Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education Commons^™

No. 11, November 2022: Insights From Co-Designed English Learner Improvement Networks, Linda R. G. Kaminski , Ed.D., Magaly Lavadenz , Ph.D., Elvira G. Armas , Ed.D., Grecya V. López , M.S.

Education and Policy Briefs

This research brief presents a case study of an English Learner Improvement Network (ELIN), a group of educators focused on a shared problem of practice in English Learner education and supported through extensive collaboration between researchers and practitioners in English Learner education and Improvement Science. The case study involves an urban school district and a charter organization each serving between 50-80% of students who have ever been English Learners. The research brief identifies five key themes that contribute to knowledge of the English Learner Improvement Networks’ ability to support English Learner improvement: (1) Expert Partnerships Support Improvement; (2) Context Impacts …

The California English Learner Roadmap Toolkit For Institutes Of Higher Education (Ihes): (Re)Designing Educator Preparation Focused On Equity For English Learner/Multilingual Students, Anaida Colón-Muñiz, Ed.D., Magaly Lavadenz, Ph.D., Elvira G. Armas, Ed.D.

Reports

The California English Learner Roadmap Toolkit for Institutes of Higher Education was developed to address the education of English Learner and Multilingual students in California’s current university credentialing programs for teacher education, counseling, and educational administration/leadership. The purpose of this Toolkit is to: (1) provide a context for California’s university and other professional credentialing programs’ obligation to engage in reflection and (re)design processes that prioritize preparation of candidates who are well-equipped to serve culturally and linguistically diverse students in preschool–12 settings; (2) delineate the process and results of an examination of the alignment between the standards for Teacher Education, School …

Ensuring Equity And Excellence For English Learners: An Annotated Bibliography For Research, Policy, And Practice, Center For Equity For English Learners

Annotated Bibliographies

Ensuring Equity and Excellence for English Learners: An Annotated Bibliography for Research, Policy, and Practice is comprised of over 350 annotations from both recent and seminal literature (released between 1984–2021) that have significant implications for research, policy, and practice for English learner (EL) linguistic, social, and academic achievement. This annotated bibliography serves as a resource for researchers, policymakers, educators, and advocates who are working for equity and excellence for ELs.

The authors provide a comprehensive selection of works focused on theory, research, and practice. The annotations are a result of purposeful searches of 23 topics in empirical and theoretical articles …

No. 10, April 2022: Uplifting The Perspectives And Preferences Of The Families Of English Learners In Los Angeles Unified School District And Charter Schools: Findings From A Representative Poll, Jeimee Estrada-Miller, M.P.P., Leni Wolf, M.P.A., Elvira G. Armas, Ed.D., Magaly Lavadenz, Ph.D.

Education and Policy Briefs

This research and policy brief uplifts findings from a 2021 poll of 129 LAUSD and affiliate charter school English Learner families. The poll covers a broad range of topics including families’ pandemic experiences in and outside of school, communication with schools, levels of engagement and representation in school-based decisions, and expectations of schools for the future. Findings indicate that: (1) a majority of EL families are engaged and report that they attend school activities; (2) EL families report feeling heard at their school sites and would like more personalized communication like home visits and calls; (3) EL families want more …

Strengthening And Sustaining Dual Language Education In Catholic Schools, Laura Hamman-Ortiz, Katy Lichon, Clare Roach, Patricia Salazar Harty

Journal of Catholic Education

The purpose of this article is two-fold. First, we seek to make a case for the promise of dual language programs to enhance Catholic schooling and enrich educational opportunities for Latinx students. Second, we offer insights into the current landscape of Catholic schools with dual language programs, drawing upon data from a national survey conducted by University of Notre Dame researchers in 2020. Through our presentation of the findings, we consider characteristics of current program models and identify areas of success, challenges, and opportunities for future growth. We conclude with a discussion of the possibilities for strengthening and sustaining dual …

Rethinking The Hispanic Teacher Shortage: Dual Language Schools As Identity-Affirming Organizations, Elena Sada, Katie Ward

Journal of Catholic Education

Research has established the connection between the academic success of culturally and linguistically diverse students, and their schools’ ability to recruit and retain teachers that reflect such diversity (Shirrell et al., 2019). Studies have also highlighted the criticality of the students’ home language use as a way to enhance academic growth and develop their sociocultural competence and well-being (Feinauer & Howard, 2014). There is no research, however, addressing the differences between the experiences of Hispanic teachers in bilingual Catholic education compared to those in monolingual English Catholic education. This article highlights the differences captured by a recent study, and discusses …

Dual Language Catholic Schools: Innovation And Equity--Considerations For Making The Transition To Dual Language, Carrie Fuller, Elena Sada

Journal of Catholic Education

The multiple academic and social advantages of a dual language education are well known; yet there is little practical guidance for Catholic school leaders who are taking on this whole school change. This paper explores the necessary steps for Catholic school leaders to develop equitable dual language schools. Guided by the Gospel principles of love and justice and using the Community of Practice theoretical framework, the authors argue that taking thoughtful risks in transforming one’s school can lead to meaningful learning in service to culturally and linguistically diverse students. Seven main implementation areas for developing a dual language Catholic school …

Decolonization Of Education: How Educators Can Aid Transcultural Acculturation To Advance Communities Committed To Social Justice, Aradhana Mudambi, Elena Sada

Journal of Catholic Education

Cultures recreate themselves constantly, sometimes through natural transformations, sometimes through imposition. While colonialism was atrocious, partly because it transformed cultures by imposing disfigured identities and understandings (Fanon, 1963), we cannot reset cultures to how they were before conquest. That would require erasing languages now spoken for generations, dismantling religions and beliefs now practiced for hundreds of years, and purifying food habits now valued by the palettes of those formerly colonized. We can, however, work towards decolonizing our present- day society. Specifically, we can identify how colonialism continues to position some populations and their cultures as inferior (minoritized) and others as …

Book Review: Transformative Translanguaging Espacios: Latinx Students And Their Teachers Rompiendo Fronteras Sin Miedo, Katie Ward

Journal of Catholic Education

No abstract for a Book Review

Systemic Challenges During Assessment Of Emerging Bilingual Students: Perspectives Of Speech Language Pathologists And School Psychologists, Courtney Smith

LMU/LLS Theses and Dissertations

This study explored the perspectives of speech language pathologists and school psychologists, to identify the systemic challenges they identified that negatively impact how emerging bilingual students are referred, assessed, and identified for special education. This qualitative study used semi-structured interviews with 6 speech language pathologists and 6 school psychologists (n=12) to explore these challenges and barriers, as well as to look at the systems of belief present on campuses, that impact this process. Using a systems thinking framework and detailed inductive analysis of the data many themes emerged related to barriers such as difficulty finding an interpreter and ensuring that …

Unveiling Whiteness In Progressive Education: Learning From The Critical Narratives Of Black Progressive Educators And Activists, Chris Thinnes

LMU/LLS Theses and Dissertations

Progressive education has the socially transformative potential to mitigate the racialized violence of neoliberal education reform, but is dominated by white norms and has failed for more than a century to articulate a coherent or purposeful political agenda explicitly committed to racial equity and justice. Informed by Critical Race Theory, Critical Pedagogy, and Critical Biculturalism, this qualitative study engaged Black progressive educators and activists in an effort not only to understand the contours and impacts of white hegemonic norms in progressive education spaces, but also to produce a framework of principles, policies, and/or practices that could disrupt them. Using Critical …