Supporting English learners goes beyond vocabulary lists and pull-out instruction. In today’s classrooms, school and district leaders need sustainable, scalable strategies that ensure EL students thrive in every content area.
We recently hosted an Ask Me Anything session focused on a topic top of mind for many school and district leaders…
How do we better support English Learners across content areas?
Our Head Data Scientist, Mimi Newton, and Teaching & Learning Lead, Alexa Catao, shared real-world insights and student outcomes that showcase the power of high-dosage tutoring when designed intentionally for multilingual learners.
Here’s a quick recap and actionable takeaways from the session.
Jump Ahead to the Strategies:
Reduce Barriers to Access
Collaboration is Key
Focus on Language
High-Dosage Support
“It’s not that kids are low; it’s that they’ve had limited access.”
When asked about common misconceptions, Alexa jumped in to debunk a narrative often heard in schools:
“One of the biggest myths is that multilingual learners are lower-performing. That’s not true. It’s not that kids are low; it’s that they’ve had limited access. Limited access to language, to instruction, or to equitable resources.”
This shift in mindset, from deficit to access, is foundational.
When we start by recognizing access, we can begin building better instructional practices that serve EL students’ full potential.
💡 Pro Tip: Talk about the barriers
Start your next data meeting with this prompt: “What are the barriers for this student—not just their gaps?”
Collaboration Beats Isolation
Another question we tackled was around the role of collaboration:
“What does effective collaboration between EL and content teachers look like?”
Mimi emphasized that EL instruction can’t live in isolation.
“We need structures where EL teachers and content teachers are co-planning, sharing student data, and aligning instructional strategies—especially when ELs are in Gen Ed classrooms most of the day.”
The message is clear: effective EL support is everyone’s job.
💡 Pro Tip: Add the EL teacher to your next planning block
Ask each grade-level or content team to include their EL teacher in one planning meeting a month. Use that time to co-create scaffolds or sentence frames for an upcoming lesson.
“Let’s not forget what the ‘L’ in EL stands for.”
With new literacy mandates rolling out in many states, we polled participants on their concerns. One leader asked:
“How can school leaders ensure ELs aren’t left behind with these new literacy laws?”
Alexa responded:
“Let’s not forget what the ‘L’ in EL stands for—language. These laws are often written without multilingual learners in mind. But we need to be asking: how are we differentiating? How are we scaffolding academic language in ELA and beyond?”
The takeaway: compliance and equity can coexist, but only if educators intentionally design for it.
💡 Pro Tip: Be intentional with teaching language
During curriculum reviews, highlight 2–3 Tier II or content-specific vocabulary words that ELs might struggle with. Plan one scaffold for each.
Real Growth with High-Dosage Tutoring
Mimi shared success stories from our tutoring partnerships in Douglas County School District and Esperanza Global Academy in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, where EL students received consistent, data-driven support:
“In both districts, we’ve seen real growth. These weren’t short bursts of intervention. Our tutors met with students multiple times a week, using scaffolded instruction and progress monitoring to guide instruction.”
It’s not just about more time. It’s about better use of that time, with the right instructional moves.
💡 Pro Tip: Consider high-dosage tutoring
Ask: “Are my ELs getting support multiple times per week with a consistent, certified teacher?”
If not, restructure groups or schedules to move closer to high-dosage. Frequency and consistency drive growth.
Go Beyond Compliance…Let’s Grow!
We closed the AMA with a reminder from Alexa:
“This work takes a team. When everyone—from Gen Ed teachers to EL specialists—is rowing in the same direction, that’s when you see the biggest impact.”
Whether you’re leading EL programming, coaching teachers, or looking to better support your multilingual students, we hope the insights shared sparked new ideas and reflection.
Want to learn more about how Tutored by Teachers can help your district move from compliance to meaningful growth for ELs?
💻 Check out the full Ask Me Anything.
👉 Reach out to Megan to learn more about supporting EL students in your school or district.