E.g., 06/10/2026
E.g., 06/10/2026
National Center on Immigrant Integration Policy

National Center on Immigrant Integration Policy

An empty classroom with English language learning posters
iStock.com/Pressmaster

Adult education programs play an important part in helping immigrant adults learn English and, in doing so, integrate into U.S. communities and the workforce. In many states, much of the funding for these programs comes from the federal government. This report examines states’ varied vulnerability to potential funding cuts, as well as opportunities to build stronger, more sustainable programs. 

Children in a classroom writing at their desks
iStock.com/AJ_Watt

Native language assessments are an important tool for measuring what K–12 English Learner (EL) students know in core academic subjects, independent of their English proficiency level. This fact sheet provides an overview of which states offer assessments in students’ home languages, for which subjects, and how this landscape has changed in recent years.

The names of languages and translation icons in blue on a black background
iStock.com/gesrey

U.S. states and localities are increasingly enacting policies to make sure that language barriers do not prevent people from accessing government information and services, boosting service effectiveness and the ability to connect with residents. This report examines this trend, and the role of state and local policies against the backdrop of a changing federal policy landscape.

Woman raises hand to ask question in classroom
iStock.com

A move by the Trump administration to limit immigrants' use of federal programs stands to significantly destabilize the U.S. adult education system, which has helped millions of immigrant adults learn English and build foundational skills. In the process, this will harm the White House's stated desire to help immigrants learn English, build skills, and integrate into U.S. society, as this short read outlines. 

Young children play with building blocks at daycare
iStock.com/Gorodenkoff

Although one-third of U.S. young children have a parent who speaks a language other than English, early childhood educators often lack the tools to effectively monitor the development of those not in monolingual, English-speaking households. This issue brief examines why many preschool classroom assessments are a poor fit for Dual Language Learners, and ways to make them more effective for diverse populations.

Mother and daughter playing on a playground
iStock.com/Naypong

Immigrants comprise 15 percent of Connecticut’s population, and nearly 30 percent of children in the state are part of immigrant families. Having driven all state population and workforce growth over the last 15 years, immigrants are an important part of Connecticut’s present and its future. This report examines state policies and systems that aim to support upward mobility for all families, highlighting ways in which they could better meet the needs of low-income immigrant families.

Recent Activity

Cover image for Native Language Assessments for K-12 English Learners
Fact Sheets
March 2026
By  Greg García, Gloria Choi and Lorena Mancilla
Cover image for Making Preschool Classroom Assessments Work for Dual Language Learners
Policy Briefs
December 2025
By  Katherine Habben, Victoria Kim and Lorena Mancilla
Cover image for All in for a Thriving Connecticut
Reports
September 2025
By  Margie McHugh, Julia Gelatt, Colleen Putzel-Kavanaugh, Katherine Habben, Jacob Hofstetter and Julie Sugarman
Cover image for A Data Profile of Young Dual Language Learners
Fact Sheets
August 2025
By  Katherine Habben and Victoria Kim
A health worker from the Philippines.

Countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, and Germany are increasingly relying on immigrant health-care workers to fill gaps in their workforce and care for aging populations. That has created opportunities for many foreign-born doctors and nurses, but could harm their origin countries. This article examines the dynamics of global health-care worker migration, particularly in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Image of women smiling on hike

The adoption of immigration measures by state and local governments can affect the sense of belonging not just for immigrants but also for the U.S. born, with impacts on individuals’ wellbeing, their engagement with others, and political participation. As the number of subfederal immigration measures has proliferated in recent years, research suggests this growth could have wider-ranging repercussions than commonly understood.

HealthWorkers_Flickr_JakeGreenbergUSPacificFleet

Immigrants make up a disproportionately high number of U.S. health-care workers, from doctors and nurses to home health aides. In 2018, more than 2.6 million immigrants worked in the U.S. health-care field. In the face of the coronavirus pandemic, immigrants have played a key role in the frontline response. This article explores the demographics of this group of essential workers by occupation, origin, language, education, and more.

Students and Reading _JMH5036 (1) US Dept of Ed   Flickr

Although the number of U.S. residents who speak a language other than English has grown in recent decades, the share of those who are Limited English Proficient (LEP) has fallen: 40 percent in 2015, compared to 44 percent in 1980—even as immigration rose rapidly. This article examines growing linguistic diversity in the country and sketches a profile of the LEP population, including size, location, and socioeconomic characteristics.

