Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education Commons^™

San Juan Unified School District Newcomer Support: Promising Practices, Magaly Lavadenz, Ph.D., Linda Kaminski, Ed.D, Elvira G. Armas, Ed.D.

Reports

This report was developed through a partnership between the Policy Analysis for California Education (PACE) Newcomer Research-Practice-Policy Partnership and the Center for Equity for English Learners (CEEL) at Loyola Marymount University (LMU). It presents a case study that identifies promising practices for newcomer education implemented in San Juan Unified School District (SJUSD), one of 12 local educational agencies (LEAs) funded under the California Newcomer Education and Well-Being (CalNEW) project between 2018 and 2021. The case study was conducted during a 2022 summer program for recently arrived immigrant students. Using interviews with 32 school and community leaders and educators, a review …

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 …

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

LMU 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 …

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 …

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 …

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

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 …

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 …

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

LMU 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 …

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 …

As Catholic Schools Become More Diverse, How Should We Prepare New Catholic School Educators For Inclusive Schools? An Analysis Of Research On University And Diocesan Teacher Training, Rebekka J. Jez, Julie C. Cantillon, Lauren H. Ramers, Melissa M. Burgess

Journal of Catholic Education

Educators can improve academic and socio-emotional wellbeing of their students if they are equipped with strategies and skills to support learners and families from a variety of diverse backgrounds and experiences, such as culturally and linguistically diverse students, students with differing abilities, and those who may experience trauma and/or socio-economic challenges. To learn more about this topic a Catholic university and local diocese examined the literature on the impact of Catholic teachers in under-resourced schools, practices for training Catholic educators with skills to meet the needs of all learners, and the structures needed to ensure that diocesan and university supervisors …

Latino Family Engagement In A Network Of Catholic Bilingual Schools, Gabrielle Oliveira, Eunhye Cho, Olivia Barbieri

Journal of Catholic Education

In this article, we examine how a Network of Catholic Bilingual Schools (NCBS) serves Latino populations by examining the leadership’s narratives of the school services and outreach. By employing a survey with 16 principals in the NCBS, we argue that the rate of engagement is similar between Latino and non-Latino parents, although the nature of the activities varied. Despite the long-held belief that Latino parents are less likely to participate in schooling than non-Latino parents, we found that Latino parents committed their participation in schools across cultural, linguistic, or religious activities. We highlight how principals acknowledge and describe Latino families’ …

Equity Leadership For English Learners During Covid–19: Early Lessons, Magaly Lavadenz, Linda R. G. Kaminski, Elvira G. Armas, Grecya V. López

Academic Journal Articles

This article provides the findings of an exploratory, qualitative study on distance learning policies and practices from a purposeful sample of five California school districts and 25 district and school leaders with large numbers and/or larger percentages of current or former English Learners. To understand the extent to which leaders address English Learners’/Emergent Bilinguals’ (EL/EM) needs during the pandemic, we posed the following research question: What are leaders’ local policies and practices in designing and implementing distance learning to promote equity for English Learners? We gathered three key district policy documents across three moments during the pandemic: (1) COVID-19 Operations …

Leveraging Equity And Excellence For English Learners: An Annotated Bibliography, Center For Equity For English Learners

Annotated Bibliographies

Leveraging Equity and Excellence for English Learners: An Annotated Bibliography is comprised of 100 annotations from both recent and seminal literature (released between 1994–2018) that have significant implications for policy and practice for English learner (EL) schooling and academic achievement. The purpose of this annotated bibliography is to serve as a resource for educators and advocates who are working for equity and justice for ELs. The Center for Equity for English Learners conducted a review of empirical and theoretical articles from peer-reviewed journals, as well as books, book chapters, and reports from leading scholars in the field. This annotated bibliography …

No. 9, September 2021: Leaders’ Perspectives On The Preparation Of Bilingual/Dual Language Teachers, Magaly Lavadenz, Ph.D., Jongyeon Ee, Ph.D., Elvira G. Armas, Ed.D., Grecya V. López, M.S.Ed.

