2022 Articles

Equity for Multilingual Learners

Nordmeyer, Jon; Bettney, Esther

During the COVID-19 pandemic, amid the collective necessity to pivot towards new technologies for teaching and learning, many educators expressed concerns about unequal access for multilingual learners. When online learning relies exclusively on English, students and families who navigate school in multiple languages can be excluded. Over the past two years, a focus on the intersection of multilingualism and equity catalyzed connections across the worldwide community of teachers. Global networks such as the WIDA International School Consortium provided an opportunity for educators to connect with, share, and learn from each other as a community of practice. This essay explains how, in an increasingly interdependent world, a global network of schools and scholars co-created a powerful community to both learn from and contribute to dialogue about equity for multilingual learners during the pandemic.