HeadStart PascoCountySchools

The Head Start program—a model for early childhood education programs nationwide—has served more than 33 million children since its inception half a century ago, many from immigrant families. This article examines the role of Head Start in the education of Dual Language Learners, who now comprise one-third of enrollees, and discusses how recent policy changes may affect this population.

Collection of illustrations related to finance, business, and people working together
Explainers
October 2024

The question of whether immigration represents a net cost or a net benefit to the U.S. economy has been a major source of contention, even as the research literature and thinking among economists has been quite clear. A strong body of research and consensus by most economists finds that immigration, on balance, is a net positive for the U.S. economy. This explainer walks through the issues.

Ana Paula Noguez Mercado speaking on webinar
Video, Audio
March 11, 2026

This webinar focuses on the ever-greater relevance of state and local language access policies in today’s rapidly changing federal policy context, highlighting findings from a recent MPI report. 

Trish Morita-Mullaney speaking on webinar
Video, Audio
March 5, 2026

This discussion focuses on the federal government's invitation to states to seek waivers of their obligations under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). Experts offer an overview of current state waivers and their objectives, and what these developments might mean for English Learners (ELs) and their schools. 

Profile heads in dialogue
Video, Audio
December 16, 2024

Government officials from Colorado, Michigan, and New York discuss how their states’ language access efforts have evolved, how they are structured, and what innovative approaches they have undertaken to reduce linguistic barriers for the more than 25 million U.S. residents who have limited proficiency in English. 

DHS I speak identification card
Video, Audio
June 26, 2024

Speakers discuss research from MPI’s National Center on Immigrant Integration Policy that details next-generation strategies the federal government can use to support state and local programs in effectively operationalizing and sustaining meaningful language access. 

 family with baby daughter at home
Video, Audio
April 5, 2024

Speakers discuss the importance of infant and early childhood mental health services, highlighting approaches that have successfully connected immigrant and refugee families with beneficial and culturally relevant services. Speakers also offer recommendations to expand accessibility and responsiveness of these services.

Recent Activity

Reports
May 2026

Adult education programs play an important part in helping immigrant adults learn English and, in doing so, integrate into U.S. communities and the workforce. In many states, much of the funding for these programs comes from the federal government. This report examines states’ varied vulnerability to potential funding cuts, as well as opportunities to build stronger, more sustainable programs. 

Video, Audio, Webinars
March 11, 2026

This webinar focuses on the ever-greater relevance of state and local language access policies in today’s rapidly changing federal policy context, highlighting findings from a recent MPI report

Video, Audio, Webinars
March 5, 2026

This discussion focuses on the federal government's invitation to states to seek waivers of their obligations under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). Experts offer an overview of current state waivers and their objectives, and what these developments might mean for English Learners (ELs) and their schools. 

Fact Sheets
March 2026

Native language assessments are an important tool for measuring what K–12 English Learner (EL) students know in core academic subjects, independent of their English proficiency level. This fact sheet provides an overview of which states offer assessments in students’ home languages, for which subjects, and how this landscape has changed in recent years.

Fact Sheets
February 2026

All high school students face important questions about what comes next after graduation. Those who are unauthorized immigrants face additional challenges—from heightened immigration enforcement to states walking back in-state tuition policies for these students. This fact sheet provides estimates of the number and characteristics of unauthorized immigrant children who are reaching the end of high school and graduating from K-12 schools across the United States each year.

Reports
January 2026

U.S. states and localities are increasingly enacting policies to make sure that language barriers do not prevent people from accessing government information and services, boosting service effectiveness and the ability to connect with residents. This report examines this trend, and the role of state and local policies against the backdrop of a changing federal policy landscape.

Short Reads
January 2026

A move by the Trump administration to limit immigrants' use of federal programs stands to significantly destabilize the U.S. adult education system, which has helped millions of immigrant adults learn English and build foundational skills. In the process, this will harm the White House's stated desire to help immigrants learn English, build skills, and integrate into U.S. society, as this short read outlines. 

Short Reads
January 2026

A Trump administration proposed rule that would give government adjudicators wide discretion in deciding when public benefits use can be held against green-card applicants and prospective immigrants could discourage many eligible households, including those with U.S.-citizen children, from accessing health, nutrition, and education supports—with significant implications for well-being, as this short read explains.