English Learners

Learn more about students whose first language is not English, also referred to as students learning English as a second language

Webinars

Webinars on English Learners
Browse and register for free professional development on students learning English as a second language, dual-language instruction, and bilingual education.

Featured Special Reports

Special Report Supporting English Learners: Practical Solutions for Today’s Schools
How districts are navigating older English learners, AI tools, and early screening to build practical paths to success.
September 21, 2026
Illustration by Nicole Xu showing an ELL specialist in a classroom of older students, looking at the window of the classroom door as other teachers walk by
Nicole Xu for Education Week
Special Report How Educators Are Boosting Outcomes for English Learners Amid Challenges
Explore how schools and states are trying to support English learners with programs, literacy strategies, and teacher training.
September 22, 2025
Diana Oviedo-Holguin teaches a first grade English learner class at Heritage Elementary School in San Antonio, Texas, on Sept. 3, 2025.
Diana Oviedo-Holguin teaches a first grade English learner class at Heritage Elementary School in San Antonio, Texas, on Sept. 3, 2025.
Noah Devereaux for Education Week
Special Report Enseñar a los Estudiantes de Inglés Como Segundo Idioma
¿Qué tan buenos son los servicios que las escuelas les prestan a los estudiantes de inglés como segundo idioma?
May 11, 2016
Ke’mari Barnes (izquierda) y Yesenia Gomez trabajan en conjunto con tarjetas de rompecabezas durante una clase del pre-kinder en la Academia de Dos Idiomas en Tulsa, Oklahoma. La mitad de los estudiantes de la escuela son estudiantes de inglés como segundo idioma y representan un gran cambio demográfico en los últimos años en el distrito escolar.
Ke’mari Barnes (izquierda) y Yesenia Gomez trabajan en conjunto con tarjetas de rompecabezas durante una clase del pre-kinder en la Academia de Dos Idiomas en Tulsa, Oklahoma. La mitad de los estudiantes de la escuela son estudiantes de inglés como segundo idioma y representan un gran cambio demográfico en los últimos años en el distrito escolar.
Shane Bevel para Education Week
  • The Latest

