin’s class at Heritage Elementary School in San Antonio, Texas, on Sept. 3, 2025. Texas officials are getting closer to launching a new bilingual special education certification that will help teachers better understand the intersecting needs of English learners who are also students with disabilities.
Noah Devereaux for Education Week
States How One State is Leading the Way for English Learners With Disabilities
Advocates hope Texas can set an example with a forthcoming bilingual special education certificate.
Ileana Najarro, October 30, 2025
•
3 min read
Photo of teacher and blind student using braille slate.
E+
English Learners English Learners With Disabilities: The Rules Schools Have to Follow
Schools can't force English learners with disabilities to choose between special ed. and language instruction—and other tips from OCR.
Ileana Najarro, November 14, 2024
•
4 min read
Photo of a young student solving a math problem with a notebook while watching a help video on a monitor and listening with headphones.
iStock/Getty
English Learners English Learners with Disabilities Lack Consistent State Support
An analysis of state education agencies' resources on English learners with disabilities found room for improvement.
Ileana Najarro, July 3, 2024
•
4 min read
An elementary student reads independently during class.
Allison Shelley/EDUimages
English Learners The Problem Schools Have Accurately Identifying English Learners
A U.S. Government Accountability Office report examines how states and districts are identifying English learners.
Ileana Najarro, June 28, 2024
•
3 min read
Classroom materials show the days of the week and months of the year in Spanish in a dual-language class at UCLA Community School.
Classroom materials show the days of the week and months of the year in Spanish in a dual-language class at UCLA Community School.
Allison Shelley/EDUimages
English Learners Why Teachers of English Learners With Disabilities Need Specialized Training
An expert discusses what comprehensive training works best for teachers working with students who are English learners with disabilities.
Ileana Najarro, June 25, 2024
•
3 min read
Thu., June 20, 2024, 2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. ET
Special Education K-12 Essentials Forum Innovative Approaches to Special Education
Join this free virtual event to explore innovations in the evolving landscape of special education.
Register
June 20, 2024