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Celebrate English & Spanish Language Days at the UN - Language Magazine
On April 23, the 'Spanish Language Day at the United Nations' is celebrated to raise awareness among the staff of the Organization, and the world at large, about the history, culture and use of Spanish as an official language. The election of the day attends to the anniversary of the death of the great genius of Spanish lyrics, Miguel de Cervantes. Incidentally, the date of his death coincides with that of the most prestigious English playwright, William Shakespeare. Hence both languages share the day. English Language Day at the United Nations is also celebrated on the 23rd of April —
The Legacy and Tensions of the Lau Decision - Language Magazine
Last year we celebrated the 50th anniversary of a milestone US Supreme Court ruling, Lau v. Nichols (1974), which set the groundwork for equitable learning opportunities for students designated at the time as limited English proficient (and who are now referred to as English learners (ELs) at the federal level). The Lau decision in tandem with the Equal Educational Opportunities Act, which was enacted by Congress later the same year, required that all public schools implement remedies to ensure students with “limited English proficiency” could participate meaningfully in their education. And yet, despite five decades of attempts to make classroom
Congolese Bishops Condemn Discrimination Against Swahili Speakers - Language Magazine
Rapidly advancing rebels in the mineral-rich eastern provinces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) are contributing to escalating violence and tensions across the country, including growing discrimination and division based on language differences. As conflict spreads, the country’s Catholic bishops have warned that linguistic divisions risk deepening social fractures at a time when national unity is crucial. “While our brothers and sisters living in the eastern part of our country, the Democratic Republic of Congo, particularly those in the provinces of North and South Kivu, are stricken by the horrors of war, in recent days we have witnessed a
California Education Chief Challenges ICE in Schools, Promotes Dual Language Programs - Language Magazine
California state superintendent for education Tony Thurmond has presented a bill, Senate Bill 48 (Gonzalez), that will limit the presence of ICE agents on school campuses. Thurmond also hosted a webinar to promote the expansion of dual language immersion (DLI) programs across California, affirming the importance of preparing students to succeed, compete, and lead in a multilingual, global economy. SB 48, authored by Senate Majority Leader Lena Gonzalez (D-33), is sponsored by Thurmond to address the safety concerns of immigrant families and to protect school funding that is projected to decline in some parts of the state as attendance is
Wisconsin Awaits $50 Million for Reading - Language Magazine
Back in 2023, $50 million was allocated to fund mandated changes to how Wisconsin children learn to read, but the funds have never been released, thanks to legal arguments over the reading legislation. The money has been tied up as the legislature awaits oral arguments and a decision by the state supreme court over whether the governor had the authority to strike funding for school boards and charter school compliance from the law. As that ruling won’t come by the end of the fiscal year, the funds will go back into the state’s massive surplus, State Representative Joel Kitchens (R-Sturgeon
Federal Funding Tied to DEI Suppression - Language Magazine
The Trump administration is requiring K–12 schools to certify that they are following federal civil rights laws and ending any discriminatory diversity, equity, and inclusion practices, as a condition for receiving federal money. A notice sent by the Education Department gives states and schools ten days to sign and return the certification. It’s the latest escalation against DEI policies, apparently giving the Republican administration a new lever for terminating federal money. The US Department of Education sent letters to state commissioners overseeing K–12 state education agencies (SEAs) requiring them to certify their compliance with their anti-discrimination obligations in order to
House Bill Would Boost World Language Programs - Language Magazine
At the end of last month, Representatives Jen Kiggans (R-Virginia) and Jimmy Panetta (D-California) formally reintroduced the World Language Education Assistance Program (World LEAP) Act (HR 1572), which would establish a grant program through the Department of Education to create new and support current world language programs for local K–12 education for up to three years. “As someone who taught English in Japan after graduating college, I have a great appreciation for the critical role language education plays in the lives of countless Americans and our friends across the globe,” said Congresswoman Kiggans. “By giving K–12 schools the opportunity to improve and expand their world language programs, we
The Krashen-Ashtari Karass Hypothesis - Language Magazine
“We Bokononists believe that humanity is organized into teams, teams that do God’s Will without ever discovering what they are doing. Such a team is called akarassby Bokonon.”–Vonnegut, 1963, p. 1 The excerpt above is fromCat’s Cradle, a novel by Kurt Vonnegut in which he describes a fake religion, Bokononism, followed by the people of a small island in the Caribbean Sea, the Republic of San Lorenzo. According to the book, a karass is a group of people who are brought together at any point during their life to collaborate for the greater good—“if you find your life tangled up
BEST Act Promotes Bilingual Proficiency & Employability - Language Magazine
