Structured Literacy for Multilingual Learners: Empowering Every Student Through Language

Insights with Dr. Elsa Cárdenas-Hagan

How can we best support multilingual learners in today’s diverse classrooms? According to Dr. Elsa Cárdenas-Hagan—a leading voice in bilingual education, literacy research, and teacher preparation—the answer lies in integrating Structured Literacy with cross-linguistic strategies that honor every student’s language and culture.

In a recent episode of Literacy Talks, Dr. Cárdenas-Hagan shared powerful insights from her decades of experience, weaving together research, personal stories, and practical tools to help educators unlock literacy for multilingual learners. This foundational conversation explores why Structured Literacy is not just effective but essential for linguistically diverse students—and how every teacher, regardless of background, can lead the way.

The Path from Speech-Language to Bilingual Literacy Leadership

Dr. Cárdenas-Hagan began her career in speech and language pathology, but a personal journey of identity led her to study linguistics in Mexico and Spain. This deepened her understanding of bilingualism—and ultimately shaped her passion for supporting English learners.

“I never realized how important that work was going to be for later in my career,” she reflected. “Our language wasn’t really celebrated, and we were punished for speaking our home language. We don’t want that for any child. We want every child to know: You are an asset. We honor your language and your culture”​.

Our language wasn’t really celebrated, and we were punished for speaking our home language. We don’t want that for any child. We want every child to know: You are an asset. We honor your language and your culture.​

Dr. Elsa Cárdenas-Hagan

Her work in head trauma rehabilitation also revealed the cognitive power of bilingualism: multilingual patients often recovered speech faster and experienced delayed onset of cognitive decline. These experiences laid the foundation for a teaching philosophy rooted in honoring language diversity and scientific rigor.

Structured Literacy: Not Just for Dyslexia

Structured Literacy is often associated with students with dyslexia, but Dr. Cárdenas-Hagan argues that its explicit, systematic approach is just as vital for multilingual learners.

“Here’s some extra features,” she said, “but guess what? It’s just good teaching.” The key, she explained, is not to isolate language learning from reading instruction, but to integrate them. “You are teaching the students in front of you to be metalinguistic. They begin thinking: What do I know about the sounds, the syntax, the morphology of this word?”

For the same reasons Structured Literacy is helpful for dyslexia, it is effective for multilingual learners. It’s just good teaching—with a few extra features.

Common Misconceptions About Teaching English Learners

One of the most pervasive barriers is the belief among teachers that they can’t effectively teach multilingual learners unless they speak the students’ home language. Dr. Cárdenas-Hagan pushes back on this assumption.

“You don’t have to know their language. You have to know something about the structure of their language, and then help them make connections,” she emphasized. Even teachers with EL certifications often lack training in how reading develops, how oral language impacts fluency, and how to explicitly teach cross-linguistic features.

This leads to another widespread challenge: overreliance on scaffolds like sentence stems. “Why do they need a sentence stem?” she asked. “Let’s get to the root. Do they understand the sounds? The words? The use?”

Oral Language as the Foundation

Language is the foundation of literacy—and that’s especially true for multilingual learners. Yet in many classrooms, oral language is overlooked or underdeveloped. Dr. Cárdenas-Hagan emphasized that deep, meaningful oral practice should precede reading and writing tasks.

When we start with language and systematically build upon it, we go from oracy to the highest level of written language,” she said. “Every time a child speaks to you, that’s data. And I need to respond to that.

Technology, she noted, has also impacted student language development, making intentional practice more essential than ever. Teachers, she argued, must model clear, enunciated speech and slow down their speaking rate to help students distinguish word boundaries.

Cross-Linguistic Connections and Morphological Awareness

A recurring theme in the conversation was the importance of teaching students to make connections between languages. One powerful strategy: teach students to recognize sounds and morphemes that transfer from their first language to English.

Dr. Cárdenas-Hagan described the correlation between phonological awareness in languages like Spanish and English.

In Spanish, 19 sounds are exactly the same as in English. That’s almost half the phonemic inventory—what an asset!

She emphasized how using simple tools like conceptual scoring or websites like mylanguages.org can help educators understand linguistic overlap, even if they don’t speak the language. Teachers can then build instruction around known sounds and expand into unfamiliar ones using “sound approximations.”

We have to go from what they know to what they need. That’s when you see language—and confidence—explode.

The Power of Morphology

One standout moment came when Dr. Cárdenas-Hagan shared how a college class on Greek and Latin roots transformed her vocabulary—and inspired her to bring morphology to young students, despite initial skepticism.

“I was told it wasn’t developmentally appropriate. But once they saw kids thriving, they said, ‘Oops, you were right,’” she recalled.

Morphology, she explained, is not just a vocabulary tool. It builds cognitive connections between words, supports spelling, and is especially beneficial for multilingual students who may already be familiar with multisyllabic, Latin-based words in their home language.

Equitable Assessment: Looking at the Whole Child

Dr. Cárdenas-Hagan also addressed inequities in how multilingual learners are assessed—particularly for dyslexia. “There’s under-identification in the early years and over-identification in the secondary years,” she warned.

Too often, schools assess only in English without considering a student’s literacy in their home language or the instructional context. This leads to incomplete or inaccurate conclusions. She advocates for conceptual assessments that look at what students can do in any language, not just what they can’t do in English.

One creative solution? Taco testing.

She laughed as she explained the concept—creating phonological tasks using sounds familiar across many languages. “You build a nonsense word like ‘taco,’ but the sounds are accessible to the student. Then add sounds that don’t transfer. That shows what they know vs. what’s unfamiliar. It’s funny, but it works!”

Policy Shifts and a Vision for the Future

When asked what policy changes she’d most like to see, Dr. Cárdenas-Hagan didn’t hesitate: start earlier, go deeper, and integrate language and literacy instruction.

She called for:

• Early exposure to foreign languages
• Cross-linguistic teacher preparation
• Simultaneous (not sequential) development of language and literacy
• Better interdisciplinary collaboration across general, EL, and special education
  

She also highlighted that the tools used for multilingual students benefit all learners.

Structured Literacy with linguistic adjustments helps every student. When we collaborate, align instruction, and see each child as an asset, outcomes improve for all.

Every Teacher is a Language Teacher

Ultimately, the takeaway is clear: Every educator—regardless of subject area—is also a teacher of language and literacy. That’s especially true as the number of multilingual students continues to grow.

“What gives me hope is that this is becoming a national conversation,” Dr. Cárdenas-Hagan said. “It won’t be if I teach multilingual learners, it will be how many.”

Educators equipped with Structured Literacy and cross-linguistic tools can change the trajectory of a student’s life. And for many, as she reminds us, you’ll be that teacher—the one they never forget.

Additional Resources

• Literacy Talks Season 7 Episode 11: What Dr. Elsa Cárdenas-Hagan Taught Us About Structured Literacy for Multilingual Learners
• YouTube Video: What Dr. Elsa Cárdenas-Hagan Taught Us About Structured Literacy for Multilingual Learners
• Mylanguages.org
• Dr. Elsa Cárdenas-Hagan’s book:  Literacy Foundations for English Learners