Policy Research to State Law: Improving Early Education for Bilingual Children With Disabilities in Texas

• In Event: Equitably Supporting the Academic Achievement of Multilingual Learners in the United States

Abstract

Purpose
Texas schools educate the greatest proportion of emergent bilinguals (EBs) in the U.S. (28% of the state’s preK-3rd grade enrollment). Forty nine percent of the state’s birth to age 8 children grow up bilingually. Providing high-quality equitable early education to EBs continues to be a challenge as pre-service teachers often report a lack of confidence and inadequate preparation to teach these students (Reyes & DaSilva Iddings, 2012). It is even more challenging when EBs have disabilities because their teachers, in both bilingual and special education, have limited or no understanding of how to effectively educate them.

Theoretical Framework
A sociocultural, integrative, and interdisciplinary conceptual framework is necessary to advance knowledge and inform policies about the development and learning of EBs with disabilities, taking into account the intersectionality among being bilingual in a minoritized language, having a disability, and being from a racial and/or ethnic minoritized group. Such an approach should involve a reconceptualization of the fields of early development and education, bilingual education, and special education considering the unique characteristics of bilingual children and their sociocultural contexts (Castro et al, 2021). We ask: What are the elements of equitable early education for emergent bilinguals in Texas? What are the existing gaps and challenges? What kinds of policies are required to foster them?

Methods
This policy research used a mixed method approach in two phases, phase 1 informed the design and implementation of phase 2.

Data Sources
Phase 1: (1) a systematic review of teacher preparation coursework from 29 top ranked public universities in Texas, and (2) a review of state guidelines for identification and placement of preschool-aged EBs with disabilities. Phase 2: (3) a statewide survey of 185 experts in bilingual and early childhood education, and (4) three workgroups with community leaders from around the state. The survey and workgroups focused on four key areas: improving the quality of early learning programs, strength¬ening the workforce, collecting better data, and retooling school finance.

Results
The systematic review of coursework revealed that, among General Education certification programs, only 8.75% was focused on teaching bilingual and culturally diverse students. It was 24.5% in English as a Second Language, and 33.8% in Bilingual Education certification programs. Also, EBs attending bilingual education when identified as having disabilities were referred to special education offered only in English, and at that point lost their bilingual education support.

Significance
Per phase 1 results, the Texas Early Childhood English Learner Initiative was launched. This initiative conducted the statewide survey and workgroups (phase 2). Analyses of survey responses and workgroups discussions lead to the development of a policy roadmap (Texans Care for Children, 2020) and the creation of Bills submitted to the 2021 State Legislature. Three bills were approved and signed as state law by the Texas Governor: the creation of a Bilingual Special Education Certification, a plan to increase access to dual language programs for EBs, and the change of term from “Limited English Proficient” to “Emergent Bilingual” to refer to children growing up bilingually in Texas.

Authors

• Dina C. Castro, Boston University

• David Feigen, Texans Care for Children

• Chloe Latham Sikes, Intercultural Development Research Association (IDRA)

• John Reed, Fort Worth ISD

• Rodolfo Rodriguez, Harris Hill Administration Building