Research Publications

Use this ALTELLA Research Brief to distinguish between language and communication. The brief covers how multilingual learners with significant cognitive disabilities use both language and communication.

Released September 2025

Use this ALTELLA Research Brief to learn about nonverbal communication, which is an important component of communication for multilingual learners with significant cognitive disabilities. The brief explores the individual cultural differences in nonverbal communication for these students.

Released September 2025

This ALTELLA Research Brief explains the Language and Disability Needs Framework. The brief focuses on considerations of students’ language-related and disability-related needs and their implications for instruction and assessment.

Released September 2025

Use this ALTELLA Research Brief as a step-by-step guide on how to best serve multilingual learners with significant cognitive disabilities more effectively.

Released September 2025

This ALTELLA Research Brief provides case examples of multilingual learners who have significant cognitive disabilities. The brief has five student examples: Sabeen (grade 1), Chung (grade 2), Chue (grade 4), Isabel (grade 6) and Luis (grade 10).

Released September 2025

Use this ALTELLA Research Brief to plan and prepare for IEP meetings for multilingual learners with significant cognitive disabilities. The brief highlights key elements to consider, including the importance of the student’s home language and the need to build cultural responsiveness among all educators.

Released September 2025

This ALTELLA Research Brief defines “English learners with significant cognitive disabilities” and explores related key concepts.

Released September 2025

This research brief explores specific case studies on what pracademics looks in practice. The cases presented illustrate that research within the classroom is both feasible and impactful. Educators have a lot to meaningfully contribute to scholarship through their work. However, these examples also raise awareness on the fact that while these are exemplary educators and efforts, there are systemic changes that need to occur to address the challenges that the general educator population could face and that not all examples can be successful if the needed supports are not in place.

Released July 2025

By addressing the intersection of practice and academia, teachers are encouraged to be more involved in implementing evidence-based approaches and becoming more familiar with research informing their classroom practice directly. Engaging in pracademics highlights the work of teacher experiences and promotes the inclusion of practitioners' voices in the field.

Released February 2025

This research brief explores the intersection of pracademics, multilingualism, translanguaging and transculturalism. It highlights how pracademics’ unique dual expertise prepares them to face pressing, real-world challenges in the diverse education settings they encounter while addressing nuances of overlapping linguistic and cultural identities. Additionally, it presents diverse voices from the field, highlighting their thoughts on the topic and the impact that pracademics has on their contexts, professional lives and experiences.

Released February 2025

This research brief presents findings and policy implications from a recent research study exploring the so-called long-term English learner (LTEL) population across WIDA states. The findings highlight a continuing need for research that rejects an overly simplistic understanding of the LTEL designation. The next phase of this research will use student- and school-level data from three states to examine how individual and school factors can affect the diverse trajectories of ELs’ language development over time.

Published January 2019

Released January 2019

This research brief reports preliminary results from a study of teachers’ successful experiences engaging English learners in collaborative learning with peers.

Released May 2014