Key Recommendations on Dual Language Learners/English Learners (DLLs/ELs) with Disabilities from the National Academy of Sciences

In 2017, The Committee on Fostering School Success for English Learners: Toward New Directions in Policy, Practice, and Research, of the the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine convened to examine existing research on DLL/ELs from birth to age 21. Their goal was to inform policies to improve educational outcomes for students. This brief summarizes recommendations relevant to the Stanford-Sequoia Collaborative including: 1) DLLs/ELs are less likely to be referred to early intervention or early special education than their non-DLL/ELL peers; 2) Learning two languages does not place DLLs/ELs at greater risk for having a language impairment or other disability; and 3) Dual-language interventions for language impairment demonstrate equal or faster growth of English skills compared to English-only interventions.