Science of Reading: The Podcast

ML/EL E1: Language is always an asset, with Kajal Patel Below

• Amplify Education • Season 8 • Episode 15

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To kick off our miniseries focused on how the Science of Reading serves multilingual/English learners (ML/ELs), Amplify Vice President of Biliteracy Kajal Patel Below joins Susan Lambert for a retrospective discussion of the history of literacy education through a biliteracy lens. Together, they discuss the significance of a recent joint statement put out by The Reading League and the National Committee for Effective Literacy. Below sheds light on why this statement is so monumental, and what it means for serving ML/ELs going forward.

Show notes:

Quotes:

“It must be acknowledged that there is more scientific research, or there has been more scientific research, conducted with monolingual English-speaking children, and that additional research related to teaching literacy development for English learners and emergent bilinguals is needed to advance our understanding of their literacy development.” —Kajal Patel Below

“We have an underserved area that's experiencing a massive growth in student population. And so it's really important to then focus on it. Schools are adjusting, they're quick, they're doing the best they can, but we need to be having these conversations around research [and] best practices so that we can set schools up for success and students up for success." —Kajal Patel Below

“I just think we have an exciting future in this country. I was in a classroom last week—I saw some of their writing. I saw them speaking, heard them speaking in two languages fluently, easily, excitedly. I just got very excited. These kids are going to be our doctors and our teachers and our engineers and they’re bilingual or multilingual.” —Kajal Patel Below

“Their language is an asset, whatever language it is and however much it is.” —Kajal Patel Below

Episode timestamps*
5:00 Introduction: Who is Kajal Patel Below?
7:00 Terminology: Bilingual vs biliterate; Multilingual/English learners 
10:00 History in the US of multilingual learners being underserved
11:00 Multilingualism as an asset
12:00 Importance of messaging
17:00 Advocates for multilingual learners and the science of reading
21:00 Concerns regarding the science of reading movement
25:00 Screening and assessment
31:00 Teacher support and need for better materials
34:00 What is the joint statement? 
43:00 Hopes for the future
46:00 Why is this conversation important?

*Timestamps are approximate, rounded to nearest minute


Susan Lambert:

This is Susan Lambert, and welcome to a special miniseries from Science of Reading: The Podcast from Amplify, where the Science of Reading lives. In recent years, the Science of Reading movement has been gaining momentum around the country.

News Anchor 1:

This new curriculum change goes into , uh, the Science of Reading...

News Anchor 2:

Today, teachers here focus on the Science of Reading.

News Anchor 3:

Teaching the Science of Reading...

News Anchor 4:

...make it easier for school districts across the state to implement the Science of Reading approach.

Susan Lambert:

But amidst that excitement, experts and advocates for a particular group of students have raised some concerns about the relationship between the Science of Reading and this critically important population.

Kajal Patel Below:

So there have been some differing viewpoints in the research community among experts in the Science of Reading field, and experts who focus on multilingual and English learners.

Susan Lambert:

That's my colleague, Kajal Patel Below, vice president of biliteracy at Amplify. As Kajal has traveled the country listening to experts and advocates for multilingual and English learners, she's heard concerns such as the fact that multilingual and English learners have been underrepresented in academic research and misidentified with reading difficulties. And then there's the concern that a narrower misinterpretation of the Science of Reading could be especially problematic for multilingual and English learners.

Kajal Patel Below:

And a specific concern is overemphasis on foundational skills over language comprehension. I heard an advocate talk about a requirement of 45 or a mandate of 45 minutes for phonics instruction only. You know, multilingual and English learners, they need that all, all learners, all the students need that balance and that emphasis on language comprehension and especially multilingual and English learners need practice and work with oracy and vocabulary.

Susan Lambert:

This background and these concerns were a big part of what made a recent document so monumental. Last October, the Reading League and the National Committee for Effective Literacy, groups advocating for evidence-based literacy instruction in multilingual and English learners, put out a joint statement. It was titled "Understanding the Difference: The Science of Reading and Implementation for English Learners / Emergent Bilinguals."

Kajal Patel Below:

I think this statement is really great. The reason I like it is I think it does just a really good job of grounding and research, but also emphasizing the differences for multilingual and English learners. Um, it had input from over 20 authors and contributors. It was signed by over 220 organizations.

Susan Lambert:

The statement laid out takeaways from the research showing how the science of Reading does support multilingual and English learners

Kajal Patel Below:

Overall, it established the importance of the decades and breadth of research that there is, but then it lifted up the need to ensure that we center multilingual and English learners. And it specifically called out that there are practices being implemented in schools under the name of Science of Reading, that don't align with the scientific evidence of how English learners and emergent bilinguals learn to read. And we all agree that what we need to be doing is research based. And also, in order to do that, I think it's important that we have, I guess, I don't know, a group effort and alignment on how that should be done. So that's one reason I think the statement is really important.

