Policy Guide Final Serving English Learners Laws Policies And

Bonisiwe Shabane

-Oct 31, 2025, 10:28 PM

policy guide final serving english learners laws policies and

ESEA Title III: Language Instruction for Limited English Proficient and Immigrant Students Title III of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act Education Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) 34 CFR 76-99 Do you have questions about the laws and regulations for educating multilingual learners? The new resource, Serving Multilingual Learners: Laws, Policies, and Regulations (2025), is here to help! It provides a clear and accessible summary of federal laws, including ten common compliance issues highlighted in the 2015 Dear Colleague Letter from the U.S.

Department of Justice and the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights. This resource is packed with practical strategies, action steps, and tools to help schools and districts implement these guidelines. It is available online and as a printable PDF, making it easy to share. Whether you’re a superintendent, school leader, teacher, or specialist, this guide is designed for you. Feel free to share it with your team and colleagues to support the success of multilingual learners!

This printable guide, written for Colorín Colorado by Dr. Debbie Zacarian, provides a detailed introduction to federal laws regarding ELLs and their relationship to state and local policies, including information about ELL identification under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. Note: This guide has been updated with a second edition. The first edition is available for reference, but we strongly encourage educators and administrators to review the updated edition when looking for policy guidance. KEEPING ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROFESSIONALS CONNECTED 2025 began with a dramatic shift in U.S.

political priorities. Administrative and legislative actions at the federal and state levels have generated concern and challenges across the educational landscape, especially for English language teachers serving communities that include undocumented learners. Educators and schools are quickly responding to these actions, seeking answers and legal guidance while continuing to serve the learners and families within their communities. Here are three key policies that impact multilingual families in the United States, with guidance and resources for educators at varying levels—district administrators, campus administrators, and classroom teachers. The protected area policy1, which exempts schools, hospitals, and places of worship from nonexigent circumstances (U.S. Const.

amend. IV, § 6.3) on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), goes back at least to 1993 (Puleo). The policy, though, has never been made into law and, as a result, is contingent upon agency and executive leadership for adherence. On Monday, 20 January, Acting Department of Homeland Security Secretary Benjamine Huffman issued a directive (U.S. Department of Homeland Security, 2025) that ICE agents would not have to abide by the sensitive or protected areas policy. With this move, ICE agents may now apprehend and arrest “criminal aliens .

. . who have illegally come into [the] country” directly on school campuses, from elementary and secondary education institutions to adult and higher education institutions, including vocational schools. Early Actions for States in Response to Recent Changes Note: This memo is part of a Bellwether series designed to help education advocates and state leaders — including those in governors’ offices, state education agencies and boards, and state legislatures — respond to... This memo reflects federal policy developments through May 6, 2025.

The first months of the Trump administration have seen a flurry of policy and legal actions — including executive orders, staffing changes, proposed budget cuts, and shifts in enforcement priorities — that affect how... While few of these actions explicitly name English learners, the broader shifts in federal education policies and priorities are likely to have significant implications for the more than 5.3 million English learners in the... K-12 public education system and the schools that support them.1 The changes at the federal level come at a time when the education system is already grappling with persistent challenges in serving and supporting English learners — including stretched teacher capacity,2 insufficient professional development,3... Amid policy uncertainty at the federal level, state leaders, including those in governors’ offices, state education agencies and boards, and state legislatures, can take concrete steps to protect and support students who are classified... This memo outlines the historical role of the federal government in the education of English learners and how that role is expected to be affected by the Trump administration’s actions.

It then outlines actions state leaders can take as well as strategic questions they should consider as they seek to develop, implement, and sustain policies that support English learners. Recommendations include:

Policy Guide Final Serving English Learners Laws Policies And

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