Strengthening the Teacher Workforce to Support Multilingual Learners: A Tool for State Educational Agencies

One in 10 public school students in the United States are designated as English learners (ELs), an increase of more than 25 percent over the past 2 decades (National Center for Education Statistics, 2022). In nearly half of states, the proportion of students designated as ELs has more than doubled since 2000. Further, several states--such as Kentucky, Mississippi, North Dakota, and South Carolina--are serving substantial numbers of ELs for the first time in recent history (NCES, 2022). With these increases, many state educational agencies (SEAs) are grappling with shortages of certified teachers to provide bilingual instruction or English language development (ELD) support to their linguistically diverse student populations. This tool helps state leaders identify specific needs to recruit, retain, and support teachers who serve multilingual learners (MLs).