The numbers of English-learner newcomer students are down across the country in the face of the Trump administration’s immigration policies.

What should schools do about this enrollment decline?

I’ll briefly share my thoughts, followed by a guest post from an educator sharing their reflections.

One, schools should recognize that this trend is likely to change in the next few years. There were reduced numbers of newcomers during the first Trump administration (though not as large), but it bounced back quickly after the Biden administration took office.

Two, schools could take this opportunity to support their many long-term English learners, who are often given short shrift. Instead of laying off experienced EL teachers, or assigning them other classes, they could utilize their experience by expanding efforts for the long-term learners (who are often born in the U.S.). I’ve previously shared how my former school made such an effort a reality.

‘Lower Enrollment Is Not a Pause In The Work’

Marie Heath is an educational consultant and author specializing in multilingual program design and systems leadership that support equitable outcomes for multilingual learners:

Lower newcomer enrollment often triggers concern, uncertainty, and quick reactions. But this moment is not a crisis; it is a systems opportunity. When districts experience a dip in newcomer numbers, the instinct is often to cut positions, reassign staff randomly, or simply “wait it out.”

This is precisely the moment to strengthen the multilingual system so it is ready for the next wave or shift in programming—because it will come.

We are not talking about newcomers disappearing; we are talking about capacity shifting. Enrollment trends change, but the responsibility to serve multilingual learners does not. Systems, not headcounts, determine sustainability. Growth phases require expansion. Contraction phases require precision. Strong systems are built between waves, not during them.

When enrollment declines, it is natural for leaders to feel tension between protecting people, preserving quality, and preparing for what may come next. This moment is not about loss; it is about responsibility during transition. Districts are experiencing fewer newcomer enrollments, increased pressure to justify staffing, and concern about losing specialized expertise. The question is no longer simply how we serve newcomers, but how we leverage the expertise we have built to strengthen the entire multilingual system.

Instead of disbanding what has been built, this is an opportunity to reposition newcomer specialists as system builders. Newcomer expertise does not expire when enrollment dips; it shifts. When programs are no longer in survival mode, leaders gain a rare opportunity to stabilize, refine, and future-proof their multilingual systems.

Image by Marie Heath

A Systems Lens: The Six Pillars

All six pillars function as an integrated system within the multilingual program. They connect how students are enrolled and placed, how instruction and materials are designed, how educators are prepared and supported, and how families are engaged. Together, these pillars work toward a single outcome: ensuring students have access, opportunity, and a clear pathway to successful graduation. Enrollment, instruction, staffing, and family engagement only matter when they lead to long-term student success.

Pillar 1: Compliance and Data

Lower newcomer enrollment creates space for intentional audit and refinement of identification, placement, and exit processes. Leaders can ensure services align with documentation while reviewing timelines, consistency, and fidelity across campuses. This is also the time to build systems that predict needs rather than react to them, because strong systems are built during quieter seasons.

Pillar 2: Curriculum and Instruction

This period allows leaders to examine curriculum, instructional models, and service-delivery structures with greater clarity. Instructional practices can be aligned more intentionally to placement decisions and language-development goals, while ensuring coherence across campuses. Rather than reacting to enrollment shifts, districts can refine instructional systems that anticipate student needs.

Pillar 3: Staffing

Lower enrollment provides an opportunity to right-size roles and supports intentionally rather than reactively. This includes clarifying role purpose, shifting from direct service delivery to capacity building, and developing teacher leaders and coaches. The greatest risk during periods of low enrollment is not overstaffing; it is the loss of institutional knowledge and high-impact educators due to short-term decisions.

Pillar 4: Professional Development

Lower newcomer enrollment creates space to invest in-depth rather than triage. Leaders can move beyond one-off professional development and focus on sustained learning cycles that emphasize coaching for implementation. This is also an opportunity to align professional learning across general education, ESL, and support staff, institutionalizing effective practices rather than relying solely on specialists. When numbers drop, capacity should rise.

Pillar 5: Family and Community Engagement

With fewer newcomer families enrolling, districts can build deeper, more intentional relationships. Families still need navigation, making this an ideal time to strengthen onboarding and orientation systems. Translation and interpretation systems remain essential, offering leaders a chance to examine the clarity and accessibility of communication. Family engagement is not an initiative; it is an infrastructure that provides consistency and trust as enrollment fluctuates.

Pillar 6: Pathway to Graduation

Lower newcomer enrollment offers a rare opportunity to step back from immediate numbers and focus on long-term access and success for multilingual learners. Leaders can map clear graduation and postsecondary pathways early, strengthen transcript-evaluation processes, and explore flexible scheduling, alternative credit options, and intentional SLIFE graduation pathways. Fewer new enrollments do not mean fewer needs; they reveal clearer ones—because the goal is not enrollment, it is outcomes and sustained access.

Lower enrollment is not a pause in the work; it is one of the most strategic moments a leader will ever have. Programs do not fail during decline; they fail when leaders do not redesign. This is not the time to dismantle specialized roles or reassign staff without purpose. Enrollment trends are temporary. Systems are permanent. Districts that pivot strategically during periods of change are the ones that respond with confidence—not chaos—when demographics inevitably shift again.

Thanks to Marie for contributing her thoughts.

Consider contributing a question to be answered in a future post. You can send one to me at lferlazzo@epe.org. When you send it in, let me know if I can use your real name if it’s selected or if you’d prefer remaining anonymous and have a pseudonym in mind.

You can also contact me on X at @Larryferlazzo or on Bluesky at @larryferlazzo.bsky.social

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