Susan Lambert:

And on this episode, we're going to dive deeper into that statement and the history that led up to it, including some of the ways multilingual and English learners have historically been underserved in this country. And we're going to kick off this brand new miniseries, exploring how the Science of Reading does serve multilingual and English learners. So let's get started by diving into my full conversation with Amplify Vice President of Biliteracy Kajal Patel, Below. Well, hello, Kajal. I'm so excited to have you on today's episode. Welcome.

Kajal Patel Below:

Thank you. I'm excited to talk to you about this.

Susan Lambert:

I'm excited to. And before we jump into this really important topic, I would love it if you could introduce yourself to our audience.

Kajal Patel Below:

Sure. So hi everyone. I'm Kajal Patel Below. I lead biliteracy at Amplify. I love languages. I wish I could speak them all. My, my own sort of language story is that , um, so I'm Indian American, and I spoke Gujarati in the home. Um, that was my first language actually. And then I learned English when I went to preschool, and then later I wanted to learn Spanish. And so I studied it. And I have lived and worked in different places, including Spain, Puerto Rico, Nicaragua, Mexico. Um, and I'm always, I'm kind of a language nerd. I'm always reading about it. My, my parents are fluent in four languages, which—

Susan Lambert:

Wow!

Kajal Patel Below:

—makes me really, I know. I wish I knew them all. But anyway, in my role at Amplify, I lead biliteracy initiatives. Um, I've been working in educational technology for 20 years, but all that time really has been on literacy solutions, working on products, working with school districts and state departments on implementation. A lot of different things. But over the past several years, I've extended to specifically working with and collaborating with national experts in the field and our own researchers on meeting the needs of multilingual learners, in particular students that speak or are learning Spanish. And in order to do that, I've been learning a ton , listening to people reading, staying attuned to educators needs to support multilingual and English learners in Spanish. And I've really enjoyed doing that because there are so many kids that have this gift. Some numbers, like 15% of K–3 right now, by 2025, it'll be 25% of students in our country, and they're being underserved a bit. And so I think it's an important area for us to focus and promote positive outcomes.

Susan Lambert:

For sure, I can't wait to dig in a little bit more. Before we go any further, though, a couple of things. I've heard you talk about a distinction between biliteracy or multiliteracy—.

Kajal Patel Below:

Mm - hmm.

Susan Lambert:

—and bilingual or multilingual.

Kajal Patel Below:

Mm - hmm.

Susan Lambert:

What's the difference between, let's just, let's just land on one of them. What's the difference between being biliterate and bilingual?

Kajal Patel Below:

So the difference between biliterate and bilingual is, is reading and, and speaking, right? So bilingual would be that you can speak two languages and communicate in two languages. And biliterate is that you can actually, like, read and write in those two languages. And then extending that to multiliteracy, we're talking about multilingual and multiliteracy. We're talking about multiple languages. But I think one thing that kind of comes up a lot is, how do we refer to this group of students? And you'll hear multilingual learners, English learners, emergent bilinguals, emergent multilinguals. There are more terms than that, too, that we'll hear. And I think it's, it's something that, there's not one perfect term. I think even I struggle with it, too, because I want, when I'm talking about a group of students, I want to be precise about who I'm talking about. I also wanna be, I think we all want to be precise, we all want to be also asset-based. And some terms, you know, can seem less asset-based than other terms. And that has led to kind of a preference toward, in many cases, emergent bilingual, emergent multilingual, over English learner. Whereas English learner, you know, I think if you're learning English, I am assuming you know another language, and I think that's great, but it does put the emphasis on, well, this kind of a deficit assumption, right? And so there , that's, that's why that happens. But then when you're, like, reading a research paper, when you're talking about a specific group of people, then you want to be precise about which kids actually are classified as English learners, because that has a bearing on services received, reporting, all kinds of things like that. And so you'll hear me say, in our conversation , multilingual and English learners, and maybe if I am trying to be efficient, I might just say multilingual learners, but , it depends, like sometimes I'm talking about students who are learning also in Spanish that are native English speakers, and sometimes we refer to them as multilingual learners.

Susan Lambert:

I think it's really important to sort of highlight that, because the precision part of it is really important. But to just to keep in mind that there is all kind of different terms that we use. And so, yes. And, and we're gonna, I mean, I think some of the terms sort of feed into some of what we're gonna talk about to understand the current moment. So I just, I just wanted to hear you talk about that a little bit. So thank you and no , you didn't confuse us. So let's just kind of talk a little bit about this current moment and some of the history behind it. And I know, like, we can only scratch some of the surface here, but let's talk a little bit about the history of how this country has underserved our multilingual learners. So I would love if you could just share some of that.

