In the context of the Northwest Arkansas (NWA) regional setting, this study examines the effects of the Spanish for Heritage and Native Speakers (SHNS) model from multiple vantage points. Educational capital and biculturation approaches are employed to help theoretically frame post-secondary educational success and ethnic identity, respectively.…

This article discusses how art can contribute to the creation of a translanguaging space and how a community program can be a significant site for this collective and creative endeavor. Drawing on translanguaging theories, I founded the "Entretejer/Interweave Community School" program in collaboration with the Immigrant Resource Center,…

Purpose: Affect is central to the process of teaching and learning. The recent affective turn in literacy education has further underscored its critical potential as an act of resistance against dehumanizing forces that impact students' schooling and life experiences (Dutro, 2019; Leander and Ehret, 2019). This article, taking up the notion of…

Student achievement in literacy and mathematics for students involved in a Spanish language program at a large and diverse school district in Arkansas, were compared to peers' scores who did not participate in the program. The program was implemented to enroll native English speaking students in a Spanish enrichment program (SEP) with the intent…

Most research on parental bookreading has focused on mothers reading to their children. This study examined bookreading practices among approximately 800 fathers and mothers in low-income families. We looked at differences and similarities between families where both parents read frequently compared to families where only mothers read frequently.…

The foreign languages segment of Arkansas' statewide curriculum guide outlines instructional objectives for French I and II and Spanish I and II in the four language skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing) and culture. The guide does not recommend any specific material or method, but emphasizes skills and learning objectives to produce…

Describes the "International Potpourri" two-week residential summer enrichment program for gifted and talented ninth and tenth grade students. The program combined the best elements of foreign language camps and international festivals through a variety of activities including beginning conversation, songs, dances, crafts and food…

A one-year course in which five languages were introduced in conjunction with the study of European and Arkansas state history is described. The course was designed to provide eighth grade students with a basis for deciding whether to study a foreign language. The main goal was to provide awareness of foreign language through conversation and the…

In the fall of 1996, the Arkansas Archeological Survey and the Department of Foreign Languages at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville received a $180,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities Teaching With Technology program. The goal of this grant initiative was to encourage creation of content-rich, computer-based materials…