Last month, Congresswoman Julia Brownley (D-California) announced the reintroduction of the Biliteracy Education Seal and Teaching (BEST) Act, a bill that establishes a federal grant program at the US Department of Education to recognize high-level student proficiency in speaking, reading, and writing in both English and a second language. Under this program, states would be able to establish or improve their own Biliteracy Seal programs to award seals to K–12 students. The bill focuses on supporting the implementation and scaling of Seal of Biliteracy programs and ensuring that cost is not a barrier to students participating in them. This recognition
French Community in the US - Language Magazine
So many French words have been incorporated into English that we may not even realize that we are hearing French among the languages spoken around us. French is both a global and a local language, spoken by over 320 million around the world and by more than 33 million in the Americas (Nadeau, 2021). In the US, French ancestry may be traced to Canada, Haiti, France, and other areas of the world, particularly African and Caribbean countries. It is important to consider the reality that the learning and use of French in the US provides access to a global skill
English 3D Updates for Early Learners - Language Magazine
Designed by Dr. Kate Kinsella, English 3D is an explicit and interactive English language development program for multilingual learners in grades K–12. The curriculum builds upon existing linguistic strengths, enabling rapid acquisition of the academic speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills needed for reclassification, secondary school, college, and career. English 3D has earned the WIDA Prime 2020 Seal, indicating its alignment to the current WIDA English Language Development Standards Framework, 2020 edition. English 3D received the highest score possible (a “4” rating) in all areas of review, indicating its “strong and comprehensive” alignment to the WIDA Standards Framework. Program author
What is Academic Language? - Language Magazine
The term academic language has been used a lot in the field of English as a second language education. What is it? You will probably get a different answer from each educator you ask. How do we support students in acquiring academic language? There are varying answers to this question as well. What we can agree on is that focusing on academic language is crucial for any educator working with multilingual learners, as it equips students with necessary tools that open the doors for future opportunity and access, both inside and outside the classroom. In the late 1970s, Jim Cummins
Reading Legislation Update - Language Magazine
Iowa Gives Every G1 Student Decodable Books Gov. Kim Reynolds and the Iowa Department of Education have announced a statewide investment of over $3.5 million to provide every first grade student with decodable book packs to take home and keep, reinforcing classroom instruction. “Iowa is making early literacy a top priority, recently enacting landmark literacy legislation, improving state standards and ensuring teachers have the tools they need to hone this foundational skill in their students,” Gov. Reynolds said. “These book packs, based on the Science of Reading, bring parents more fully into that process by giving them a fun way
“You only get one chance at this life thing, don’t waste it!” - Language Magazine
With the landscape changing for federal workers, many people are on the lookout for new career opportunities where they can apply their skills and expertise while continuing a path of service. The field of teaching English to speakers of other languages (TESOL) offers a wide range of possibilities, from teaching in public schools, international schools, and specialized language schools to working in refugee resettlement, community outreach, and corporate training. And you don’t have to be a linguist to get started.Even before recent reprioritizations by the current administration, those working across government agencies and in the military looked to TESOL for
Collaboration Is Key to Successful UDL Implementation - Language Magazine
In our first article in this series, the universal design for learning (UDL) principles (CAST, 2024) were introduced as a much-needed framework to respond to learner variability, more specifically to dually identified English learners we referred to as multilingual learners with exceptionalities. Firmly rooted in the sociocultural tradition that language develops through meaningful interactions and grounded in the UDL principles of multiple modes of engagement, representation, and action and expression, the integration of UDL guidelines has been found to benefit students with disabilities or learning support needs, as well as multilingual learners with and without exceptionalities. As UDL is already
Emilia Pérez’s Spanish Ignites Criticism - Language Magazine
The most-nominated non-English film in Oscar history, Emilia Pérez, may be set in Mexico with a Spanish script and song lyrics, but it was largely filmed in France and written by non-Spanish speakers, which has led to backlash from Mexicans who feel that the movie trivializes the country’s ongoing struggle with organized crime.The Spanish language used in the film has also been criticized. Héctor Guillén, a Mexican screenwriter and producer, told the New York Times, “The dialogues are completely inorganic—what the characters are saying doesn’t make sense.” Despite being nominated for the Academy Award for Best Song, songwriters Clément Ducol
Fostering Community and Belonging - Language Magazine
At the close of 2024, the Haitian Creole Language and Culture Program that I founded at the end of 2023 in Indianapolis, capital of the great state of Indiana, entered its second phase with a new wave of excitement and partnership. Researchers, language students, experts of all kinds have already manifested for the new session, which started on September 30, 2024. I briefly sampled the Creole program in a recent conversation with eminent linguist Albert Valdman, Rudy Professor Emeritus, and distinguished professor Kevin Rottet, both from Indiana University Bloomington, and the reception was overall positive; those present argued the “project
Ending the Reading Wars, Pt. 1 - Language Magazine