Education and Policy Briefs

This research and policy brief uplifts findings from a 2020 survey of 223 California school district leaders. Findings regarding the preparation of beginning bilingual/dual language educators indicate that leaders rated teachers’ linguistic competencies in two languages as the most important ability, followed by teachers’ understanding of bilingualism and biliteracy development and linguistic pedagogical knowledge. Respondents rated beginning bilingual teachers’ preparation to meet the needs of their districts/schools as “moderately well” (M=3.1 out of 5). The brief concludes by identifying policy recommendations for state and local levels as well as for institutions of higher education policies and practice in this statewide …

Manteniendo La Chispa: Testimonios Of Latina Veteran Urban Teachers, Monica K. Valencia

LMU Theses and Dissertations

As the student population in U.S. public schools becomes more diverse, with an increase of students of color and from low socioeconomic backgrounds, it is critical that the opportunity gaps in our education system are addressed to provide an equitable education for urban youth. To mitigate these gaps, there is a need for an experienced urban teacher workforce, but urban schools face staffing challenges that make this difficult. There is an exceptional need for Latina/o teachers, who demonstrate positive impacts on Latina/o students, the largest minority population nationwide, however, the retention rate amongst Latina/o teachers is lower than that of …

English Learner Master Plan Playbook: Developing Equitable Local Policies For Multilingual And English Learners Students, Elvira G. Armas, Ed.D, Magaly Lavadenz, Ph.D., Natividad Rozsa, M.A., Gisela O'Brien, Ph.D.

Reports

The education of English Learners (ELs) is informed by federal, state, and local policies, research and practice. The EL Master Plan is the Local Education Agency’s (LEA) policy document that has the potential to positively impact the educational programs, practices and experiences of ELs. Aligned and informed by California’s English Learner Roadmap policy as well as federal requirements, this playbook is a guide for educational partners to use to achieve four goals in their LEAs EL Master Plans: (1) equitable, coherent, and sustainable systems; (2) equity-driven processes to deliver research-based programs and practices; (3) effective family-community engagement; and (4) accountability …

Introduction: Perspectives On Ignatian Leadership, Thomas M. Kelly, Bridget Keegan Ph.D.

Jesuit Higher Education: A Journal

No abstract provided.

No.8, July 2020: Examining English Learners’ College Readiness And Postsecondary Enrollment In California, Marco A. Murillo Ph.D., Magaly Lavadenz Ph.D.

Education and Policy Briefs

Given a growing asset-based approach to equipping English Learners (ELs) with the knowledge and skills to enter and succeed in postsecondary education, this brief examines ELs’ college readiness and postsecondary education outcomes in California. It includes a brief summary of relevant literature on college readiness among EL students. Researchers then present data retrieved from the California Department of Education on college readiness and postsecondary education. The results show that EL students lack access to college preparatory courses, have a low rate of meeting the state’s College/Career Indicator, and enroll in postsecondary education at lower rates than other groups. This policy …

Sobrato Early Academic Language (Seal) Model: Final Report Of Findings From A Four-Year Study, Center For Equity For English Learners, Loyola Marymount University, Wexford Institute

Reports

The Sobrato Early Academic Language (SEAL) Model Research and Evaluation Final Report is comprised of three sets of studies that took place between 2015 and 2019 to examine the effectiveness of the SEAL Model in 67 schools within 12 districts across the state of California.

Over a decade ago, the Sobrato Family Foundation responded to the enduring opportunity gaps and low academic outcomes for the state’s 1.2 million English Learners by investing in the design of the SEAL Model. The SEAL PreK–Grade 3 Model was created as a whole-school initiative to develop students’ language, literacy, and academic skills. The pilot …

Bilingual Authorization Program Standards Content Analysis White Paper, Bilingual Standards Refresh Work Group

White Papers and Position Statements

This white paper was developed in consultation with the Bilingual Authorization Working Group and reviews the 2009 California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC) Bilingual Authorization Program Standards (BAPS). The analysis included current research in the field of bilingualism, equity, and dual language education. This Working Paper was presented to the CTC to influence and support efforts to update the BAPS. For each of the first set of five program standards, the authors offer: (1) descriptions of key elements within the standard; (2) recommended revisions; and (3) implications related to assessment, policy, and practice. The authors accepted standard 6 as written. …

Rigorous And Meaningful Science For English Learners: Urban Ecology And Transdisciplinary Instruction, Elvira G. Armas, Ed.D, Gisela Obrien, Ph.D., Magaly Lavadenz, Ph.D., Eric G. Strauss, Ph.D.