    FA student wipes his face while his mother takes a photo of him with a sign on the first day of school at Betsy Ross Elementary School in Anaheim, Calif., on Aug. 6, 2026.
    A student wipes his face while his mother takes a photo of him with a sign on the first day of school at Betsy Ross Elementary School in Anaheim, Calif., on Aug. 6, 2026. English learners in California will only need to meet one criterion to reclassify this school year.
    Jae C. Hong/AP
    English Learners How One State Is Fixing Bureaucratic Hurdles for English Learners
    New legislation in California helps the state catch up and lead in reclassifying English learners.
    Ileana Najarro, October 22, 2026
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    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
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    3 min read
    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.
    October 15, 2026
    Student Elias Albert gets help from Nurit Foster, who is using artificial intelligence in her multilingual learners class at Hillside Middle School in Northville, Mich., on Jan. 13, 2025 . AI allows teachers in Northville to provide students with content for a class assignment and then adjust the levels for each student based on their English proficiency, officials said. Some districts are also using AI tools to help with translation for families.
    Student Elias Albert gets help from Nurit Foster, who is using artificial intelligence in her multilingual learners class at Hillside Middle School in Northville, Mich., on Jan. 13, 2025. AI allows teachers in Northville to provide students with content for a class assignment and then adjust the levels for each student based on their English proficiency, officials said. Some districts are also using AI tools to help with translation for families.
    Daniel Mears/The Detroit News via TNS
    English Learners Strategies to Support English Learners: 3 Takeaways for School Districts
    States and school systems are wrestling with how to help learners of English of all age levels.
    Sean Cavanagh, October 13, 2026
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    3 min read
    Citlali Márquez-Hamil dances during a Transitional Kindergarten class at First Street Elementary School in Los Angeles, on April 22, 2026.
    Citlali Márquez-Hamil dances during a transitional kindergarten class at First Street Elementary School in Los Angeles, on April 22, 2026. During a recent Education Week webinar, experts discussed California's shift to play-based screeners, including how they work, the risk of student misidentification, and implementation oversight.
    Ethan Swope/AP
    English Learners 4 Lessons From One State's Move Away From Formal Pre-K Language Testing
    California is shifting from formal assessments to play-based screeners for its youngest learners.
    Caitlynn Peetz Stephens, October 12, 2026
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    5 min read
    English Learners K-12 Essentials Forum Rethinking Instruction for English Learners
    Join this free event to explore teacher preparedness, family communication, and strategies to ensure equity and opportunity for students.
    October 1, 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
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    8 min read
    Illustration by Nicole Xu showing a female high school English learner looking confused in a regular general education classroom. The student has a swirly, white circle of confusion around her head.
    Nicole Xu for Education Week
    English Learners From Our Research Center Where English Learners Spend the School Day, in Charts
    Though dual-language classrooms offer the most benefits, English learners are least likely there.
    Ileana Najarro, September 21, 2026
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    6 min read
    Illustration by Nicole Xu showing a very young EL boy scribbling over an assessment test with a swirly white circle of confusion around his head.
    Nicole Xu for Education Week
    English Learners How One State Is Identifying English Learners Early—Without Misclassifying Them
    California is replacing formal pre-K English screeners with age-appropriate tools to prevent misidentification.
    Caitlynn Peetz Stephens, September 21, 2026
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    7 min read
    Conceptual illustration of classroom conversations and fragmented education elements coming together to form a cohesive picture of a book of classroom knowledge.
    Sonia Pulido for Education Week
    English Learners Opinion Try These Strategies to Engage Parents of English Learners
    Parents can be more than allies in their children’s education. They can be experts.
    Larry Ferlazzo, September 14, 2026
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    8 min read
    English teacher Jessica Gallo assists students during a writing exercise in her classroom at Dekaney High School in Houston, Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025. (Kirk Sides/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images)
    English teacher Jessica Gallo assists students during a writing exercise in her classroom at Dekaney High School in Houston, on Sept. 16, 2025. Newcomer immigrant students in high school with low English-proficiency face multiple barriers schools can address.
    Kirk Sides/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images
    English Learners Immigrant Students Face Big Barriers to Success in High School
    A new study highlights how schools in Massachusetts serve newly arrived immigrants in high school.
    Ileana Najarro, August 31, 2026
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    4 min read
    Students learn Arabic words while playing with bilingual flash cards during Modern Arabic 1 class at Richards High School in Oak Lawn, Ill., on April 17, 2026. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
    Students learn Arabic words while playing with bilingual flash cards during Modern Arabic 1 class at Richards High School in Oak Lawn, Ill., on April 17, 2026. Many bilingual education programs do not extend beyond elementary school to secondary grades, a new analysis shows.
    Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty
    English Learners Why Bilingual Education in High School is Hard to Find
    A new report highlights the challenges and solutions to offering bilingual education in high school.
    Ileana Najarro, August 28, 2026
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    4 min read
    Student Elias Albert gets help from Instructor Nurit Foster, who is using artificial intelligence in her multilingual learners class at Hillside Middle School in Northville, Michigan on Jan. 13, 2025 . AI allows teachers in Northville to provide students with content for a class assignment and then adjust the levels for each student based on their English proficiency, officials said.
    Student Elias Albert gets help from instructor Nurit Foster, who is using artificial intelligence in her multilingual learners class at Hillside Middle School in Northville, Mich., on Jan. 13, 2025. Statewide assessments in students' native languages are another accommodation states have on hand to help English learners.
    Daniel Mears/The Detroit News via TNS
    English Learners Which States Test English Learners in Their Native Languages?
    In 2025 the Migration Policy Institute analyzed states' use of native language assessments.
    2 min read
    Conceptual illustration of classroom conversations and fragmented education elements coming together to form a cohesive picture of a book of classroom knowledge.
    Sonia Pulido for Education Week
    English Learners Opinion Listening to Learn: How to Teach English Learners This Overlooked Skill
    We must explicitly teach students to be effective listeners—especially in the era of screen time.
    Larry Ferlazzo, August 11, 2026
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    8 min read