Kajal Patel Below:

Yeah, absolutely. I think overall there has been a tendency to undervalue home language when it is not English. And this has been seen in both how instruction is approached, as well as how we try to understand students' abilities. And today we know more, and as I continue, wanna ground in a couple of research-based facts, which are, one, literacy in a new language builds from literacy in the home language. We know that. And another is that multilinguals draw on all their linguistic knowledge to navigate and draw connections across languages when they're reading, writing, speaking, listening. And so their language is an asset, whatever language it is, and however much it is , you know, maybe a student speaks a language but doesn't yet have literacy in that language, or doesn't have literacy in that language because they learned it in a spoken way. But that's still an asset that can be leveraged, and that is drawn from as they're learning a new language and learning to read and write. And so for many years, and even in the recent past, bilingualism was actually thought to be disruptive, or multilingualism, bilingualism, you'll hear me say both, I mean pretty much the same thing, was thought to be disruptive to cognitive and linguistic development, like that it would be confusing the child's brain with multiple languages. And we know that's not the case, but that type of assumption has driven programs that are not only English-only, but if you talk to someone who was in school many years ago, I have colleagues and have met people, they were reprimanded for, you know, don't speak Spanish in here.

Susan Lambert:

Oh, right.

Kajal Patel Below:

They weren't allowed even. And so their language wasn't being valued. It's a deficit mentality that just because you don't know English, that there is a lack of skill, I guess I would say. And that's not true.

Susan Lambert:

And parents sometimes too, were told, "Oh, don't speak, only speak English at home." Right? "Don't speak your home language."

Kajal Patel Below:

Yes.

Susan Lambert:

Is that right?

Kajal Patel Below:

Yes. That's absolutely true. Not only that, because in our country, people get these messages, right? And so then English is privileged. And so what would happen is many parents, actually, they would have access to a bilingual program. This even happens today. I've talked to teachers that, and schools where this has happened , where parents will have access to a bilingual program, which would be incredibly supportive to their kids and continue their language development and literacy in their home language, which is really good for them. But they opt out of it and they don't want it because they want their child to learn English, and they don't want labeling of their kid being an English learner. And that's unfortunate. And so, you know, I think the more we can promote and strengthen the message that no, this is positive, learning in both languages is positive, being an English learner, you have language skills, that is positive. I think the more we can do that, the better. You know, in 1998, in California, voters passed Proposition 227. It mandated that English learners be taught overwhelmingly in English through English immersion programs. And that bilingual instruction, you could only have that through a special waiver. So again, at that time, the driver behind that was thinking that, you know, educating in a student's home language or having both languages would delay learning, and it would confuse children. And that children should write and speak in English, because otherwise they would be spending too much time learning in their native language, which would confuse. We know that's not true now because of research. There's actually research by Thomas and Collier that shows that the long-term outcomes, if that dual-language or bilingual education is sustained, that students actually have strong and even stronger long-term outcomes. But again, at that time, the thinking was different. And that Proposition 227 was effectively viewed, even though you could get bilingual education through a waiver, it was effectively viewed as a ban—

Susan Lambert:

Sure.

Kajal Patel Below:

—on transitional bilingual education. And so districts continued through waivers, but, you know, it wasn't set up that way, right? And since then, things have changed in California, and in the U. S. , it was, actually 227 was reversed in 2016, thanks to advocacy groups and researchers that really promoted the research-based messages forward.

Susan Lambert:

Hmm. So that's only recently that that's been reversed, 2016, is that what you said?

Kajal Patel Below:

Yes.

Susan Lambert:

Hmm. That gives us a clue into probably what we're gonna talk about next. So , um, so we'll pin that one. Anything else you wanna share about that history before we come up to sort of the Science of Reading movement?

Kajal Patel Below:

I guess the only thing, only other thing I would say is that personally as I, as I read and learn about this so much and spend time with educators, I then still find it surprising that people believe that learning in two languages is not good for you, and that they don't view it as an asset. But I know that people do still believe that because when I see that there is still a need to push the message that it is a positive thing, and that it is not confusing to learn in two languages.

Susan Lambert:

Mm - hmm.

Kajal Patel Below:

And that the longer-term outcomes are positive. And if everyone just knew that there wouldn't be that need to continue to amplify that message. And so I just think that even though there are many things that are being changed, even though, for example, the Department of Ed has begun a program , Bilingualism is a Superpower, really supporting multilingual education, there are changes that are, really great changes happening, but I think we're gonna still need to continue the messaging and, you know, expanding the understanding.

