Multilingual Mindset: Using Cross-Functional Strategies Within the Texas Education Agency to Prioritize English Learners

Abstract

Research on language acquisition and the cognitive, emotional, and academic benefits of multilingualism point to clear solutions for improving literacy instruction and closing ongoing opportunity gaps for Multilingual Learners. While the research is not new, it has not widely translated to classroom practice and is often excluded from professional development for reading. As this project shows, the state of Texas is poised to reverse this trend through legislatively-mandated professional development on foundational reading instruction. In my residency with the Texas Education Agency, I implemented cross-functional, agile organizational strategies to increase capacity for prioritizing multilingual content in the development of statewide reading academies. As a result, the Texas Education Agency will provide specialized professional development for Spanish-English bilingual teachers as well as support for teachers of Multilingual Learners in general English and ESL classrooms. In this capstone, I describe the three phases of the project in addition to an intentional focus on learning and leadership structures that I drew on throughout my residency. Through my analysis, I discuss successes and challenges of employing cross-functional structures in a large organization, and suggest that while cross-functional collaboration served to bridge a capacity gap during the course of the project, future hiring for bilingual expertise at the state level is critical to equitably serving teachers of multilingual students in Texas.