This article expands upon teacher guidelines for an "immersion talk" originally developed by B. Hegstad (2012), entitled, "What is Immersion, and How Can I Be Successful in That Environment?," to share with the larger language community in hopes that the suggestions will encourage teachers to help their learners successfully…

In response to the limitations presented by restrictive language separation practices in dual language immersion programs, this study describes a curriculum bridging approach that was undertaken by a group of teachers in a one-way Chinese English Dual Language Education program to promote and build on students' full linguistic repertoires. The…

Research has suggested that U.S. K-12 dual-language and Seal of Biliteracy programs do not benefit all students equally in their recognition of students' multilingual competencies. The authors explored the perspectives of high school Seal of Biliteracy graduates: how they conceptualized the seal and the benefits that they had or had not derived…

Recently, the incorporation of students' home languages into monolingual classrooms has been reinvigorated by a scholarly focus on extended linguistic repertoire. In bilingual programs, ideas of language separation have traditionally influenced teaching and learning as a way to protect the minority language, but there is a growing call to engage…

Multilingual learners (MLs) are the country's fastest-growing student population: One in five students speak a language other than English at home, and 10 percent of the student population across the country is identified for language development services in school. Despite these students' growing presence nationwide, relatively few best practices…

Due to the growing status of English as the language of international communication, English immersion programs have been on the rise in China and the rest of the world. Though there has been much discussion on the theoretical and practical characteristics and features of immersion, current models are not adequate for explaining the…

In this study, we used a quasi-experimental, longitudinal design to examine the English language arts (ELA) and mathematics test scores of emergent bilinguals (EBs) in DLBE 50:50 models versus English as a second language (ESL) models in Indiana over four academic school years. With a focus on the midwestern U.S., we bring attention to a…

This paper examines the literacy results of English language learners (ELLs) in two California schools following either the 50/50 or the 90/10 dual language (DL) program model. The purpose of this paper is to provide a literature review of dual language programs with an analysis of two schools' websites and literacy assessment data in order to…

Dual language learners are a growing population in early learning and care settings. Young DLLs have the potential to develop proficiency in two languages when provided adequate supports; however, most teachers of young DLLs feel inadequately prepared to support DLLs. Cultivating Oral Language and Literacy Talent in Students (COLLTS) is an…

Rooted in arts-based learning, funds of knowledge, and culturally sustaining pedagogies, this paper describes the experiences of a cohort of preservice teachers who co-created arts integration units with emergent bilingual students, engaging them in the creation of plays based on culturally relevant children's literature. This cohort was designed…

In the last 20 years dual language education programs have increased in number and expanded in range. Whereas once they were predominantly focused at the elementary level, they now span from pre-K through to high school. This book examines the key attributes of successful dual language programs, as well as the challenges and opportunities involved…

This essay offers a candid overview of the past one hundred years of preK-fifth grade Spanish language teaching and learning in the United States. Among the topics addressed are numbers of programs, program models, and factors that impact the success of learners and programs.

In this investigation, the relationship between bilingual education program type (i.e., dual language programs or exit programs) and English Language Learner reading and mathematics test scores was examined. Data were obtained on English Language Learners who were enrolled in Grades 3, 4, 5, and 6 in Texas public schools for the 2008-2009,…

The purpose of this reflective article is to present an alternative that incorporates the four language skills in all content areas through technology-based dual-language centers for emergent bilinguals at the elementary level. The authors propose a matrix to plan the centers and include three examples to facilitate language transfer in English…

The Cultural Heritage Bilingual Program (CHBP) was developed for English Language Learner (ELL) students from language groups not served by current bilingual programs in the Houston Independent School District (HISD). The two main bilingual programs in the district (Transitional Bilingual and Dual Language Bilingual) are designed to serve ELLs…