Every child, regardless of language background or disability status, should have a full and fair opportunity to learn. This means having teachers trained in both bilingual education and special education who understand the intersection of language development and disability. But only one state, Texas, has approved an integrated teaching certificate to ensure teachers are prepared and supported.
IDRA’s package provides a template for policy language for states to adopt a research-based teacher certification program. The package also includes a policy brief and advocacy guide.
This issue brief describes the school challenges in serving multilingual students with disabilities, how Texas’ experience offers a promising model for other states, the legal landscape for educating multilingual students with disabilities, policy solutions, implementation resources and key supporting research. (This brief is also available in the model policy full package.)
This advocacy guide was designed to help you advocate for state-level policy for bilingual special education teacher certification. (This guide is also available in the model policy full package.)
Infographic: Where Language and Disability Meet – 5 Things School Districts Must Do Differently (English-Spanish)
Flier: Every Language is an Asset (English-Spanish)
Article: Where Language and Disability Meet – What Schools Must Do Differently, by Lizdelia Piñón, Ed.D.
Article: Breakthrough for Students – Texas State Board Approves Standards for New Bilingual Special Education Teacher Certificate, September 25, 2025
Article: Texas Gets Closer to Adopting a Bilingual Special Education Teacher Certificate, July 30, 2024
Article: Bilingual Special Education Certification is One Step Closer in Texas, February 28, 2023
Testimony: Texas’ Forthcoming Bilingual Special Education Certificate Should Require Specific Skills for Teachers of Dually-identified Students, IDRA Testimony for the proposed Bilingual Special Education Educator Standards, submitted by Lizdelia Piñón, Ed.D., to the Texas State Board for Educator Certification February 10, 2023
Serving Emergent Bilingual Students Toolkit – Emergent bilingual students should have the same opportunities to succeed academically. Their English-speaking classmates. Bilingual education programs are designed to increase English proficiency in students while providing instruction in their native language, recognizing that students’ academic skills and knowledge transfer between languages. This IDRA Serving Emergent Bilingual Students – Online Technical Assistance Toolkit guides educators with an introductory overview of emergent bilingual students and programs to serve them.
IDRA Statement • October 15, 2026 IDRA warns that proposed federal school voucher regulations released by the U.S. Treasury Department on October 1, 2026, threaten
