Language Education: Major Papers and Reports

“Literacy has two beginnings: one, in the world, the other, in each person who learns to read and write.”—Margaret MeekThis quote has continued to rewind and repeat in my mind as a more than 50-year research “war” re-emerges to declare to the educational world that science has definitely and universally revealed how all children learn to read. Yes, all children… But what the science of reading hasn’t revealed is that the studies only represented “typical classroom teachers” and “typical American or English-speaking students” (National Reading Panel U.S. and National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, 2000). Leaving out the

For many language learners, fluency feels impossible. But being fluent is more about familiarity and confidence in writing and speaking than perfection.

YISD was one of 15 school districts nationally recognized for equity programs benefiting underserved students.

Words by Nate Izzo Graphic by Aspasia Celia Tsampas

Thousands of languages are considered endangered. Preservation requires documenting vocabulary and teaching new speakers before it's too late.

ST. GEORGE — Paradise Canyon Elementary School has won a 2021 School of the Year award for its Spanish-language dual immersion program. The recognition was bestowed by the Ministry of Education of the Embassy of Spain, and Paradise Canyon was honored as the best elementary school in the country. Five dual immersion teachers at Paradise […]

Three researchers at The University of New Mexico, including two affiliated faculty at the Latin American & Iberian Institute, were awarded a five-year National Science Foundation grant to develop and test a bilingual computer programming curricul

Translanguaging is a 21st-century way of thinking about language and the language practices of emergent bilinguals that takes a perspective of strength and is critical to designing effective and equitable instruction. Translanguaging creates a space for the bilingual person to bring their entire linguistic repertoire, the whole child, into the classroom. Although translanguaging is often described as a language practice—when bilinguals use two or more languages to communicate, translanguaging encompasses much more (Espinosa and Ascenzi-Moreno, 2021, p. 12). Emergent bilinguals, or students who use two or more languages in their daily lives, are often thought to be in need of

Andrew Warner analyzes New America's agenda for English learners

Project-based learning, a popular practice that uses lots of poster boards and student presentations, is billed as an antidote to boring classrooms where teachers drone on. Advocates say that hands-on projects motivate students to learn, think critically, solve problems and work collaboratively with their peers. But it’s an open question whether students can learn every […]

A study on word learning recently published in Neuropsychologia is shedding light on the age-old question of how language learners’ minds store the target language. Researchers at the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile found that new words in the native language and the target language are stored in largely overlapping regions of the brain; however, L2 words triggered more activity in the primary auditory cortex, suggesting increased phonological processing efforts. “Our results shed new light on the neural representation of two languages in the bilingual brain, by examining newly learned words that participants had no prior experience with,” the paper

There are enough myths about emergent bilinguals to drive English learner (EL) educators crazy trying to correct them all. We’ve gathered six of the most common myths and looked to see if, by dispelling them, we might uncover truths about teaching and learning that extend beyond the EL classroom to offer insights for teachers of any subject. Have Faith in Your Students and Engage ThemDoris Chávez-Linville: This tip is based on the myth that students must begin learning a second language early or they will never master it. Late starters often bring a lot more to the table than younger