The instructional programs educators design to help English Learner (EL) students work toward English proficiency look different in schools across the United States. This is due in part to the variety of approaches K-12 educators take to important questions such as: Should the program foster bilingualism or focus solely on English? Should ELs…

This report summarizes Austin Independent School District elementary principals' comments from a December 2017 discussion about the process for choosing bilingual and English as a second language programs for their schools in the 2018-2019 school year.

Culture, class, and language are significant social markers that impact classrooms today with challenges in educating teachers to become culturally responsive and competent. This article presents a theoretical approach on the preparation of bilingual teacher candidates and how the literature can inform teacher education programs on developing…

With many students learning English also identified with disabilities in public schools, collaborations across special education and English learner (EL) education are critical to promoting these students' academic and linguistic development. Yet, many special education and EL teachers work independently of one another, focusing on their own…

This report summarizes Austin Independent School District elementary dual language teachers' Spring 2016 survey results. Teachers were asked about different aspects of the district's dual language models, instructional practices, and support.

The purpose of a "Critical and Creative" approach to literacy is not to place the burden of our responsibility on students, but rather to liberate them from the feeling of being trapped by unmalleable, self-defeating circumstances. Through actual demonstration and experience, teachers need to give students the confidence that they are…

This book takes the reader through a journey into the practical and theoretical aspects of partner-based learning in bilingual early childhood environments. The authors begin by presenting compelling arguments for the significance of this approach noting the parallels between partner-based collaborative learning and developmentally appropriate…

This report summarizes highlights from discussions, or "pláticas," held with Austin Independent School District elementary principals about the district's dual language program. Principals provided their opinions about the program and gave suggestions for improvements.

Effectively engaging students in mathematics discourse is challenging, especially in a language other than the one in which you learned mathematics. Teachers must manage the academic as well as social function of language. In Spanish-English bilingual classrooms in the U.S., changing the language of instruction to Spanish may not be enough to…

In the past year, overall teacher workforce trends in California have worsened, with especially severe consequences in special education, math, and science, and significant threats in bilingual education. California's teacher shortage has worsened as teacher demand grows and teacher supply stagnates. As a result, districts are having to hire a…

The emergence of K-12 bilingual/dual-language schools in the United States requires bilingual teacher education programs across the nation to continue to "build on the language strengths" of bilingual teacher candidates and provide them with ample opportunities to acquire the language competencies needed for teaching content-area…

Mexicanos/Chicanos in the United States have historically suffered derision and mistreatment by the mainstream culture because of their use of nonstandard Spanish and English, as well as codeswitching (alternating between two or more languages or language varieties). In the field of education, codeswitching and the use of nonstandard English and…

While children in a classroom of 4-year-olds are actively engaged during center-based learning, a small group begins constructing a tower using blocks of all sizes. Jose, Cindy, and Thomas are all at different stages of language development. Jose is a dual language learner (DLL) in the early stages of English language acquisition; Cindy is a DLL…

This case centers on a Vietnamese language and culture program situated within an urban context. It illustrates how sociohistorical and geopolitical contexts interplay in understanding relations within schools as well as school-community relations. A new ethnoburb creates both opportunities and challenges for the Vietnamese community related to…

This article focuses on the importance of recognizing and appreciating the ways that a teacher integrates her personal and professional life with an English-only policy. Much can be learned from the ways in which she negotiates social forces and integrates them into her individual reality while making sense of the restrictive language policy.…