Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education Commons^™

Rooted In Strength: Grounded In Research Communities And Building On Pedagogical Leadership, Lorraine T. Falchi

Journal of Multilingual Education Research

This article is a review of the book Rooted in Strength: Using Translanguaging to Grow Mult5ilingtual Readers and Writers by Cecilia Espinosa and Laura Ascenzi-Moreno.

Changing Worlds, Changing Classrooms: Satellite Children And Their Teachers In The Transnational Era, Ming-Hsuan Wu, Sonna L. Opstad

Journal of Multilingual Education Research

The challenges for immigrants in the US and Canada include the difficulties of making a living while raising their children. Due to the high cost of living and childcare in cities, along with the realities of low paying jobs and long working hours among many working-class immigrants, growing numbers of families send their infant children to their countries of origin to be raised by relatives for a few years. When the children reach school age, they are returned to their parents in the US. Prior research has focused on immigrant parents’ decision-making rationale and their reports of adjustments that children …

Liberating Instruction: A Critical Bilingual Literacy Approach For Latinx Students, Anel V. Suriel

Journal of Multilingual Education Research

This article reviews Dr. Carla España and Dr. Luz Yadira Herrera’s En Comunidad: Lessons for Centering the Voices of Experiences of Bilingual Latinx Students. Though a critical bilingual literacies approach, the language practices, experiences and cultural histories of Latinx students are centered for literacy instruction in grades 3-8. Before instruction begins, the authors support educational practitioners in creating equitable educational and language stances that hold students’ language practices in a strength perspective. Each chapter that follows details and explains a thematic unit of student that guides educators in creating lessons based on students’ experiences and are summarized within this review. …

Silencing Students' Voices In An Era Of Academic Language, Aida Nevárez-La Torre

Journal of Multilingual Education Research

No abstract provided.

Jmer Vol. 9: The Power Of Voice: Contributions Of Ofelia García To Language Education

Journal of Multilingual Education Research

This special issue of The Journal of Multilingual Education Research is a tribute to Ofelia García as a scholar and as a mentor. Dr. García has made 'translanguaging' famous throughout the world. The fifteen articles in this issue reflect her impact on translanguaging.

Ofelia García: A Transformative Thinker And Leader, Cecilia M. Espinosa

Journal of Multilingual Education Research

In this essay, I describe the ways in which Ofelia García's work influenced the field of bilingual education and multilingualism, as well as my thinking over the years as a bilingual educator. Dr. García has been a model of what it means to be an intellectual who is deeply connected to the importance of engaging in transformative theoretical ideas. Her ideas, in turn, have proven to have profound implications for pedagogy that impacts the education of emergent bilinguals. Her work is deeply grounded in understandings about language and language development as it exists in the world. Her perspective is one …

Trans + Languaging: Beyond Dual Language Bilingual Education, Cristian R. Solorza

Journal of Multilingual Education Research

Ofelia García calls for a re-imagining of bilingual education by challenging how teachers conceptualize, facilitate, and listen to language use in classrooms. Educators attempt to legitimize students' authentic, fluid, and dynamic language practices through translanguaging, but non-standard named language varieties are still marginalized in classrooms. Using the prefix trans+, García pushes us to look beyond bilingual education to critically challenge hegemonic language ideologies and to break from the monoglossic status quo within dual language bilingual education. Bilingual educators are tasked with envisioning language pedagogies that keep our emergent bilingual students whole, as they learn to leverage and expand their …

Critical Research With An Eye On Monday Morning: La Investigación Comprometida De Ofelia García, Guadalupe Valdés

Journal of Multilingual Education Research

This essay by Guadalupe Valdés reflects on the influence of Ofelia García on her own experiences and as well as on the field of bilingual education. As a reader, educator, and researcher concerning emergent bilingual children, the author shares many of the same challenges. She expresses her deep felt sense of gratitude for what Ofelia García has done for the profession, for teachers, and for children.

Top Ten Lessons Learned From Ofelia García: Researching, Teaching And Living From The Heart, Tatyana Kleyn, Kate Seltzer

Journal of Multilingual Education Research

For nearly forty years, the work of Dr. Ofelia García has steered not only the field of bilingual education, but also Spanish language education, teaching English to speakers of other languages, and sociolinguistics. As our professor, mentor, colleague, and friend, Dr. García has taught us many powerful lessons. Here, we describe ten of these, including some pertaining to academic and theoretical contributions, as well as some related to advocacy work in multilingualism. We conclude by describing the impact she has had on diverse academic fields through the CUNY-NYSIEB research project, in which she has mobilized her passions to promote educational …

Ofelia García: A True Pioneer And Leader In Bilingual Education, Danling Fu

Journal of Multilingual Education Research

This article traces my growth as a bilingual educator: how Ofelia García’s work has educated, humbled, and enlightened me. In this tribute to her retirement, I will focus my discussion on a few of Ofelia García’s publications that have had a great impact on me as a scholar. With her work I will examine my own scholarship development, which demonstrates my growth conceptually as a scholar in bilingualism and a teacher educator in bilingual education.

