IDRA 2025 Policy Digest for Texas
All students must be able to learn in a language they understand.
Nearly one in four Texas public school students is an emergent bilingual student – a student who speaks a language other than English at home. Although Texas educates the greatest proportion of emergent bilingual students in the country, the state needs to make key improvements to realize the power of bilingual students.
Bilingual education helps all students succeed
Bilingual education is more than a quality education program, it is a civil right. Fifty years ago, the U.S. Supreme Court determined in Lau v. Nichols (1974) that students must be educated in a language they understand (IDRA, 2024).
Texas students speak a combined over 120 languages at home. Bilingual education enables students to learn in both the language they speak and understand at home and the language used in school (e.g., English) to gain bilingual fluency and biliteracy skills as they learn to read, write, do math and learn more advanced academic subjects.
Studies show that students who are bilingual and biliterate demonstrate greater cognitive skills, academic achievement and workforce skills. Recognition for high school students’ bilingual abilities, like the Seal of Biliteracy, can help students earn college credit and workforce credentials. But the Texas Seal of Biliteracy does not meet best practices to help students meet their potential (Latham Sikes & Piñón, 2024).
Expanding high-quality bilingual education programs requires funding for materials, families and trained teachers
High quality programs require sufficient program funding, a strong and supported bilingual teacher workforce, quality instructional materials in both English and the home language (not just translations), and positive family engagement strategies. There are several programs for bilingual and ESL education in Texas. Dual language immersion is most recommended for achieving bilingualism and biliteracy. Only 22% of emergent bilingual students are in a dual language immersion program (TEA, 2024).
Educators can better serve emergent bilingual students and expand quality programs with more training and technical assistance (TEA, 2023). Yet Texas faces a longstanding shortage of certified bilingual teachers to teach quality programs (U.S. Department of Education, 2023; IDRA, 2023). Stronger recruitment, retention and compensation for bilingual teachers would support districts’ ability to develop and expand high-quality bilingual education programs.
What Texas Needs the Legislature to Do
• Authorize agency support to assist districts with bilingual program monitoring, technical assistance and educator training for effectively teaching emergent bilingual students, as outlined by HB 2164 (88R).
• Expand and improve dual language pathways for high school students to graduate with achievement in bilingualism and biliteracy, also called the Seal of Biliteracy.
• Increase the number of quality, certified bilingual education teachers through preparation program support, strengthened teacher retention strategies, and higher teacher pay.
• Ensure students and families who speak languages other than English have access to quality public education without barriers regardless of citizenship or immigration status.
Contact Chloe Latham Sikes, Ph.D., IDRA Deputy Director of Policy at chloe.sikes@idra.org
IDRA. (2023). Bilingual/ESL Teacher Shortages in Texas – IDRA Map. IDRA.
IDRA. (May 2024). Lau v. Nichols – The Law in Education, webpage.
Latham Sikes, C., & Piñón, L. (October 2024). The Path to a Stronger State Seal of Biliteracy – Advancing Texas Student Success through Bilingualism and Biliteracy – IDRA Policy Brief. IDRA.
TEA. (January 2023). SB 560 Emergent Bilingual Strategic Plan. Texas Education Agency.
TEA. (2024). English Learner Program Reports, 2019-2024. PEIMS Standard Reports. Texas Education Agency.
U.S. Department of Education. (November 2023). Eliminating Educator Shortages through Increasing Educator Diversity and Addressing High-need Shortage Areas – Raise the Bar Policy Brief.
