NAELPA Membership
NAELPA is the national voice for multilingual learners, representing state and local education agencies across the United States.
NAELPA serves members and other stakeholders at the local, state, and national levels through professional learning, communications, and advocacy for multilingual learners (MLs)/English learners (ELs) and their families and communities.
NAELPA is an expert voice on behalf of state education agencies (SEAs) and local education agencies (LEAs) as they work for the success of MLs across the United States. The organization provides members with direct contact to change agents at the state and federal levels. We are small enough to hear each member’s individual voice, yet powerful enough to be heard as a whole.
NAELPA’s purpose is to support the success of multilingual learners by fostering collaboration and sharing knowledge, strengthening educator and system capacity through high-quality professional learning, and advancing equitable policies and effective support systems at the national, state, and local levels.
Explore the sections below to learn more about each of these focus areas.
NAELPA’s communication efforts support collaboration, knowledge-sharing, and the success of multilingual learners. These efforts include:
Fostering collaboration among members to strengthen English Language Development (ELD), dual language, bilingual, and related programs that advance national, state, and local educational goals.
Sharing timely, relevant information, including research, evidence-based instructional strategies, news, tools, and resources that support effective program implementation for multilingual learners (MLs).
Serving as a central communication hub, connecting educators, leaders, and stakeholders committed to the success of multilingual learners in schools.
NAELPA’s professional learning efforts build knowledge, strengthen capacity, and support high-quality programs for multilingual learners. These efforts include:
Providing policy and program guidance by sharing updates on national and state policies, regulations, and laws that shape services for multilingual learners.
Supporting educators and agencies through professional learning opportunities for State Education Agencies (SEAs) and Local Education Agencies (LEAs) to enhance programs that promote English proficiency and academic success.
Promoting best practices by partnering with Title III, EL, ELD, and bilingual program leaders to share effective strategies for program design and family engagement.
Building educator capacity by equipping educators with the skills, knowledge, and tools needed to meet the diverse needs of multilingual learners.
NAELPA’s advocacy efforts advance equitable and effective support systems for multilingual learners. These efforts include:
Collaborating at the national level with organizations and leaders to deliver joint communications and presentations that elevate NAELPA’s perspective and inform federal and state policy.
Promoting equity and access by supporting inclusive policies and practices that strengthen ELD programs and ensure meaningful participation of multilingual learners and their families.
Leading policy development and improvement by addressing gaps and strengthening guidance, support, and systems where current approaches are limited or ineffective.