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

Multilingualism isn’t just a nice-to-have for schools — it’s a learning and identity powerhouse. Let’s take a look at what the latest brain science tells us about multilingual learners, explore sociocultural advantages tied to culture and identity, and finish with a few practical classroom takeaways you can use tomorrow.

The brain benefits: Real neuroplastic change, not just a myth

For years we’ve heard that supporting students’ first language supports learning additional languages and school achievement. Here’s how: 

Regular use of more than one language shapes the brain

Neuroimaging studies show that learning and using multiple languages produces structural and functional changes in both gray- and white-matter regions of the brain involved in language, attention, and cognitive control. These changes reflect neuroplasticity—the brain's ability to change its structure and function in response to experiences, learning, and the environment, which helps create new neural connections, strengthen existing ones, or reorganize pathways to tackle new challenges and skills. Multilingual children may also be more creative as the process of learning different languages involves exploring different modes of expression and interpretation. 

The brain changes depending on experience

Neuroscience shows bilingualism's effects are dynamic. Early, intensive bilingual exposure and continued active use are strongly associated with structural connectivity and functional changes, but even later language learning produces measurable neuroplastic effects. As children learn to adapt to different linguistic situations.

The sociocultural benefits: Culture, identity, and learning

Language is identity

Language is inextricably linked to culture and identity. For many families, language is the thread that ties generations together and shows respect, belonging, and pride in where they come from. Researchers such as Dr. Jim Cummins remind us that maintaining and valuing a child’s first language supports self-worth, family connections, and school success. Multilingual learners bring cultural knowledge and community connections with them, providing a vital connection to their heritage, family, and those around them. When schools acknowledge and build on students’ linguistic identities, students are more likely to feel a sense of belonging, be more engaged, and take academic risks. 

Schools that position multilingualism as an asset create students who are prepared to participate in local and global contexts. Because of their experiences in navigating their two or more worlds, not only do they switch between languages, but they also switch between perspectives. This can provide them with the empathy and intercultural communication skills needed for effective global citizenship. 

Making an immediate impact 

1. Protect and use students’ home languages.
   Invite families to contribute vocabulary, stories, or photos in home languages. This supports identity and scaffolds learning in the classroom language, while validating and celebrating all languages spoken in the classroom.
    
2. Design instruction that leverages metalinguistic awareness.
   Compare how grammatical structures work across languages; use translation tasks and language reflection activities to strengthen both languages and bolster mental flexibility.
    
3. Value cultural content as curriculum content.
   Use students’ stories, community histories, and bilingual texts to teach literacy, social studies, and science. This honors identity while teaching rigorous content.
    
4. Encourage sustained, active use of languages.
   Neuroscience shows active and sustained use matters most for the brain benefits; design projects that require meaningful output in students’ languages such as presentations, community interviews, and bilingual portfolios. Provide opportunities for translanguaging, where students draw upon their full linguistic repertoire to make meaning, and provide spaces for them to create bridges between the languages they know and the one they are learning.  

Final thoughts 

Students’ languages are resources not barriers. The neuroscience shows multilingual experience literally sculpts the brain and supports cognitive processes learners use every day. The sociocultural research shows that honoring languages strengthens identity, community, and learning. And although the benefits mentioned are impacted by factors such as language exposure, the environments in which children use their languages, and the cultural values that shape their experiences, your students’ language is a strength to build on. When schools intentionally build multilingual, culturally rich classrooms, and a school-wide culture that truly embraces and champions the power of multilingualism, students gain both cognitive advantages and the social capital to thrive. Start now, by taking a moment to print this poster reminding your multilingual students of their superpowers!