When Your Program is Not Really Dual Language
Dual Language (DL) programs are often on the chopping block. Poor data will quickly push those in power to say, “Dual Language doesn’t work.” The closing of DL programs, then, discourages other districts from launching DL programs. However, the research is clear that DL programs do work. So what is the disconnect? One of the…
Keep reading5 Ways to Build Resilience, An Essential Tool for Sociocultural Competence
Sociocultural Competence is one of the three pillars of Dual Language Education and encompasses the following four domains: identity formation, intercultural competence or diversity, the ability to identify injustice, and the ability to take action against injustice. When our students are able and willing to take action against injustice, we know we have reached our…
Keep readingWhat if our Dual Language Program is Not Working?
We know that, according to national research, a well-executed Dual Language program results in better performance for Emergent Bilinguals than any other form of support. However, Thomas & Collier (2004-2012) share a “warning graph” that demonstrates that calling a program “Dual Language” is not sufficient to get the results we intend for our students. In…
Keep reading5 Ways to Support Speakers of Low Incidence Languages
Dual Language Programs are a fantastic way to honor the linguistic backgrounds of our language minority students, but only the linguistic backgrounds of our language minority students who belong to the majority amongst our minorities. But what about our students who speak low-incidence languages? What about our students who are minorities amongst language-minority students? I…
Keep reading5 Do’s and 3 Don’t’s When It Comes to Names
Soon Labor Day will culturally signify the end of the long, hot, lazy days of summer and give way to pumpkin spice and scarecrows. Once upon a time, Labor Day also signified the last days of summer vacation for our kids. Now, depending upon where you work, the year might have already started, or you…
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Social Justice and Education 