Structural Barriers to Multilingual Learners’ Literacy Outcomes in Georgia Schools
Location
Boston 2&3
Session Format
Presentation
Abstract
This study investigates structural predictors of literacy outcomes for multilingual learners (MLs) in Georgia public schools. Drawing on ecological systems theory and the educational debt framework, it examines how chronic absenteeism, teacher preparedness, and school funding influence MLs’ English Language Arts performance on the Georgia Milestones assessment. Using multilevel modeling with 2024 data from 1,929 schools across 205 districts, findings reveal that chronic absenteeism and underqualified teaching staff significantly predict lower literacy scores, while targeted instructional investment predicts higher outcomes. General per-pupil spending was not a consistent predictor. Results highlight systemic rather than student-level barriers to ML achievement and emphasize the need for policy solutions addressing attendance, staffing equity, and resource allocation to improve literacy outcomes for multilingual learners.
Keywords
multilingual learners (MLs), English learners (ELs), literacy, chronic absenteeism, teacher readiness, school funding, English Language Arts (ELA), multilevel modeling
Professional Bio
Dr. Robert A. Griffin is an associate professor in the Department of Early Childhood through Secondary Education at the University of West Georgia, where he teaches graduate-level courses in Literacy/Reading and TESOL. Dr. Griffin's primary research interests involve exploring reading motivation and achievement for multilingual learners, striving readers, and at-promise student groups and challenging deficit-oriented paradigms related to the skills and talents of diverse learners. In addition to serving as co-editor of the Georgia Journal of Literacy, Dr. Griffin serves on editorial review boards for several journals in the fields of literacy education and TESOL. Dr. Griffin has published over 30 peer-reviewed articles on topics ranging from quantitative analyses of reading motivation among adolescent native Spanish speakers to pedagogical pieces on authentic writing instruction and morphological awareness for culturally and linguistically diverse students.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Griffin, Robert A. and Mindrila, Diana L., "Structural Barriers to Multilingual Learners’ Literacy Outcomes in Georgia Schools" (2026). Georgia Educational Research Association Conference. 69.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/gera/2026/2026/69
Structural Barriers to Multilingual Learners’ Literacy Outcomes in Georgia Schools
Boston 2&3
This study investigates structural predictors of literacy outcomes for multilingual learners (MLs) in Georgia public schools. Drawing on ecological systems theory and the educational debt framework, it examines how chronic absenteeism, teacher preparedness, and school funding influence MLs’ English Language Arts performance on the Georgia Milestones assessment. Using multilevel modeling with 2024 data from 1,929 schools across 205 districts, findings reveal that chronic absenteeism and underqualified teaching staff significantly predict lower literacy scores, while targeted instructional investment predicts higher outcomes. General per-pupil spending was not a consistent predictor. Results highlight systemic rather than student-level barriers to ML achievement and emphasize the need for policy solutions addressing attendance, staffing equity, and resource allocation to improve literacy outcomes for multilingual learners.
