Research & pedagogy
Home-language scaffolding builds a bridge, not a wall.
The literature on multilingual instruction has been consistent for thirty years. Students who access content in their home language while developing English reach proficiency faster, not slower. Multilinguals is built on that consensus.
What the research says
- 01
Content access and language learning are not in tension
Students who receive home-language content support outperform on both subject-matter tests and English-language-proficiency measures, compared to English-only instruction (Thomas & Collier; August & Shanahan).
- 02
Vocabulary is the single largest lever
Academic vocabulary — not grammar, not pronunciation — is the strongest predictor of K-8 content comprehension for ELLs. Three to five unknown words per paragraph is the point at which comprehension collapses.
- 03
Teacher-led beats student-led for K-8
Young ELLs do better with teacher-directed scaffolding than with self-directed tools. We built for that: the teacher activates support, not the student.
- 04
In-lesson beats pull-out
Students learn faster when language support happens inside the grade-level lesson, not as a separate intervention. That’s our whole design.
What we’re studying now
Partnering with K-8 schools this spring.
Three to eight teachers, four to six weeks, no cost to participate. We handle setup. You get usability and instructional impact data you can show your team. We publish the aggregate findings, never identify individual teachers or students.