Why Title III Is Lacking in Today's Multilingual, Technology-Enhanced Classrooms

• By Thamir Aljobori
• 06/17/26

One of my second-grade students solved a math problem correctly before I even finished explaining it. When I asked her how she found the answer, she confidently explained her thinking in Arabic. But when I encouraged her to share the same explanation in English, she became quiet and looked down at her desk.

The issue was not understanding. The issue was language.

As an ESL educator, I see moments like this regularly. Students arrive at school with knowledge, problem-solving skills, and rich language experiences. Yet many of our policies still measure what they know through a narrow lens: how quickly they can demonstrate that knowledge in English.

That gap exposes a growing problem with Title III of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, the primary federal program supporting English learners.

When Congress strengthened Title III in the early 2000s, the focus was helping students acquire English and access academic content. That goal remains important. English proficiency opens doors to opportunity, higher education, and future careers.

But the classrooms of 2026 look very different from those of 2001.

At the time, language support often centered on pull-out programs, where students left their classrooms for separate English instruction. While those services remain valuable for some students, today's schools increasingly recognize that multilingualism is not a barrier to overcome. It is an asset to develop.

Research continues to show the academic, cognitive, and social benefits of bilingualism. Yet federal policy still largely focuses on what multilingual students lack rather than what they bring.

In many classrooms, students regularly move between languages to solve problems, collaborate with peers, and build understanding. Families communicate with schools in multiple languages. Teachers use technology to bridge communication gaps and provide access to grade-level content.

Policy has not kept pace with these realities.

Modernizing Title III does not require abandoning its mission. It requires updating it to reflect how multilingual learners succeed today.

First, federal policy should explicitly recognize multilingualism as an asset. Accountability systems should continue measuring English language growth, but they should also encourage schools to develop and maintain students' home languages. Students should not feel that success in school requires leaving part of their identity behind.

Second, Title III should expand support for dual-language and bilingual education programs. These programs allow students to develop English while strengthening literacy and academic skills in another language. In my own experience, students often demonstrate deeper engagement and confidence when their home language is viewed as a resource rather than a limitation.

Third, policy-makers should provide guidance and funding for responsible use of language-support technology, including artificial intelligence translation tools. Schools increasingly use these tools to communicate with families, translate documents, and support classroom learning. Used thoughtfully, they help remove barriers and increase access. Used poorly, they can create confusion and inaccuracies. Clear standards would help schools use these tools effectively while protecting educational quality.

These recommendations are not about replacing teachers or lowering expectations. They are about giving schools better tools to meet students where they are.

In my classroom, technology sometimes helps families understand school communication in their home language. Bilingual resources help students access lessons while continuing to build English proficiency. These supports do not replace instruction. They strengthen it.

The goal has never been simply teaching English. The goal is helping students learn, participate, and thrive.

Back in my classroom, the student who solved the math problem eventually shared her thoughts in English. She needed encouragement, support, and time. What she did not need was a policy framework that viewed her home language as something separate from academic success.

Title III helped open doors for generations of English learners. But today's multilingual students deserve a system that recognizes the full value of the languages they bring into our schools.

A law designed for pull-out ESL programs cannot fully serve the multilingual classrooms that define American education today.