Education equity in California must have MLLs at the center

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OPINION – California Gov. Gavin Newsom has released his proposed state budget, and K-12 education is a major part of it. But while the budget is discussed in terms of billions of dollars, the most important issue is not how much is spent, but how the decisions are made and for whom. Curriculum adoption is not just a purchasing decision, but one of the most significant equity decisions educators can make.

For California’s 1.1 million multilingual learners (MLLs), equity does not happen automatically but requires intentional action. While the Governor’s proposed budget appropriately elevates education as a statewide priority through broad investments and initiatives, those efforts alone cannot guarantee equitable outcomes. Generalized education funding often leaves decisions to local discretion, where MLL needs can be overlooked.

Leaders must select curriculum materials and allocate implementation resources, ensuring content and language development are built into, not just added to, core instructional decisions. In fact, this is explicitly built into California for guidance already. This is called out in Principles one and two of the California EL Roadmap Policy (2017).

Instructional materials that are responsive to language and content, paired with professional learning, can change future learning. For the past three decades, MLLs have not made academic progress. The latest National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) shows MLLs experienced a five-point drop in reading scores and an eight-point decline in math scores among the lowest-performing students. In comparison, their non-MLL peers saw only a two- and three-point decline. However, research shows that instructional materials significantly impact student outcomes.

California districts are at a critical point regarding choosing instructional materials. In November 2025, California released its final list of approved mathematics materials, and districts are beginning their adoption review and purchasing process. Multilingual students cannot be an afterthought in the decisions leaders are making today to invest in the materials that include them. Next year, districts must make purchasing decisions around their English Language Arts, English Language Development and Spanish Language Arts materials. These materials will guide instruction for the next decade, making it essential to center MLLs from the start.

The good news is that districts are not limited to a single funding source. Under California’s finance system, they have access to multiple allowable funding streams to support high-quality instructional materials (HQIM) and implementation. Under the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF), California shifted power to local school districts to make funding decisions.

Districts can also allocate Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP) funds toward instructional materials and implementation when those investments are tied to equity and improved outcomes.

Federal Title I funds can support curriculum and improvements schoolwide. Title III funds, designed to support English learners, can ensure materials are linguistically and instructionally appropriate. The issue is not the availability of funds, but whether leaders choose to prioritize MLLs.

First, district leaders must prioritize MLLs by demanding that multilingual learners are intentionally reflected in every instructional material under review. Leaders need to have an instructional vision for MLLs at the design phase and to invest in their LCAP for this instructional priority. Clear expectations signal that MLLs are not optional or secondary.

Second, leaders must build shared clarity about what high-quality, MLL-responsive materials actually look like. Without a common definition, even well-intentioned decisions can fall short.

When district leaders take these steps, funding becomes a lever for equity, ensuring that investments translate into meaningful and inclusive learning experiences for MLLs. Research shows that when MLLs gain language skills, they actually outperform their non-EL peers.

For example, in Fresno County, which works across 31 school districts with 34,000 MLLs (approximately 17% of the county’s students), leaders took two pivotal steps.

They ensured that MLLs were explicitly centered in their instructional vision from the outset, and they offered countywide professional development to engage leaders and clarify curriculum options. This led to a holistic curriculum adoption. Partnerships with organizations focused on MLL success, like ELSF, provided additional expertise and implementation support.

Curriculum adoption decisions are urgent opportunities for districts to meet equity goals. Given the high percentage of MLLs across California, they must be intentionally included from the beginning. Districts can’t wait for new funding streams or future budget cycles to act, maximizing the opportunity that districts have via the adoption process to ensure that learning is finally accessible to MLLs.

As districts navigate budget adjustments and competing demands, they must keep equity at the center. Instructional materials are a statement of our commitment to academic success for all students, especially MLLs, not just a line item.

Dr. Alma Castro is the Director of California Initiatives at the English Learners Success Forum (ELSF).