In addition to fostering bilingualism and biliteracy for all students, one of the main goals of Two-Way Immersion (TWI) programs is building positive cross-cultural relationships (). This can lead to TWI programs having ambitious goals for the kinds of bridges it can build between students, families, and communities, which is a challenge when the…

This study investigated the relationship among home language use, parents' beliefs about dual language development, and Spanish-speaking children's vocabulary knowledge. Parents (n = 162) completed a questionnaire about their home language use and beliefs about dual language development, and elementary-age children (N = 190) -- Kindergarten…

Drawing from oral history interviews and archival data from a nine-month ethnography, this article examines the activist practices of foundational bilingual teachers in Milwaukee's movement to launch Spanish/English bilingual-bicultural education (BBE). We use theories of critical consciousness to interpret the educators' daily activism as crucial…

This study investigated the extent to which Hispanic newcomer ELLs in grades 4 and 5, who received math instruction in Spanish, improved their math scores in district and state tests as compared to ELLs who received math instruction in English only. Descriptive and inferential statistics such as frequency distribution, variability, and ttests…

The Individual With Disabilities Education Act mandates that parents should be active participants in the Individualized Education Program (IEP) meeting. This qualitative study looked at the IEP process from a critical lens that focused on diverse participants' experiences at their child's IEP meeting. What distinguishes counterstories from a…

Using a White racial frame as a theoretical framework, this study investigated the relationship between two Latina bilingual education teachers and their White colleagues. A qualitative analysis reveals that the participants demonstrated effective teaching skills using their cultural attributes. However, the participants' competence stirred…

High rates of trauma exposure can impede school functioning, which is predictive of many negative long-term outcomes. This study examined school functioning in Latinx children with clinically elevated levels of posttraumatic stress symptoms. We found that child gender, parent language use, and parent school involvement were associated with school…

Recent immigration patterns have led to widespread growth in school enrollments of Spanish-speakers in nontraditional immigrant destinations in many parts of the United States. This paper explores the ways in which suburban school districts respond to this demographic shift, with a focus on how schooling impacts the acculturation experiences of…

This case describes St. Lucy School, a K-8 elementary school in a mid-sized urban center. St. Lucy has traditionally served African American students. In the past 10 years, the neighborhood has experienced a significant shift in population, such that many Latino/a families are now entering the school. In response to these changes, the school…

The number of students designated as English language learners enrolled in U.S. schools is rapidly increasing, and because of this shifting cultural and linguistic landscape, it is essential that all teachers have the skills to effectively work with students who have a language other than English spoken at home. Using the framework of exemplary…

This action research study examined an eight-week parent involvement program known as the Spanish Teaching and Learning Program. This program was developed as a parent involvement/education initiative for mothers of students in an urban elementary school. Throughout this program, Latina mothers taught basic Spanish to non Spanish-speaking mothers.…

Developing family and school partnerships can improve school curriculum, increase parents' skills, improve student outcomes, and assist teachers to support their students in the classroom. For almost four decades in the United States, the importance of establishing healthy partnerships with families has been critical to improving the education of…

This article describes the steps involved in the development and implementation of a parent nutrition education workshop series for a low-income, primarily Spanish-speaking population in an urban school district setting. Overall, those parents who participated in the nutrition education workshops showed positive changes in their knowledge,…

In this article, the authors analyze the evolution of parent advocate education standards that illustrate what parents need to know and do to effectively support their children's learning in 6th-12th grade. Focus groups conducted with parent participants revealed that parents were often unaware of the distinction between helping their child…

School districts that offer bilingual education often find it difficult to hire enough teachers for their growing Latino populations. To expand the pool of bilingual teachers, some districts recruit teachers from Spanish-speaking countries. Yet there has been little research on how these teachers fare or what supports they need to succeed. This…