Creating Accessible and Equitable Learning Opportunities for Teachers of Multilingual Learners

ABSTRACT This conceptual feature generates a framework for utilizing the National Professional Development (NPD) grant to create accessible and equitable professional development (PD) for teachers of multilingual learners (MLs), emphasizing the importance of targeted opportunities for pre‐service, novice, and in‐service teachers and the need for PD specific to teaching MLs. We highlight micro‐level PD opportunities, such as day‐long workshops that are local, low‐cost alternatives to other PD options (e.g., conferences). We also highlight macro‐level PD opportunities. For example, we have used the grant to create affordable pathways for educators to pursue college‐level education and complete coursework to gain an English as a second language (ESL) teaching endorsement. Providing a range of opportunities for teacher learning addresses accessibility and equity gaps in our local community related to time, affordability, location, and relevance. Together, the grant activities reflected in this framework represent an effective way to partner with local K‐12 education agencies to address the needs of school districts with few or no ESL endorsed teachers. Through the NPD grant, we have been able to create a series of sustainable opportunities for teacher learning that address a crucial need: the equitable opportunities and outcomes of multilingual students.