Category: Bilingualism

Project: National Comprehensive Center Multilingual Learner Work Group

As part of its work to support regional comprehensive centers, SRI leads the Multilingual Learner (ML) Work Group, which brings together staff from federally funded comprehensive centers who work with states around issues to support multilingual learners.

Resource: Multilingual Learners: Knowing Your Students and Research Podcast Episode

SRI’s director of Multilingual Learner Program Area, Carrie Parker, co-hosted this episode and shares reflections from work she has done over the last five years to better understand how teachers in grades K-3 identify disabilities among multilingual learners.

Resource: Unpacking the Relationship Between Classroom Teacher Characteristics and Time to English Learner Reclassification

Reclassification is a crucial outcome for English learner (EL) students’ academic progress. Though ELs spend a large portion of their academic time with general education teachers, we know little about the role general education teachers play in developing ELs’ English language proficiency.

Bilingual Education Research: How to connect in a culturally relevant way with Spanish speaking families

When I arrived in the United States, I was not quite eight, and did not know how to even say “hello” in English. All I knew was that education was my opportunity to live a better life, and that I had to learn English to access it.

A move towards multilingual: why this term is better than others [for now]

The language we use affects the way we perceive our world. Language can help create new understandings and expand our view of what exists and what is possible, and it also can limit our understanding. The terms we use to describe students who speak two or more languages or speak a language other than English at home, for example, impacts how we envision and develop programs and policies for those students.

Resource: Newcomer Wellness Initiative 2019-20 Evaluation Report

This report shares findings from a survey conducted with Newcomer students, defined as individuals attending schools in the United States for three years or less and who speak a language other than English at home, in Oakland Unified School District. The survey was designed to inform the work of the Newcomer Wellness Initiative, a program … Continue reading Newcomer Wellness Initiative 2019-20 Evaluation Report

Resource: Think Forward New England: Profiles of Innovation | Margarita Muñiz Academy

Margarita Muñiz Academy in Boston, MA, was founded in 2012 with the mission of providing full cultural and linguistic fluency in Spanish and English for all of its students. The school’s development of its “Portrait of a Scholar” project led to a number of changes focused on providing greater opportunities for student voice and participation. … Continue reading Think Forward New England: Profiles of Innovation | Margarita Muñiz Academy

Project: Bilingual/Biliterate Instruction for Bilingual Youth (BBILY) Evaluation

SRI Education is leading an external evaluation of bilingual professional development developed by faculty from Santa Clara University and San Jose State University. The National Professional Development Program of the Office of English Language Acquisition has funded this 5-year project to develop bilingual professional development for in-service teachers, pre-service teachers, and student caregivers. The project … Continue reading Bilingual/Biliterate Instruction for Bilingual Youth (BBILY) Evaluation

Project: Mid-Atlantic Comprehensive Center Bilingual Teacher Project

The purpose of this Region 4 Comprehensive Center project was to support the New Jersey Department of Education to expand their preparation pipeline for certified bilingual teachers. The project culminated in a series of publically available briefs focused on bilingual education programs across the country, including when and how they are implemented, strategies to address … Continue reading Mid-Atlantic Comprehensive Center Bilingual Teacher Project

Resource: Examining Bilingual Programs and Policies

This blog introduces a series of policy briefs that were developed in collaboration with the New Jersey Department of Education to better understand the state of bilingual education across the country, potential strategies to address the shortage of bilingual educators, and approaches to bilingual education policy and programming. View Resource Citation: Rutherford-Quach, S., Kelly, H., … Continue reading Examining Bilingual Programs and Policies

Resource: Bilingual Education Across the United States

In this brief, the authors define some of the key terms in bilingual education and then provide an overview of the different state policies for the provision of bilingual education to English learners. View Resource Citation: Rutherford-Quach, S., Torre Gibney, D., Kelly, H., Ballen Riccards, J., Garcia, E., Hsiao, M., Pellerin, E., & Parker, C. … Continue reading Bilingual Education Across the United States