Translanguaging Into Raciolinguistic Ideologies: A Personal Reflection On The Legacy Of Ofelia García, Nelson L. Flores

Journal of Multilingual Education Research

The term translanguaging has received a great deal of attention in recent years in applied linguistics. Originally coined to describe a bilingual pedagogical approach Ofelia García extended the definition to encompass the multiple discursive practices of bilingual communities. This broader definition has been taken up in many different ways by scholars seeking to challenge dominant conceptualizations of bi/multilingualism. In this article, I describe the ways that translanguaging offered me a point of entry for better understanding my own experiences as a US Latino. In addition, I discuss how it has equipped me with theoretical tools for speaking back to the …

Book Review: Translanguaging At Work: Approaches To Dynamic Bilingualism, Meral Kaya

Journal of Multilingual Education Research

Book Reviewed:

García, O., Johnson, S. I., & Seltzer, K. (2017). The Translanguaging Classroom: Leveraging Student Bilingualism for Learning. Philadelphia, PA: Caslon, Inc., 196 pages, ISBN978-1-934000-19-9 (Softcover: $ 39.95.); ISBN978-1-934000-19-9 (eText: $29.95-$36.95 depending on days used).

Ofelia García: A Visionary Thinker, Christine Hélot

Journal of Multilingual Education Research

As a tribute to Professor Ofelia García’s visionary thinking on bilingual education, this article relates the reflexive journey of a French academic whose research was profoundly influenced by her scholarly work. The notion of power is the running thread through which four main themes in Ofelia García’s approach to research are discussed in relation to their relevance in the French educational context: The power of imagination, the power of naming, the power of multilingual critical language awareness for teacher education, and the power of translanguaging. In this article, I argue in favor of thinking beyond one’s epistemological borders and illustrate …

Ofelia García: A Life Dedicated To Giving Voice, Zoila Morell, Patricia Velasco

Journal of Multilingual Education Research

No abstract provided.

Necessary Paradigm Shifts In Bilingual Education: Rethinking Assessment In Bilingual Classrooms, Aida A. Nevárez-La Torre

Journal of Multilingual Education Research

This is the third and last Editorial in a series on Necessary Paradigm Shifts in Bilingual Education. The initial two editorials focused on Rethinking Language (JMER’s Volume 4, 2013) and the second on Rethinking Multilingual Literacy (JMER’s Volume 5, 2014). The necessary paradigm shift discussed here focuses on the role of assessment in bilingual classrooms and the novel conceptualization of bilingual assessment.

Journal Of Multilingual Education Research, Volume 7

Journal of Multilingual Education Research

This file contains the entire publication of volume 7 of the Journal of Multilingual Education Research.

The First Of The Firsts: Leadership And Legislation For Bilingual Preschools In Illinois, Samina Hadi-Tabassum, Idalia Gutiérrez

Journal of Multilingual Education Research

With the rising numbers of bilingual children, particularly young Latinos, in 2010 Illinois was the first state to pass legislation requiring preschool sites that serve 20 or more emergent bilinguals to offer home language instruction. The purpose of this study was to examine the responses of early childhood directors to the changes required by the 2010 policy through an online survey. The results indicate that the directors do not have a background in bilingual education and are mixed philosophically regarding the benefits of bilingualism—highlighting the silo effect between the discipline of bilingual education and early childhood education. Anxiety and frustration …

Publication Description & Guidelines For Submission

Journal of Multilingual Education Research

Description of the Journal of Multilingual Education Research (JMER) and guidelines for submission.

Notes On Contributing Authors

Journal of Multilingual Education Research

Contributing authors for this volume.

Position Statement On Bilingual Education In Early Childhood/Preschool Programs, New York State Association For Bilingual Education

Journal of Multilingual Education Research

The main goal of the New York State Association for Bilingual Education (NYSABE) is to ensure equitable access to all educational opportunities for English language learners (ELLs)/bilingual students in New York State. To this end, NYSABE affirms its commitment to Bilingual Early Childhood/Preschool programs for all ELLs/bilingual learners that underscore the academic, socio-emotional, and language needs of these students by building upon the rich linguistic and cultural experiences that they bring from their homes and communities.