Susan Lambert:

Yeah, for sure. That's why this series of episodes is so important, and we'll get to that. So let's fast forward to the start of the Science of Reading Movement. You're on the Science of Reading podcast, so, of course, we have to talk about that, right?

Kajal Patel Below:

Yes.

Susan Lambert:

How did advocates for multilingual and English learners come to view this Science of Reading movement? What was their place in this?

Kajal Patel Below:

So there have been some differing viewpoints in the research community among experts in the Science of Reading field, and experts who focus on multilingual and English learners. And before I get into the differing viewpoints, I guess I would just say that there's a shared objective, though, among stakeholders, that we wanna achieve positive literacy outcomes for all students. And there's agreement that we should use research-based and evidence-based practices, and also agreement that it's important to build language and knowledge and foundational reading skills. So those are some big ideas that are in common and that everyone agrees are important. But the driver of the difference in viewpoints, at least as I see it, is then what happens in research and in practice. So with research, there has, there has been extensive research that has been done that includes multilingual/English. The current body has been conducted over five decades across the world. It's derived from thousands of studies conducted in multiple languages. There are multiple studies that have included multilingual and English learners. In 2006, the National Literacy Panel published its report , it's called "Developing Literacy in Second Language Learners," which was edited by Diane August and Timothy Shanahan. But there has been more scientific research conducted with monolingual English-speaking children than there has been with multilingual and English learners, or that has even centered multilingual and English learners. And so that drives concern over over-generalization of the research and unintended consequences when research that's conducted in the monolingual space is applied. And just another layer to that even is that we talk about multilingual and English learners, but that's not a homogeneous group. That's actually a very inclusive term. And we talked about terms earlier, the need to be precise. So if we're gonna be precise, I mean, okay, so this group is made up of, it's important to disaggregate, right? When you're, when you're conducting research, because there are different profiles of students and that has different impacts. So for example, within the group of multilingual and English learners, even if we're just talking about students that are learning English or that have learned English, there's variation in EL status. So it could be a former English learner, it could be a long, the student could be a long-term English learner, a currently classified English learner. Even within that, how many years has it been? What is their home language? What is their language of instruction? There's many factors. And so continuing our research with attention to those factors, the impact of those factors, and really disaggregating data when we look at outcomes, is really important.

Susan Lambert:

Yeah, I love that. And we talk about that with dyslexia too, which we'll cover that in probably another episode. We're not gonna talk about it here, but students with dyslexia have a range of skill and ability and needs, right? And so it's sort of the same thing here, is that we're really, as humans, quick to classify people in groups and group them and forget about this range of experience. So I appreciate that you brought that up. You also talked about some other concerns. So like concerns of the Science of Reading movement, even though, also love that you shared that folks are coming together with a common goal, which is like, let's support students in being literate or being biliterate or multi-literate. But what are some of the other concerns that you've seen as the Science of Reading movement has unfolded?

Kajal Patel Below:

Yes. I think that the specific concerns are really important to understand. One group that has articulated this well is called the National Committee for Effective Literacy. And this is a group of educators, researchers, and organizations, experts like Dr. Kathy Escamilla from University of Colorado, Dr. Magaly Lavadenz from Center for Equity for English Learners. The mission of this group is to uplift research policies and practices to ensure that emergent bilinguals leave school as proficient readers and writers in English, and preferably more languages, and who thrive and succeed in their school and their community . So I read that verbatim 'cause I thought it was important to express. But this committee formed in response to what they cite as a narrow approach of the Science of Reading, and to expand thinking on literacy instruction for English learners and emergent bilinguals, or what we were saying, multilingual and English learners. And a specific concern is overemphasis on foundational skills over language comprehension, in particular oracy, background knowledge, vocabulary. And we, we know that research, and we agree, that research is clear that both foundational skills and language comprehension are important. But I mentioned what we're seeing in practice. And so then that's why that becomes a concern because what is being seen in practice sometimes is a different interpretation, a narrower interpretation of the research. They , NCEL, National Committee for Effective Literacy, they conducted a survey on the impact of the Science of Reading movement on bilingual learners. And I mentioned Dr. Kathy Escamilla, she actually shared some of the preliminary findings at La Cosecha, which is a conference on dual-language education, nationally attended, she shared some preliminary findings in November. And some of what she was hearing, I'll share some examples of things that she was hearing, time being cut from English language development for phonics. I heard another advocate separately there talk about a requirement of 45 or a mandate of 45 minutes for phonics instruction only.

Susan Lambert:

Hmm.

