National Association for English Learner Program Administrators

The National Association for English Learner Program Administrators (NAELPA) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting the education of multilingual learners (MLs) in the United States. NAELPA serves as a voice for multilingual learners, representing state education agencies (SEAs) and local education agencies (LEAs) across the country.

Mission

NAELPA's mission involves facilitating effective English Language Development (ELD), dual language, bilingual, and similar programs through intercommunication among its members. The organization focuses on professional learning, communication, and advocacy at local, state, and national levels for the success of multilingual learners and their families[1].

Vision and Role

NAELPA positions itself as an expert voice on behalf of SEAs and LEAs, providing members with direct access to change agents at state and federal levels. Despite being small enough to hear individual voices, NAELPA is powerful enough to influence education policy collectively[1][3].

Activities

The organization's activities include:

• Intercommunication and Information Dissemination: Facilitating communication among members to support effective programs for multilingual learners. NAELPA disseminates information on relevant research and effective instructional strategies.
• Professional Learning: Offering opportunities to SEAs and LEAs to support educational programming for ML students. This includes providing skills for educators to meet the needs of multilingual learners.
• Advocacy: Collaborating nationally to influence federal and state policies related to ML education. NAELPA supports fair and equitable policies for multilingual learners and their participation in educational systems[1].

Terminology and Advocacy

NAELPA advocates for the use of asset-based terminology, preferring the term "Multilingual Learner" (ML) over "English Learner" (EL), which is viewed as deficit-based. The organization aims to make this terminology more standardized in the field[3].

Significant Events

NAELPA notes the significance of the 50th anniversary of the landmark case Lau v. Nichols, which mandated language support for multilingual learners. This milestone underscores the organization's continued commitment to advocating for the educational rights and opportunities of ML students[3].