Pillar 1: Bilingüismo, Biliteracidad y Multiculturalismo (Bilingualism, Biliteracy, and Multiculturalism)

• In Event: Building and Sustaining una Escuela Bilingüe: Pillars as Anchors of Practice

Abstract

Objectives: At the core of Entre Mundos is a commitment to supporting all students as they become bilingual and biliterate in Spanish and English and develop multicultural understandings and critical consciousness (Discussant et al., 2020). In this paper we share how bilingüismo, biliteracidad y multiculturalismo have considered family engagement and advocacy, translanguaging practices, curriculum adaptation, and the inclusion of students with learning differences over the last decade (García, et al. 2017).

Theoretical Framework: Bilingualism and biliteracy at Entre Mundos stems from the extensive research that building upon and maintaining a child’s home language while incorporating a new language deepens academic achievement (Cummins, 2000). Introducing literacy practices in a child’s home language acknowledges their backgrounds and allows them to expand their linguistic repertoire in ways that are connected to home, school, and society (Espinosa & Ascenzi-Moreno, 2021). Bilingual education that maintains and enriches home and new language practices is an additive model that leads to stronger academic achievement (Bartlett & García, 2011). For students with learning differences, building upon their home language as they learn a new language is also critical for their long term success (Artiles & Ortiz, 2002).

Modes of Inquiry & Data Sources: A self-study approach that was grounded in the stories and voices of bilingual educators over a ten year period reveals how bilingual practices and structures have been adapted and transformed to meet the needs of the context in which they are situated (Samaras & Freese, 2009). No individual practice at Entre Mundos is unique, but rather the totality of building from bilingual practices by carefully considering structure, the community, and the tools is a model that can be considered by similar schools and multilingual communities.

Results: The experience with top-down literacy curriculum revealed why it was crucial for Entre Mundos to plan and establish a biliteracy program from the ground up. Top-down literacy approaches assume that biliteracy is the sum of literacy in two languages or that literacy should occur in one language before it does in the other (Pérez, 2003). Instead, the school decided to establish a child-centered biliteracy approach that allows students to be inquisitive and the leaders and advocates for their learning.

The study also revealed that in spite of Entre Mundos commitment to bilingual structures, the power of English was ever present as a means to disrupt the mission through a focus on English via standardized testing, greater availability of resources in English and how students often shift to English in informal spaces such as lunch and recess. Countering this requires extra planning and attention to promote Spanish as a way to connect students to their culture or a new culture, the surrounding community and world.

Significance of the Study: Becoming bilingual, biliterate and conscious of multicultural realities and injustices prepares students for a globalizing world. As U.S. schools struggle with a narrowing of the curriculum, book bans and English-only mandates (Arday et al,. 2021), considering how schools center students’ backgrounds and build upon them on the ground level is critical for their futures.

Author

• Rebeca Madrigal, New York City Department of Education