Kajal Patel Below:

So things like that. And so when that's happening, that's a concern. Because, you know, multilingual and English learners, they need that, all learners, all the students need that balance and that emphasis on language comprehension and especially multilingual and English learners need practice and work with oracy and vocabulary. So that's, that's one of the main concerns that has come up.

Susan Lambert:

And we've heard that in the general Science of Reading movement, too, is that there's a misconception that it's just about phonics instruction or just about helping kids recognize words. And that's important, but there's a lot more to literacy than just that, that's a gateway into literacy. But for sure, there's a lot more that needs to be developed.

Kajal Patel Below:

Yes, absolutely. It's not only a narrower approach, but it's just an incorrect interpretation of the body of research.

Susan Lambert:

Yeah. Yeah. So there's also, there's some, maybe some mixed misconceptions is the best way to say it, when we're talking about universal screening, right? That thing that we're going to administer to all students to identify levels of risk. Right? And it's an important thing to do. And we talk about in the Science of Reading movement, super important to do three times a year to make sure students are making progress. What does that look like with the multilingual community?

Kajal Patel Below:

So this is, this one is a tough one because you mentioned dyslexia earlier.

Susan Lambert:

Yeah, yeah .

Kajal Patel Below:

And it is so important to be screening for dyslexia and for other reading difficulties. Right? And so, on a positive note, because of that, many states are working on legislation to require dyslexia screening. That sounds like a very positive thing.

Susan Lambert:

Yeah.

Kajal Patel Below:

An unintended consequence of that is, well, what do you think happens if you screen students in English, which is what the majority of of districts are doing, is they're screening in English, what happens when a student is acquiring, is still on their journey of acquiring English? And if that screening is mandated, and then if that, if the results of that screening have consequences? So, well, what happens is, is that you have an over-identification of students that are then misidentified as having potentially a reading difficulty, including dyslexia. And so that is, that is what is a major concern in the advocacy community for multilingual and English learners, because these assessments are most often done in English. And therefore we can have that misidentification. And it's really damaging to students to be labeled in that way when it's inaccurate, it drives the instruction that they're getting. And then maybe that is the incorrect instruction. And just to put some numbers on it, we have some data on this . Our own data shows that when students whose home language is Spanish were screened in English, when we looked at a particular data set , kindergarten students whose home language is Spanish were screened in English, 72% of them were identified as needing Tier 2 or Tier 3 instruction. So that's a very high number. However, when those same children whose home language is Spanish were assessed in Spanish, only 33% were identified as needing Tier 2 or Tier 3 instruction, which shows the impact of language—

Susan Lambert:

Yeah.

Kajal Patel Below:

—on that assessment. And so ideally kids would be assessed in their home language. Sometimes that's not possible. Spanish is the home language of about 75% of multilingual/English. And there are thankfully some Spanish assessments out there that can be used. It's a challenge, though, with other languages. And there are many other languages in this country. So if kids are being assessed in English, that data just has to be interpreted accordingly. There's deep concern that it wouldn't be particularly when the screening is mandated . And so advocates just wanna see that addressed.

Susan Lambert:

So if somebody asks you the question, "I don't have access to a universal screener in the home language of this group of students that I have in my school, do I still administer a universal screener in English? How, like, how do I navigate that?"

Kajal Patel Below:

So, you know, the advocacy groups really influenced a bill in California. And that bill , California last year passed a screening bill. And that bill had a lot of pushback from multilingual and English learner advocacy groups at the beginning for, you know, because of the question you just asked. And I wanna share some language from that bill that was ultimately included, which, you know, supported it being passed. And then finally then have the support of advocacy groups like Californians Together, they were really instrumental in getting some of this language added. And I'll share some of that, 'cause I think it addresses the question you just asked. So assuming the assessment is in English, let me share some of this language. "The screening tool should have evidence of using a contemporary multicultural multilanguage sample of students with outcome data for non-English speaking students." So this means that the assessment has been used with multilingual and English learner students, has been studied with that population of students. And therefore I would assume that then there would be some guidance on how to interpret that data accordingly. Right? There's also language about, you know, sufficient English. There's some language here, "Students who do not speak sufficient enough English to be screened with an English language instrument must be screened in their primary language. And if that is not available," then we have to look at a bunch of other things. Well , I'll just read from the language, which are "an analysis of developmental history, educational history, literacy progress, their home background, their evolving English language abilities." And that's the language in the bill. But also teachers can learn from talking with the parents about the student's literacy and their background. And, you know, I've spoken with districts who, when they assess in English, they then triangulate that data with the number of years that the student has been receiving instruction in English as well as their level of English proficiency. So the assessment data in English is still of value, but it has to be interpreted with a different lens. You can't just look at it and say, "Oh, okay, well I think this child is at risk for reading difficulty. I'm gonna put them in this group."