Rethinking Preschool Education Through Bilingual Universal Pre-Kindergarten: Opportunities And Challenges, Zoila Morell

Journal of Multilingual Education Research

Historically, little was known about the services and experiences that young children have before they enter school in the United States. In fact, there was no unifying system that captures the early experiences of children across the country during the preschool years that might bridge early care programs with early education; much of what is known relates to utilization rates for federally funded programs such as Head Start and Early Head Start or state funded subsidies for childcare (Early Childhood Data Collaborative, 2011).

New York State Education Department Policies, Mandates And Initiatives On The Education Of English Language Learners, Angela Carrasquillo, Diane Rodríguez, Laura Kaplan

Journal of Multilingual Education Research

This article is a summary of a longer report, completed under the direction of the Research Institute for the Study of Language in Urban Society and the doctoral program in Urban Education at the Graduate Center in the City University of New York (CUNY) with funding provided by the New York State Initiative on Emergent Bilinguals (NYSIEB). It describes educational laws, policies, mandates, and initiatives regarding the education of English language learners, which took shape and reverberated in the New York State Education Department. This historical descriptive research focused on the historical period from 1965 to the year 2013. The …

Understanding The Language Choices Of Novice Bilingual Teachers During Sheltered English Instruction, Nancy Dubetz

Journal of Multilingual Education Research

The theories of practice of four novice bilingual teachers regarding their language choices during sheltered English instruction are presented. The investigation followed participants through their preservice program in an urban public university and their first year of teaching in bilingual classrooms. Findings from this study illustrate how theories of practice regarding the use of the native (Spanish) and second (English) languages during sheltered instruction vary among novices and how they change at different points in their individual journeys to becoming bilingual teachers. The novice bilingual teachers in this study used both languages during their sheltered English instruction in different ways, …

Notes On Contributors To This Issue

Journal of Multilingual Education Research

No abstract provided.

Gaining Appreciation And Understanding For Writing In English In A Bilingual Class, Nadia Mykysey

Journal of Multilingual Education Research

While participating in the Bilingual Teacher Research Forum (a teacher inquiry group), I decided to do research in my classroom to investigate the ways in which emergent bilinguals (EBs) expanded their appreciation and understanding of writing in English as a second language. The purpose of this study was to examine and describe first-grade EBs’ development of writing. A variety of assessment tools were used to document students writing growth over time. All the children made progress both in their spelling and in their writing of stories. Engaging in teacher-based research became a professional development tool to document and reflect on …

Perspectives On Teacher Quality: Bilingual Education And Esl Teacher Certification, Test-Taking Experiences, And Instructional Practices, Nancy Lemberger, Angela Reyes-Carrasquillo

Journal of Multilingual Education Research

This descriptive exploratory study looked at the certification process, test-taking experiences, and instructional practices of a group of graduate bilingual education (BE) and English-as-a- Second-Language (ESL) teachers to understand why some had problems passing teacher certification tests after completing their degrees. The study surveyed 63 BE and ESL teachers on their certification and test-taking experiences and their perceived instructional strengths. From this group of 63 participants, 15 volunteer teachers were interviewed and observed in their classrooms. Findings reveal most teachers passed certification tests on the first or second attempt. However, several failed tests due to language, content, and time difficulties, …

Competing Discourses About Education And Accountability For Ells/Bilingual Learners: Dual Language Educators As Agents For Change, Rebecca Freeman Field

Journal of Multilingual Education Research

This paper situates the contemporary debate about education and accountability for English language learners/bilingual learners within a sociocultural context and suggests ways that dual language educators and researchers can help move this debate forward. I begin with a brief review of competing discourses about bilingualism and education for diverse learners on the national level in the United States. The paper then provides an insider’s perspective on dual language education in three different contexts (Washington, D.C.; Schaumburg, Ill.; Philadelphia, Pa.) at different times (before and after NCLB was passed) to illustrate how these dual language educators hold themselves accountable for student …

Unpacking Writing And Channeling Change, Aida A. Nevárez-La Torre

Journal of Multilingual Education Research

No abstract provided.

Transient Ells: A Teacher’S Inquiry Into Literacy Instruction, Dianne Maysonet

Journal of Multilingual Education Research

This narrative describes my learning process in becoming a teacher-researcher as I worked with an ELL, Jayla, who experienced a transient lifestyle. As a member of a teacher-inquiry group, the Bilingual Teacher-Research Forum I collaborated with other bilingual and ESL teachers from schools in a large city in the northeastern part of the United States. I learned to systematically investigate my practice to identify instructional strategies that promoted ELL students’ literacy in English. My first inquiry was guided by one query: What instructional strategies may promote the language and literacy development of transient ELLs? In this article I describe how …

Letter To Nysabe Members And Colleagues, Margarita Reyes

Journal of Multilingual Education Research

No abstract provided.