How Language & Equity Intersect

Latest from the Blog

The Early Start of Language Endangerment Among our Students

In a previous post, we analyzed this graph to understand the linguistic repertoire of our simultaneous bilinguals. Simultaneous bilinguals, who make up the majority of our emergent bilinguals nationwide, are those exposed to more than one language before reaching age 5. In the United States, we generally refer to simultaneous bilinguals as those who speak…

Assimilation Myths: Who Truly Belongs?

The Other An interesting theme that I have noticed on the Internet is the idea that only immigrants who are willing and able to “assimilate” should be permitted entry to the United States. Everyone else who wants to continue being the “other” should be denied entry. There’s a lot to unpack in this sentiment, but…

Can You Truly Be Colorblind?

It’s been a while since I have written about sociocultural competence, but a number of you have asked that I re-approach the topic, especially when it comes to the idea of being colorblind.  To be fair, many of us grew up in the “colorblind era” when the topic of race was taboo.  We were taught…

Separation of Language vs. Translanguaging

The topic keeps coming up.  “I have kids in my class who don’t know English yet. Why can’t I just give them work in their native language?”  “I have kids in my class who prefer English.  Why can’t they translanguage during Spanish time?” Who said you can’t or that they can’t?  Of course, translanguaging is…

Celebrations That Build Sociocultural Competence

Sociocultural competence, one of the three pillars of Dual Language Bilingual Education (DLBE) and encompassed in the 5 C’s of World Language, is more than creating a Cinco-de-Mayo style afternoon of activities. It is more than an International Day where there are various activities from different countries with no real discussions about the practices. And…

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