Susan Lambert:

Okay. That makes sense. That's super helpful. And you've, you've been into schools as well and talking directly with educators. What kind of other concerns have you heard from educators doing the work?

Kajal Patel Below:

There is often a sense of being underserved. And that's rooted in the fact that educators have been pulling together resources on their own for years to meet their needs for instruction. There's a group called English Learner Success Forum, and they did a survey of teachers. And according to their survey, 80% of teachers feel they cannot fully rely on their materials to support research-based practices for teaching multilingual learners.

Susan Lambert:

Wow. Wow.

Kajal Patel Below:

So...

Susan Lambert:

That's a lot!

Kajal Patel Below:

Yes. And as a result, they then supplement, they're pulling things together on their own. And teachers don't have time to do that.

Susan Lambert:

No way. Yeah .

Kajal Patel Below:

They are very, very busy. So they need more support. And another theme that comes up generally is whether the materials are, that they do have, well, I mentioned that they don't have the materials. And so what they're saying specifically is, do these materials have the right language support or oracy support, or, going back to something I said before, is it too heavy on phonics? So, so there's that, and that's just in English. There are many students, and this is a wonderful thing, there are many students receiving instruction in Spanish. However, even with that, there's been a lack of parody in terms of the quality of the materials sometimes, or the appropriateness of the materials . Sometimes these are a straight translation. And they shouldn't be. Some things can be translated, but we also need to have materials that are based on the science of how Spanish literacy develops, and cultural relevance in terms of text authenticity and representation across assessment and curriculum. So those are the running themes that I'm hearing from schools.

Susan Lambert:

So there's a lot of opportunity for folks to come together and try to use the best of what we know to sort of solve these problems. And I think that's a little bit where this thing called a joint statement came from. And for our listeners that don't know what this is, we're for sure going to link you in the show notes to this , but there's this thing called this joint statement. Can you explain to us who's behind it? And maybe a little bit of how it came to be from your point of view?

Kajal Patel Below:

Yes. I think this statement is really great. So, some background, The Reading League , who you may be familiar with, The Reading League, whose mission is to—

Susan Lambert:

Yes.

Kajal Patel Below:

I know you are Susan. I'm talking—

Susan Lambert:

Yes, yes . Our listeners are too, I'm sure. Reading Leagues are all over the country.

Kajal Patel Below:

So, you know, their mission is to advance awareness, understanding, and use of evidence-aligned reading instruction to improve reading outcomes for all students . I mentioned earlier NCEL, the National Committee for Effective Literacy, and their mission as well, focused on multilingual and English learners. So a couple of years ago, NCEL published a paper titled "Toward Comprehensive Effective Literacy Policy and Instruction for English Learner / Emergent Bilingual Students."

Speaker 1:

Ooh , that's a mouthful.

Kajal Patel Below:

It is. But it was an important paper because, in it, they raised some of the concerns I already covered. You know, specifically stating, they were saying a one-size-fits-all Science of Reading fails to address the unique needs of English learners and emergent bilingual students and doesn't capitalize on their strengths. So that was something that they talked about for the reasons that we described. And I do recommend reading this paper to more closely understand the points being raised 'cause I think they're really important. It was written by Dr. Kathy Escamilla, Dr. Laurie Olsen, and Dr. Jody Slavick and the committee overall. And, specific concerns were the emphasis on phonics in the absence of meaning making , even though we know that evidence-based instruction should be both, but they're raising this in response to what they have seen being done in practice, those unintended consequences based on how Science of Reading has been interpreted. They also talked about, in the paper, the appropriateness of assessment, it needing to be culturally and linguistically appropriate. And, you know, we just talked about the impact of doing assessment and the importance of , well, I shared the data, the 72% and the 33%, and the importance of interpreting assessment. And so they mentioned in the paper, you know, it needing to be appropriate where English proficiency is not a barrier to determining what the student knows and can do, because the language and literacy that the student has and any other language is important and it has bearing and it's an asset and it can be built upon. And really just their overall message is , was concern over the, you know, over-application of Science of Reading to multilingual and English learners, because we do, you know, need to make sure that we're also recognizing the unique needs of multilingual and English learners. So that's an introduction to that paper, which was important because then a number of researchers, notably Claude Goldenberg and other researchers, they drafted a collaborative response aimed at then finding common ground and emphasizing the ways in which the research does support multilingual and English learners, because there is a common goal here. And there was concern that the science—we don't wanna dismiss the body of research that we do have and what we do know. So it started a really important conversation. And following that, The Reading League convened a group of stakeholders to address key points across several meetings, discussions. And it further led to an in-person summit last March. So this is only a year ago, with researcher panels on topics focused on multilingual and English learners. For example, the neuroscience of language and literacy, the role of oral language and background knowledge, the role of foundational skills. You can actually find many of these on their website. They recorded them. And ultimately this resulted in a joint statement. It was joint between The Reading League and the National Committee for Effective Literacy. And the title of that joint statement is, this is also a mouthful, which is why we say joint statement , but it's an important title to understand. I'm gonna read it, which is called "Understanding the Difference: The Science of Reading and Implementation for English Learners and Emergent Bilinguals." So it had input from over 20 authors and contributors, including Dr. Escamilla, Dr. Goldenberg. It was signed by over 220 organizations.

