Dual/Heritage Language Programs are the Law: Grant Funded Initiatives and Opportunities to Enact Asset-based Practices for Multilingual Students in Washington

• In Event: Not all Bilingual Education Policies are the Same: Learning from History to Build the Future

Abstract

Objectives or purposes
State laws play a critical role in shaping how each state approaches the education of multilingual students (Poza, García & Jiménez-Castellanos, 2022). In Washington, the passage of RCW 28A.300.577 in 2024 marked a significant step toward recognizing the value of multilingualism and multiliteracy for all students. To advance this vision, the state launched a grant program in 2017 and published a Dual Language Program Guide in 2023 to support the development and expansion of dual language programs in school districts and state-tribal education compact schools.
These initiatives are rooted in a holistic, asset-based perspective that views multilingual learners not as challenges, but as students with rich linguistic repertoires, cultural backgrounds, lived experiences, and socioemotional strengths. The policy explicitly prioritizes schools facing opportunity gaps, giving preference to those with 50% or more students of color (RCW 28A.300.577). This approach seeks to elevate students’ “funds of knowledge” (González, Moll, & Amanti, 2005) and promote translanguaging pedagogies (García, Johnson & Seltzer, 2017), which have the potential to affirm and transform multilingual students’ identities (Li & Lee, 2023) while fostering culturally sustaining classrooms.


Theoretical Framework
This study examines the identity-affirming practices emerging from dual language initiatives supported by these state grants across Washington. Drawing on frameworks that explore how language policies materialize in school contexts (Hornberger, 2002; Menken & García, 2010; Johnson & Johnson, 2015), and translanguaging as both a social theory of language and a pedagogical approach (García & Leiva, 2013; García & Kleifgen, 2010; Sánchez et al., 2018) with the potential to reposition multilingual students and teachers’ identities (Author, 2024), we analyze how these lenses contribute to a more holistic understanding of multilingual students’ linguistic repertoires.

Methods and Data Sources
To investigate how districts enacted translanguaging pedagogies and identity-affirming practices, we analyzed dual language program mission and vision statements, program model descriptions, and instructional resources, alongside classroom observations. Our thematic analysis, using both inductive and deductive coding methods (Miles et al., 2014), was grounded in translanguaging and identity theory.


Findings
Findings revealed districts embraced multilingual students’ strengths, leading to more holistic and affirming pedagogical practices. Translanguaging pedagogies helped educators reimagine their instructional practices and school environment, embedding social justice goals into their work. Finally, clear policy, guidance, and funding enabled districts to align their programs with the broader justice-oriented goals of dual language education.


Scholarly Significance
This study highlights the importance of state-level policy and support in fostering equitable language education. Washington’s RCW 28A.300.577 demonstrates how legislation, when paired with targeted guidance and resources, can promote asset-based, identity-affirming practices for multilingual students. The materialization of translanguaging pedagogies and identity-focused frameworks is essential for realizing the full potential of dual language education. Ultimately, this research underscores the transformative possibilities of aligning state policy with district-level implementation to advance educational equity.

Authors

• Patricia E. Venegas-Weber, University of Washington

• Kristin Percy-Calaff, Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, Washington