As School Network Coordinator at the MLRC School Network, I have the privilege of hearing incredible stories about how our members are making the most of their membership to transform education for their multilingual learners (MLs).
The landscape of international education is shifting rapidly. According to the 2026 ISC Research Global International Schools Snapshot, “International education is now driven primarily by local family demand rather than expatriate mobility. As a result, bilingual provision has grown significantly, blending global curricula with national requirements, language, and cultural context”. As student populations become increasingly multilingual, the importance of understanding and supporting multilingual learning across the entire school grows.
Who are the MLRC School Network members?
Our member schools place supporting their MLs as one of their top priorities at their school. These schools also want to stay on the leading edge to enhance their programming with the most current, evidence-based strategies.
“I think more international schools should join the MLRC. It’s a brilliant opportunity to bridge the gaps between research, theory, and practice.”
-MLRC School Network Member
When we look at why schools around the world choose to join us, three clear priorities emerge:
- Whole-School Professional Development: Upskilling not just EAL specialists, but homeroom and subject teachers to handle diverse linguistic backgrounds.
- Access to Action Research: Moving away from anecdotal methods and toward data-driven, evidence-based classroom practices.
- Global Collaboration: Connecting with a global community of peer schools to share immersion strategies
“I love how the MLRC is trying to bridge the gap between research and how teachers can effectively engage with it.”
-MLRC School Network Member
How can the MLRC School Network support your school’s mission?
The MLRC School Network provides the tools, community, and framework to turn your school’s vision for multilingual success into reality.
First, your membership provides resources for all teachers in a school, not just the EAL/ELL department. This helps schools to provide support to ALL multilingual students at the school. One of these resources is MLs 101, a self-paced, online course to help educators connect research to practice. All teachers in member schools can take this course for free – it’s included with membership.
One of our most impactful benefits is the MLRC Research Symposia. During a focused weekend, school teams build action research plans to take back to their schools to dive into a problem of practice. The support goes beyond the weekend-long Symposium and continues through the rest of the school year as teams enact their plan. Teams are able to then take the results of their action research to create meaningful change at the school level, and share their findings to help other schools learn and grow. Participation in the MLRC Research Symposium is an exclusive benefit for member schools.
“I would recommend the MLRC because I believe it empowers more teachers to contribute to research in our professional area. It is a perfect way to promote change in schools- you are moving forward feeling guided and supported. The more people that can make an impact in their schools, the better.”
-MLRC School Network Member
The MLRC School Network has helped schools to improve their ML teaching practices, increase consistency in ML instruction and programs, and helped demonstrate organizational commitment to MLs.
To learn more about how your school can benefit from our global network, research initiatives, and professional development tools, visit our membership page and join the MLRC School Network!