Susan Lambert:

That's amazing.

Kajal Patel Below:

So I won't list them all, but—.

Susan Lambert:

Thank you .

Kajal Patel Below:

Some examples are WIDA, Center for Teaching Biliteracy, English Learner Success Forum. And of course there are many others. And I, like I said, I really do recommend reading this statement. And the paper.

Susan Lambert:

And again, listeners, we're, we're gonna link you in the show notes to that. And I agree, it's not super long, but it's really important to unpack. I wonder, Kajal , if you could help us understand at a really high level, what are some of the things that this , , the joint statement had to say?

Kajal Patel Below:

Yeah. So I, the reason I like it, and I learned a lot from it, too, is I think it does just a really good job of grounding the research, but also emphasizing the differences for multilingual and English learners overall. It established the importance of the decades and breadth of research that there is, but then it lifted up the need to ensure that we center multilingual and English learners. And it specifically called out that there are practices being implemented in schools under the name of Science of Reading, that don't align with the scientific evidence of how English learners and emergent bilinguals learn to read. And I think that among other things, it's a direct sort of pointing at an example I gave earlier about maybe like an overemphasis on phonics at the expense of language comprehension. They use the words "broken game of telephone" to characterize the miscommunications, misinterpretations, of the term Science of Reading. And then they actually went on to define, what does it actually mean when we say Science of Reading? Which, this is exactly how they defined it. "A vast interdisciplinary body of scientifically based research about reading and issues related to reading and writing. This research has been conducted over the last five decades across the world. And it has derived from thousands of studies conducted in multiple languages. The Science of Reading has culminated in a preponderance of evidence to inform how proficient reading and writing develop, why some have difficulty, and how we can most effectively assess and teach and therefore improve student outcomes through prevention and intervention of reading difficulties."

Susan Lambert:

And you talked about how we do have research evidence about multilingual learners. Maybe not as much as we do or need to have, but there is some there. And I think the joint statement also called that out, that we really do need more research in that area .

Kajal Patel Below:

Yes. That was another emphasis point, right? They also said that it must be acknowledged that there is more scientific research, or there has been more scientific research conducted with monolingual English-speaking children. And that additional research related to teaching literacy development for English learners and emergent bilinguals is needed to advance our understanding of their literacy development. And then even specifically in both English-medium settings as well as bilingual settings.

Susan Lambert:

Mm - hmm. Yeah.

Kajal Patel Below:

So I thought that part was really important, too.

Susan Lambert:

Yeah. Really important. And in, in upcoming episodes in this series, we're really gonna dive into more of the details and the specifics that are cited in the statement. But I'd really like to get back a little bit, sort of bigger picture and just ask you why do you think this statement is so important to the story of multilingual learners, how they've been served, and what we need to do going forward?

Kajal Patel Below:

I think educators are hungry for information and support. You know, I mentioned the growth in population of multilingual and English learners in our country. And I think, well, I don't think I, I know from the survey data from ELSF, that educators are not feeling like they have what they need. And we all agree that what we need to be doing is research based . And also, in order to do that, I think it's important that we have, I guess, I don't know, a group effort and alignment on how that should be done. So that's one reason I think the statement is really important, because I know this might sound kind of cheesy, but you know, we have to support the children! And we have to come together to do that.

Susan Lambert:

I agree. It's not cheesy at all. And do you have hopes for this? I mean, I've been around education a long time, and to see to groups come together and agree on, you know, the things that they agree on in common and put forth a joint statement, to me, this feels really hopeful for the future in terms of what we can provide to both our teachers and to help the students in the classroom. What , what hope do you have going forward with this connection?

Kajal Patel Below:

Well, I hope that the message just gets elevated more and that the misconceptions and misapplications can be overcome. But I also really would love to see bilingual education just really grow. The joint statement expresses support for that. I also know that, as I mentioned earlier, the Department of Education wants to see more of that. It's good for everyone. Not just multilingual and English learners. It's already happening, too. Like, such as, for example, in the state of Washington, they have made a goal that by 2030, all students will have access to dual-language education. In California, by 2040, three out of four students will graduate with the seal of biliteracy.

