In partnership with Fairfax County Public Schools Language Services, Piedmont Global hosted its second annual Language Access Symposium on May 8. Attended by educators from various school districts within the DMV area, the event brought together language access champions for an engaging half-day of conversations and camaraderie.
The question on everyone’s mind was, “What does the future hold for language access?” Bill Rivers spoke to the legal compliance focus of language access and the importance of continued advocacy on the Hill. While multilingual families and students are still protected by the Office of Civil Rights and Title VI, advocating for the value of language access is more important than ever.
As educators continue to connect the dots between spending and efficacy, much of the discussion centered on solutions and strategies to promote English learner (EL) student growth, with a special focus on engaging parents, analyzing data for trends, and creating stories of impact.
In Review: Family Engagement and EL Student Growth
As a group of evidence-based educators, symposium attendees brought a wealth of knowledge (and experience) to the conversation about EL student outcomes.
Plenty of research indicates that when parents are involved, children do better in school: advancing in socio-emotional learning, testing higher, and exhibiting more predictable behavior. However, when it comes to the impact of parental engagement on EL student growth, available data is lacking in specifics. This may account for some of the challenges educators face when engaging with EL families.
Most school districts invest time and resources into parent engagement. However, English-speaking families often have different relationships with teachers and administrators compared to EL families. Language access is a bridge to understanding, but if interpreter resources are not easy to use or not explicitly encouraged, educators may only use them sparingly, or only in reaction to a problem that needs to be solved urgently. As a result, the only conversations between teachers and EL families might be negative or challenging: disciplinary matters, poor academic performance, or other difficult conversations.
Many agreed there is room for improvement. Alternative strategies were discussed. For example, what would prioritizing proactive, positive engagement with EL families look like? Which academic milestones or school events should trigger a conversation, and how can language access leaders encourage teachers to take the initiative?
Another symposium speaker, Jason Velasco, also spoke to AI advancements that can help school districts bolster multilingual communication in the classroom.
While the heart of parental engagement is driving connection and building trust, determining measurable impact must also be factored into the plan.
How Language Access Leaders Can Make Their Case with Data
Symposium attendees also shared best practices surrounding data and storytelling. The group discussed ways that school districts can leverage student assessments and test scores to develop insights and points of reference for supporting EL student growth.
For example, looking at local norms, such as how the district’s students are performing, and modeling EL student data against these norms establishes a baseline. These figures can be helpful in figuring out what is working for EL students and what is not.
Prior to trying anything new, educators should have these baselines handy for comparison. If improvements to EL student performance are observable after implementing changes, such as a proactive parent engagement strategy, language access leaders can clearly spell out the impact of their programs.
Measuring long-tail impacts can be challenging, which is why educators need to find the lowest-hanging fruit. Educators need to look at not just grades, but also socio-emotional learning, attendance records, behavioral incidents, and other key indicators. Much of this data is readily available and can make all the difference when needing to advocate for resources, especially when budgets are tight.
The Future of Language Access is Bright!
Al Radford, director of Public Relations and Community Relations at Manassas City Public Schools, told Piedmont Global, “I had a lot of key takeaways to bring back to my district. I learned a lot that got me excited about family engagement.” On the value of coming together, Al also said, “Community is important. It helps us to understand that none of us are islands. We don’t have to work in isolation. At the core, all of us are about providing services to our families. Being able to talk with each other and share ideas is paramount.”
This group of language access leaders shares an optimistic view of the future. As more schools prioritize relationships with EL students and families and adopt language access best practices, programs can continue to expand to meet their needs and give students the best chance at success.
Piedmont Global looks forward to our next opportunity to convene the DMV’s language access community in 2026. Thank you to our attendees and to our host, Fairfax County Public Schools Language Services, for providing such a great experience.
Stay tuned for more insights and discussion about language access in K-12 schools. If you would like to host a Language Access Symposium in your region, we’d love to hear from you.
