Dual Language Education Challenges & Opportunities

Why do, in a world of developing AI technology, human interaction remains such an important part of language learning outcomes?

Trump’s attempt to defund Title III is fraught with baseless and inaccurate claims about the federal EL program, here are the facts.

California state superintendent for education Tony Thurmond has presented a bill, Senate Bill 48 (Gonzalez), that will limit the presence of ICE agents on school campuses. Thurmond also hosted a webinar to promote the expansion of dual language immersion (DLI) programs across California, affirming the importance of preparing students to succeed, compete, and lead in a multilingual, global economy. SB 48, authored by Senate Majority Leader Lena Gonzalez (D-33), is sponsored by Thurmond to address the safety concerns of immigrant families and to protect school funding that is projected to decline in some parts of the state as attendance is

Last month, Congresswoman Julia Brownley (D-California) announced the reintroduction of the Biliteracy Education Seal and Teaching (BEST) Act, a bill that establishes a federal grant program at the US Department of Education to recognize high-level student proficiency in speaking, reading, and writing in both English and a second language. Under this program, states would be able to establish or improve their own Biliteracy Seal programs to award seals to K–12 students. The bill focuses on supporting the implementation and scaling of Seal of Biliteracy programs and ensuring that cost is not a barrier to students participating in them. This recognition

During his freshman year, Union High School student Caiden Mizrahi-Boyarsky, a native English speaker, asked his Spanish-speaking family members to help him learn that language, too. By his sophomore

Amid the chorus of tiny voices asking endless curious questions, the warm atmosphere is immediately clear—this is a place where kids thrive and educators love what they do…

Olivia Minjares occasionally works the front of house at El Bukanas, a taquería at the corner of S. Azusa and E. Gladstone in Azusa, California. But she

Without the Education Department, advocates worry the federal government would not look out in the same way for poor students, those still learning English, disabled students and more.

Lesson planning is a political act. As previously stated in the Language Magazine article “Content, Language, and Culture Targets” (Medina, 2023), schools in the US, at the core, are designed to promote a monocultural and monolingual perspective of teaching and learning. As educators, the lessons we design and facilitate either support or dismantle educational systems that have historically marginalized certain student communities (Medina and Izquierdo, 2021). Black, Indigenous, students of color (BISoCs), language learners, children with specific academic, behavioral and/or physical health needs, and students belonging to the LGBTQ2S+ community, among others, have been deprioritized in a schooling system that

Conroe ISD Superintendent Dr. Curtis Null unexpectedly withdrew a proposal to end the district’s dual language program after a wave of public backlash. Parents and educators criticized the lack of transparency, with many only learning about the decision two days before the board meeting.

In New York and other cities across the nation, educators are grappling with fear among students and parents that US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents will show up at schools – or their homes – as the Trump administration vows to deport millions of undocumented immigrants.

You know it when you see it” is an axiom that has been applied to rigorous educational experiences. And there is truth to this sentiment. When the classroom is humming along and teachers and students have high expectations for learning, combined with the support to achieve greatness, rigor seems self-evident. It’s obvious that learning will occur when rigor is present and that students’ content and language development will be accelerated. Yet the issue of rigor is especially problematic when it comes to multilingual learners (MLs). Evidence suggests that teachers lower the rigor threshold for these students, a process some researchers

NYC schools already have virtual options available. Will this option help keep immigrant students in school?

Some teachers and advocates objected to a plan to require phonics instruction in K-12 schools. The latest deal makes it optional.

Moving abroad for college, though enriching, often leads to a gradual loss of one’s native language. Because language is a key part of culture, constant immersion in a second language makes speaking your native language feel uncomfortable.

The Trump administration is requiring K–12 schools to certify that they are following federal civil rights laws and ending any discriminatory diversity, equity, and inclusion practices, as a condition for receiving federal money. A notice sent by the Education Department gives states and schools ten days to sign and return the certification. It’s the latest escalation against DEI policies, apparently giving the Republican administration a new lever for terminating federal money. The US Department of Education sent letters to state commissioners overseeing K–12 state education agencies (SEAs) requiring them to certify their compliance with their anti-discrimination obligations in order to

At the end of last month, Representatives Jen Kiggans (R-Virginia) and Jimmy Panetta (D-California) formally reintroduced the World Language Education Assistance Program (World LEAP) Act (HR 1572), which would establish a grant program through the Department of Education to create new and support current world language programs for local K–12 education for up to three years. “As someone who taught English in Japan after graduating college, I have a great appreciation for the critical role language education plays in the lives of countless Americans and our friends across the globe,” said Congresswoman Kiggans. “By giving K–12 schools the opportunity to improve and expand their world language programs, we

Texas enrolls nearly 40% of its English learners — twice the rate California does — in some form of best-in-class bilingual education.

It has been five years since that fateful moment in March 2020 when the world as we knew it changed. Three years later, the federal government declared

The Trump Education Department says changes to the Office for English Language Acquisition will not affect funding or federal programs for students. But experts and others worry that the quality of their education and training for their teachers could suffer.

In the future, bilingualism will no longer be just an advantage but a necessity. Language proficiency will extend beyond basic communication. What skills will todays children require to thrive in an ever-evolving world? Shrewsbury International

Local libraries are very instrumental in the education and assimilation process for the English learners in their community. Being hub

Integrating AI tools responsibly with storytelling empowers ELLs to find their voice and share their unique stories with confidence.