Susan Lambert:

Wow.

Kajal Patel Below:

And so what I hope to see is that trend continue and that it's not a trend. And that funding supports teachers. You know, I mentioned the ELSF survey, another thing that that survey said was that 30% of teachers, so only 30%, feel fully prepared to teach multilingual learners. That's not enough. And so we need more research, we need more funding, and—I love fun facts. Can I just give you another fun fact?

Susan Lambert:

Please. Fun fact.

Kajal Patel Below:

I read recently, it's not surprising, but I like to see it in a fact, is that there are actually more people in the world now who speak English as a second language than there are monolingual native speakers of English.

Susan Lambert:

Wow.

Kajal Patel Below:

So, what that says to me, is that bilingualism, multilingualism, that's the norm, versus monolingualism. And so there should be more research for that group of people because there's more of them in the world. And so, yeah, I just, I hope to see more research that disaggregates multilingual and English learners so we can deepen our understanding of learning so that we can serve them.

Susan Lambert:

Yeah, that's a great, that's a great fact. That's bigger than a fun fact. So thanks for sharing that. So this is episode one in our series, which is going to explore Science of Reading and multilingual learners. Why do you think, other than all the things you've already said, why do you think this is a topic worth exploring over several episodes as opposed to just one?

Kajal Patel Below:

Well, it's true that multilingual and English learners have been left out of a lot of research, but we do know a lot and more research is currently being done, and it's really worth exploring that research, as well as best practices, so that we can serve students based on what we know, align on what we don't know. And there's, you can't do all of that in one podcast. You know, just like there's multiple lenses and disciplinary areas to discuss in general education and literacy. Those topics all intersect with multilingual and English learners as well as all of the subgroups of multilingual and English learners. And we have an underserved area that's experiencing a massive growth in student population. And so it's really important to then focus on it. And schools are adjusting. They're quickly, they're doing the best they can, but we need to be having these conversations around research best practices so that we can set schools up for success and students up for success.

Susan Lambert:

Yeah, I totally agree with that and I'm so excited to bring more guests on to talk about this topic and learn from them as well as our listeners learning from them as well. I'm wondering, Kajal, as we close, is there any final thoughts you'd like to share? Words of wisdom? Any more fun facts?

Kajal Patel Below:

Well, I just think it's a really exciting time in education. You know, I mentioned underserving, I mentioned the growth in population. So there's a lot of changes happening, and I think it makes it a very exciting time to be learning and to be learning from all—I mentioned earlier how much I love languages, and sometimes I talk to districts and they talk about how many languages are in their district or in their school. And I will hear numbers like, there are 67 languages spoken in my district, and—

Susan Lambert:

Wow.

Kajal Patel Below:

Yeah. Just what an exciting time and what an exciting group of kids to learn from. I just, I think with the joint statement and with the growing support and expansion of bilingual education, I just think we have an exciting future in this country. And I was in a classroom last week and all the kids were in there. I saw some of their writing, I saw them speaking, heard them speaking in two languages fluently, easily, excitedly. And I just got very excited. I'm like, these kids are gonna be our doctors and our teachers and our engineers, and they're bilingual or multilingual, and I just think it's amazing.

Susan Lambert:

Well , Kajal, it's been a pleasure. Thank you so much for joining us. Thank you for helping us understand this history of bilingual education. And yeah, it's just been a pleasure to have you.

Kajal Patel Below:

Thank you. I'm really excited for all of the upcoming episodes.

Susan Lambert:

Thanks so much for listening to episode one in our new miniseries exploring how the Science of Reading serves multilingual and English learners. We have so much more in store . On upcoming episodes, we're going to delve deeper into the science of language acquisition. We'll spend time focusing on dyslexia and how it manifests differently by language. We're also going to hear stories of classrooms and schools where multilingual/English language learner communities have thrived with the Science of Reading. And next time, Dr. Jim Cummins will share the key components of language acquisition.

Jim Cummins:

Virtually all the research highlights the importance of being in a communicative, interactive context. If you want to pick up the language, and study of the language is also important, particularly when we're talking about literacy skills in the language. But you need both.

Susan Lambert:

That's coming up next time. You can catch that episode right here in the normal podcast feed. We'll also be posting updates to our Facebook discussion group, Science of Reading: The Community Science of Reading: The Podcast is brought to you by Amplify. For more information on how amplify leverages the Science of Reading, go to amplify.com/ckla. Thank you so much for listening .