New Report Highlights Path to Literacy Equity for Multilingual Learners in Minnesota
- LatinoLEAD
- 12m
- 3 min read
The future of Minnesota is multilingual. With over 9% of all K-12 students identified as multilingual learners, our state's diversity is a powerful asset. Yet, as our latest research shows, state funding, staffing, and accountability systems have not kept pace with this growth , undermining the promise of the LEAPS and READ Acts.
LatinoLEAD is proud to release the World Café Executive Summary: Advancing Literacy Equity for Multilingual Learners in Minnesota, a powerful report driven by the voices of the families and communities most impacted.
Parent and Community-Powered Data: A True Statewide Effort
To capture the complexity of the multilingual student experience, led by Advocacy Manager Sabrina Tapia and our educational partners hosted a World Café series and Data retreat series from August to November 2025.
This intentional, family-centered process engaged 125 multilingual families and community members across Minnesota, in locations including Rochester, Edina, Duluth, Minneapolis, White Earth, and Fondulac Reservation. Crucially, the conversations were held in four languages: Spanish, Ojibwe, Somali, and English. A total of 28 volunteers were trained with FERPA compliance to facilitate these sessions.
This work was done in close partnership with key organizations, including the Minnesota Council on Latine Affairs (MCLA) and the Council for Minnesotans of African Heritage (CMAH). This cross-cultural collaboration is essential to strengthening education equity and building bridges between African Heritage and Latine communities. Other partners included Rochester Public Schools special thanks to Natalia Benjamin and Will Ruffin II, EdAllies, MNEEP, MiLLA, ACHLA, Project Momentum, ISLA Charter School and Collectiva Bilingue.
Find our World Café Executive Summary pictures through this Flickr album: https://www.flickr.com/photos/latinoleadmn/albums/72177720330558278
Key Findings: Families Speak Out
The voices of the families aligned around three critical themes:
Trust & Communication: Families want action, not simply listening. They demand consistent, respectful communication in their home language and emphasize that when schools respond in a home language, it builds essential trust. Parents view themselves as co-educators and want to be treated as such. They value bilingual liaisons and interpreters, but services are unevenly distributed and underfunded.
Teaching, Learning & Culture: Families overwhelmingly see bilingualism and multilingualism as a superpower, not a barrier. They insist that schools succeed when culture is part of the curriculum. There is a crucial need for bilingual special education services and continuity when students exit EL services. Indigenous parents also prioritize language as curriculum and land-based learning.
Shifting Systems & Community Power:Parents repeatedly emphasized their need for meaningful voice and partnership in shaping their children’s education. They highlighted persistent barriers—including the lack of a diverse educator workforce, transportation challenges, and insufficient EL staffing ratios—and urged that sustainable funding and workforce investments remain top priorities moving forward.
A Call to Action: Legislative Priorities
To realize the vision of equity articulated by these families, the report outlines clear legislative priorities:
Fund Multilingual Family Engagement Infrastructure: We must increase funding for interpretation, translation, and multilingual family engagement staff in districts. We are calling for support for the EL Index with a formula that sustainably increases EL revenue annually based on inflation.
Advance the READ Act with a Multilingual Lens: Literacy must be clarified to include reading and writing in students' home language, not solely in English. Furthermore, grants are needed for culturally responsive, multilingual reading material and teacher training.
Strengthen the EL & Bilingual Educator Workforce: Over 55% of Minnesota teachers report their preparation programs did not effectively prepare them to work with multilingual learners. We must implement Task Force recommendations for improved EL teacher-to-student ratios and offer stipends and loan forgiveness for EL and bilingual licensure.
Invest in Indigenous Language Revitalization: Dedicated funding is needed for Ojibwe and other indigenous language programs (such as Quechua and Dakota), plus summer and adult programs.
The livestream of the event, providing further insight into the World Café multilingual learning findings, is available here for all to see: https://www.youtube.com/live/oPwYAOwBh4k.
Our Next Steps
As we move toward the Legislative Session, LatinoLEAD is committed to mobilizing on these issues. We will continue to Advance the LEAPS Act (funding for multilingual education & parent engagement) and Diversify Our Workforce (expand bilingual teacher waterways & mentorships).
The message from the community is clear: “Families are not data points—they are policy partners.”
If you are interested in joining our Education Action Team please email Sabrina@latinoleadmn.org
