The month of April is National Bilingual/Multilingual Learner Advocacy Month, a time to recognize the needs and achievements of bilingual and multilingual learners. Advocates and education systems should consider how to support these students best and ensure that all students have the necessary tools to receive a great education, regardless of their native language or country of origin. This is also a time for recognizing the unique needs of diverse language learners.
From early learners to newcomers of any age, advocates, educators, and policymakers must develop and leverage the appropriate tools, including new data collection, for supporting English language development while also creating a culture of respect for home language. During this month, we can commit to advocating for these students and their families. As part of this process, success should be celebrated. The Seal of Biliteracy, for instance, symbolizes the assets and skills of these students and serves as an important reminder of the immense value of multilingualism.
In honor of National Bilingual/Multilingual Learner Advocacy Month, here are some ways to get involved
- Consider initiating and expanding biliteracy programs in your school/district
- Creating Pathways to biliteracy beginning in Preschool
- You can celebrate National Bilingual/Multilingual Learner Advocacy Month by purchasing our
Seal of Biliteracy Medallions and publications. - Learn more about English learners and how to renew your commitment to celebrating and advocating for bilingual and multilingual learners.
- Share our #NBMLAdvocacy social media toolkit.
- Consider initiating and expanding biliteracy programs in your school/district
- Creating Pathways to biliteracy beginning in Preschool
Check out the resources below for more information on multilingualism, bilingual education, newcomers, and finding student data. Californians Together has also created a social media toolkit that you can use to share these resources.
- Asian Americans Advancing Justice
- CABE (California Association for Bilingual Education)
- California Newcomer Network (CANN)
- Catalyst California
- Early Edge California
- Effective Literacy Podcast
- The Education Trust-West
- NCEL (National Committee for Effective Literacy)
- NOELA (National Clearinghouse for English Language Acquisition)
- PIQE (Parent Institute for Quality Education)
- SEAL
- UnidosUS