This blog was written by Sandra Medrano-Arroyo, National Director of Multilingual Learner Success. 

Summer is here—and with it, a valuable chance to pause, reflect, and recharge. 

For school leaders, it’s also the perfect time to think strategically about how to support teachers with the professional learning they need to confidently serve multilingual learners.

Teachers are the single most important in-school factor influencing student success. But to truly make an impact, they need more than good intentions—they need training that’s relevant, research-based, and reflective of both their students’ and their own growth areas.

Addressing the professional learning gap 

Here’s the reality: multilingual learners are in nearly every classroom, yet most teachers haven’t received specific training to support them.

A recent study found that although two-thirds of teachers have at least one EL student, fewer than half have taken a course specific to EL instruction. And only 10% hold a degree or certificate in the field. That mismatch highlights a major opportunity for school and district leaders.

Keeping the goal in mind

As your partners in this work, our goal is to help you increase opportunities for multilingual learners to reach their highest aspirations. But, we know that teachers need support too. And just as they must differentiate instruction for their multilingual learners, we've got to figure out how they learn best and where they may need more support.

What high-impact professional learning looks like

Effective PD goes beyond theory. It equips teachers with practical, immediately usable strategies that align with the language needs of their students.

• Scaffolding tasks that promote both language and content mastery
• Building academic discourse routines into daily instruction
• Using culturally responsive strategies
• Tapping into students’ linguistic and cultural backgrounds

Planning ahead: Professional learning that meets your team where they are

Before choosing professional learning options for your team, conduct a quick needs assessment. Ask teachers about the challenges they’re facing and the skills they want to build. You might discover:

• Newer teachers want help with EL basics like language objectives and structured supports
• Veteran teachers are ready for deeper dives into co-teaching or cross-linguistic strategies
• Everyone wants more time to collaborate and share what’s working

As you gather this input, be intentional about aligning your questions with your school or district’s strategic goals. Once you have the responses, dig deeper:

• Where are the biggest knowledge gaps?
• What does your student data tell you about where support is most needed?
• Are there internal experts on your staff you can tap into as peer leaders or facilitators?
• How much time can you realistically dedicate to professional learning?
• Are your PD offerings flexible enough to meet different learning styles and experience levels?

Take time to reflect on their responses as you prepare to suggest professional learning options that mirror what is asked of effective teachers: differentiation, engagement, and relevance. 

Impactful professional learning ideas

Whether you're planning high-quality professional learning experiences for your teachers, or building a year-long professional learning roadmap, here are a few ways to jumpstart your planning:

• Try Ellevation Strategies modules—these on-demand, research-based modules cover topics like supporting Newcomers, fostering meaningful interactions, and tapping into students’ prior experiences.
• Encourage staff to explore podcasts like Highest Aspirations for stories and strategies from EL educators and researchers.
• Review your school’s EL data with your team to identify focus areas—just like progress monitoring for students, this helps tailor support.
• Provide teachers with voice and choice and let them explore options to deepen understanding of what to teach and how to teach it in engaging and meaningful ways.
• Encourage their use of a professional learning  journal or reflection template to set summer goals and track their growth.

Final thoughts: When we support teachers, we support students

Investing in targeted, sustained professional learning isn’t a nice-to-have—it’s a must-have if we want to close opportunity gaps. When we equip teachers to serve multilingual learners with confidence and care, we empower every student to thrive.

Let this summer be the spark. With the right tools, mindset, and support, you can help your teachers return to school inspired, prepared, and ready to elevate every learner.