Resources are available inside and outside of the community
Helping rural English learner students with English proficiency is not only essential for academic success but also vital for the health of entire communities, write contributors Lourdes Cardozo Gaibisso and Devon Brenner.
March 14, 2025
PHOTO BY ALLISON SHELLEY FOR EDUimages.
Many rural communities are home to multilingual and non-English speaking families. In many parts of rural America, new residents from around the globe are helping offset population loss and contributing to growing economies. The recent “Why Rural Matters” report, published by the National Rural Education Association (https://www.nrea.net/why-rural-matters), revealed that English learner and multilingual students make up 4.5% of the rural school population in 2021-22, an increase from 3.5% just eight years earlier.
Multilingual students deserve, and are required by federal law, to receive the best education they can. But many rural schools may not have the capacity to meet their needs. Smaller rural schools, especially, may have limited resources to hire specialized staff, such as teachers certified in English as a Second Language (ESL) instruction. Even when funds to hire a teacher exist, schools face nationwide shortages of certified ESL educators. Transportation, geographic distance, and restricted broadband access can amplify these challenges, leading to a substantial support gap for these students, which manifests in disparities in resources, opportunities, and overall educational and academic outcomes. As a result, multilingual learners may struggle with the language demands of school, and may not fully engage with the curriculum, leading to higher dropout rates.
Helping rural English learner students with English proficiency is not only essential for academic success but also vital for the health of entire communities. There are some foundational strategies that can support multilingual and English learner students attending rural schools, even when resources, time, and teachers are in short supply.
Recognize the value of multilingualism
Schools must acknowledge the importance of a student’s first or “home” languages. When we promote the use of students’ home languages, we not only support their cognitive development but also strengthen their cultural ties. After all, how we talk is how we make meaning in the world and connect to friends and families. A students’ home language is an asset for learning content across academic disciplines. Those who are proficient in their home language often possess reading and writing skills that may be overlooked if they are expected to only communicate in English.
Recognizing the importance of home languages, and students’ multiple meaning-making systems, supports students’ identities as multilingual. At the very least, schools should allow students to use their home languages at school and offer educational materials in home languages when possible.
Engage multilingual families and communities
Language differences can create barriers between school and home, but schools can take proactive steps to engage multilingual families. This is important for several reasons. First, working closely with families and communities can make students feel welcome. Students may be more willing to engage with the curriculum when they know their home and culture are welcome. One small but important step is to make sure that vital communications are translated into various languages. An increasing number of online tools makes this work easier, and community liaisons also may be able to help.
It is also important to understand the cultural nuances of family-school interactions. For some cultures and some families, eye contact is a sign of trust and respect. For others, making eye contact is rude, or shows a lack of respect. There may be cultural differences in assumptions about what it means to interrupt someone, or to get directly to the point, or in what makes an interesting story, and across all our ways of interacting.
When school personnel make an effort to understand cultural differences, we can minimize the risk of cultural misunderstandings turning into lower expectations or behavior issues. Even better, hiring school personnel—including teachers, paraprofessionals, and staff—who speak the diverse languages represented in the district can engage multilingual communities.
Invest in teacher professional learning
Ongoing professional learning opportunities for teachers are crucial. Whether or not a school has been able to hire a specific teacher to support English learner students, those students will learn more if all of their teachers understand how to support their students. Training focused on culturally and linguistically sustaining teaching methods and strategies for integrating multilingualism into classrooms can equip educators with tools they need to help students thrive, no matter the subject.
Several online resources are available, starting with the federal Office of English Language Acquisition, Language Enhancement, and Academic Achievement for Limited English Proficient Students (OELA). Many state departments of education offer free webinars, workshops, and downloadable materials that can support teachers in their professional development.
A path forward for rural education
Multilingual students in rural areas deserve better support, and by taking meaningful steps, schools can bridge the gaps in resources and opportunities available to them. Investing in multilingual education is essential for the growth and strength of our rural communities, and our nation.
Lourdes Cardozo Gaibisso (lc1811@msstate.edu) is an assistant professor of TESOL and linguistics in the Department of English at Mississippi State University. Devon Brenner (dgb19@msstate.edu) is president of the National Rural Education Association and director of the Social Science Research Center at Mississippi State University.