What can we do to support bilingual and multilingual speakers? –Practical Tips for Helping our Neighbors

Tiana Cowan and Brittany Williams

In June of 2016 the Office of the Administration for Children and Families released the policy statement Supporting the Development of Dual Language Learners in Early Childhood Programs. The statement asserts that the Federal laws pertaining to children’s rights to special education extend to bilingual and multilingual children. This means that school districts must consider the child’s individual language needs when providing special education services. 

Importantly, the document also affirms that there is no evidence to suggest that children with developmental disabilities should only be exposed to one language. Instead, it recommends supporting development in the home language(s), and the languages integral to the child’s community as a best practice for education.

 In addition to laying down some dual language learner laws, the document also points out some systemic barriers to educating bilingual children. For example, the majority of teachers in the U.S. are monolingual English speakers, which makes it difficult to support development of the home language in the classroom. In addition, there is a need for more specialized curricula and accurate language measures to be developed for children who speak multiple languages.¹

 In case you’re wondering what you can do in your community to help address these issues, we’ve included some suggestions below. We hope you’ll consider using some of the information presented here to help support bilingual and multilingual learners in your area.

1  U.S. Office of Administration of Children and Families. (2016). Supporting the Development of Dual Language Learners in Early Childhood Programs. Retrieved from: https://www2.ed.gov/policy/elsec/leg/essa/essatitleiiiguidenglishlearners10219.pdf

2 Callahan, R. M., & Gándara, P. C. (Eds.). (2014). The bilingual advantage: Language, literacy and the US labor market (Vol. 99). Multilingual Matters.

3 National Center on Cultural and Linguistic Resources (NCCLR). 2012. Dual language learners in state learning guidelines and standards.

	Be informed about the challenges many bilingual and multilingual children are facing in the education system. When you’re informed, you can also fight against the spread of misinformation. For example, you can spread the word that children with developmental disabilities can in fact learn multiple languages and reap the many social benefits of being bilingual.
	Consider engaging with others about the issue. Reference the positive outcomes for English language learners, bilingual, multilingual and monolingual children in the classroom. For example, research shows that learning in a multilingual environment helps all children gain a broader cultural perspective and appreciation of languages
	Become informed about bilingual education policies. Understanding the laws protecting bilingual and multilingual children in your area will help you be an advocate for those in need. Ask your school administrators whether they have policies in place to support bilingual learners. Visit National Association for Bilingual Education (NABE) to follow elections and get updates related to bilingual education policy.

CLS graduate students Jessica Vélez Avilés and Robert Klosinski share literature and songs from Puerto Rico and Germany at the Saturday Stories Alive series in Schlow Library.