Practitioner Journal Articles

This article describes efforts undertaken by two centers at Loyola Marymount University—the Center for Equity for English Learners (CEEL) and the Center for Urban Resilience (CURes)—in collaboration with five southern California school districts to develop and implement the Urban Ecology for English Learners Project. This project aligns with the 2018 NASEM report call to action to (1) create contexts for systems- and classroom-level supports that recognizes assets that English Learners contribute to the classroom and, and (2) increase rigorous science instruction for English Learners through the provision of targeted program models, curriculum, and instruction. The article presents project highlights, professional …

Engaging Secondary Math Teachers In Breaking Down Barriers For English Learners, Julie M. Kane

LMU Theses and Dissertations

This study used mixed methods to examine middle school mathematics teachers’ beliefs about English Learners’ ability to participate in rigorous, grade-level math instruction as well as beliefs about their own capacity for teaching English Learners. Additionally, the study investigated the influence of teachers’ beliefs on their instructional practices and identified the types of support teachers need to develop as culturally and linguistically responsive educators. Findings revealed some dissonance between teachers’ explicit beliefs about teaching English Learners and their implicit beliefs illustrated through instructional decisions made, as well as previously unrecognized gaps in teachers’ ability to identify and differentiate the needs …

Convening The World: True Access And Global, Synchronous Pedagogy In Regis University’S Master Of Development Practice, Emily Van Houweling, Nina Miller

Jesuit Higher Education: A Journal

This articles describes the characteristics of the global classroom in the Master of Development Practice (MDP) at Regis University and the many ways it expresses the Jesuit mission. The MDP program is grounded in the Jesuit ideals of inclusive access, cura personlis and social justice. Using Zoom videoconferencing, we synchronously connect with our students around the world. The second half of the article describes the research we are undertaking in our global classroom. Our pedagogy pushes the boundaries of what is possible in development education with a global student body in a synchronous classroom. In this environment we are investigating …

Service-Learning Research For Development: An Option For The Poor In Practice Through Social Analysis And Community Engagement, Thomas M. Kelly, Kate L. Nolt

Jesuit Higher Education: A Journal

A group of faculty, staff and students from Creighton University conducted a research project using a strengths-based approach to create a community health needs assessment (CNHA) in the fall of 2017. The instruments, including a survey to determine health status, a focus group questionnaire, an environmental scan and an individual interview instrument, were developed to help shift the paradigm from which many international medical missions are conducted with Creighton’s community partner in the Dominican Republic, the Centro de Educación para la Salud Integral (CESI). In the process of creating, developing, implementing, assessing and reformulating this strength-based CHNA, researchers encountered both …

Bridging The Cultural And Linguistic Divide Through Virtual Exchange, Diane Ceo-Difrancesco, Carolina Marturet De Paris, Oscar Kennedy Mora, Xóchitl León Oyarzabal, Edison Rene Santacruz Bastidas, María Mena-Böhlke, Olaf Böhlke

Jesuit Higher Education: A Journal

The AUSJAL/AJCU Virtual Exchange Program maximizes the strengths of the Jesuit educational mission and its network to establish sustainable partnerships across borders, language and cultural divides. Initiated in 2006 as a grass roots project between two language instructors, the collaboration has grown to involve 22 universities, 29,561 students and 200 instructors in an innovative, high impact practice that leverages technologies to foster global engagement through virtual interaction. This study documents the perspectives of U.S. and Latin American students participating in virtual exchange experiences at five Jesuit universities. Specifically, research methodology included qualitative data collection to examine the impact of a …

Developing An Ignatian Pedagogy For Occupational Therapy Education In China: The Lived Experience Of The First Two Entry Level Otd, Jesuit Trained Clinicians, Angela Patterson, Alfred G. Bracciano

Jesuit Higher Education: A Journal

This paper explores the lived experience of the initial two Chinese professionals, competitively selected by a Traditional Chinese Medicine University, to attend and graduate from the Creighton University entry-level Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD) program. The process and challenges facing implementation of an international collaborative relationship between a Jesuit university and a public higher education institution in China is considered along with the challenges facing international students immersed in Jesuit health care education. Highlights of differences between Eastern and Western higher education are suggested in the discussion. A review of Jesuit education in China provides the historical background and context …

Five Things You Should Know About Jesuit Worldwide Learning: Higher Education At The Margins, Martha Habash

Jesuit Higher Education: A Journal

No abstract provided.