This and the next article in this series try to get at the question of how oral language and written language differ. I believe this question has been at the heart of many, if not most, of the disagreements we’ve had about how to help people learn to read. There are three principal sections, the third one started here and then finished in the next article: • How the issue was first defined nearly 50 years ago—whether learning to read is natural or unnatural—was unfortunate and misleading. • A suggested distinction is likely to be more productive: the difference between
Study Finds Large-Print Books Boost Literacy and Social–Emotional Health - Language Magazine
New research released by Thorndike Press from Gale, part of Cengage Group, suggests that 87% of teachers saw a positive impact on their students’ reading success when they made the switch to large-print books. The study was conducted independently by Project Tomorrow, a reputable education nonprofit, on behalf of Thorndike Press, to better understand the potential role of large-print books in supporting students’ literacy development. The study examined the impact of students reading large-print-formatted books on their reading engagement and achievement levels. Approximately 1,500 students in grades 4–12 and 56 teachers and librarians across 13 US elementary, middle, and high
Deadline Extended for French Heritage Language Program Proposals - Language Magazine
The deadline for proposals for the French Heritage Language Program (FHLP) has been extended to March 17, 2025. Supported by Villa Albertine and the Albertine Foundation, FHLP provides grants of up to $30,000 for institutions to create French classes and cultural experiences for K-12 students from Francophone backgrounds. 'Through innovative pedagogical and community-building activities, FHLP supports students in strengthening their French language skills, empowering them to maintain a crucial link to their heritage, succeed academically, and opening doors to future educational and career opportunities,' says Villa Albertine. Why apply? Receive financial and pedagogical support to develop FHLP programs Access curriculum
Global Approach, Local Impact - Language Magazine
Last year brought me a number of transformative opportunities for teaching and learning, as I had the privilege of being invited to engage directly with the ambitious project of revising Panama’s national English curriculum. This work challenges me to balance innovative frameworks with the practical realities of classroom instruction, providing both rewarding insights and unique obstacles to overcome. In this project, I am serving as technical specialist, leading the development of standards aligned with the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) to foster progressive learning outcomes. I am also working and learning from other academic specialists concentrated on
Working Toward Linguistic Liberation - Language Magazine
Lesson planning is a political act. As previously stated in the Language Magazine article “Content, Language, and Culture Targets” (Medina, 2023), schools in the US, at the core, are designed to promote a monocultural and monolingual perspective of teaching and learning. As educators, the lessons we design and facilitate either support or dismantle educational systems that have historically marginalized certain student communities (Medina and Izquierdo, 2021). Black, Indigenous, students of color (BISoCs), language learners, children with specific academic, behavioral and/or physical health needs, and students belonging to the LGBTQ2S+ community, among others, have been deprioritized in a schooling system that
'Evolution of Spanish Will Depend Largely on America' - Language Magazine
At the annual general meeting (AGM) of the Board of Trustees of the Instituto Cervantes, Spain’s King Felipe announced that Spanish is “so alive” in America that it can be said, “without fear of exaggeration,” that the global evolution of the language “will depend to a large extent” on the continent. During his traditional speech at the closing of the event, the king emphasized that the Spanish linguistic community not only includes all Spanish-American countries but also Spanish speakers residing in other countries, referring particularly to the US, where in the year 2050 there will be almost 100 million speakers.
Unsealing Career Opportunities - Language Magazine
Language learning isn’t just a skill—it’s a gateway to opportunity. In the US, where over 350 languages are spoken, multilingualism is increasingly vital in industries like healthcare, construction, and technology. The Global Seal of Biliteracy is a transformative credential that recognizes bilingual proficiency and equips students with a tangible career advantage. For career and technical education (CTE) students, this international certification goes beyond recognition: it validates their skills and positions them to meet the growing demand for multilingual professionals. Often earned before high school graduation, the Global Seal serves as a student’s first working credential, paving the way for success
Europeans Advised to Increase Defense Spending or Learn Russian - Language Magazine
In his first speech to the European Parliament since taking office, NATO secretary general Mark Rutte warned that if European defense spending doesn’t rise, Europeans might need to “get out their Russian language courses or go to New Zealand,” according to Politico.Rutte also called for raising the alliance’s defense spending target beyond its current benchmark of 2% of each country’s GDP—a goal that only 24 of the bloc’s 32 members currently meet. He highlighted one of his priorities, to “bring NATO and the EU closer together” to counter an ongoing Russian “destabilization campaign” and address other threats, including those from
Tailor Learning to Students’ Interests - Language Magazine
A recent study from the McGovern Institute for Brain Research, which appears in Imaging Neuroscience, shows how interests can modulate language processing in children’s brains and paves the way for personalized brain research. “Traditional studies give subjects identical stimuli to avoid confounding the results,” says of MIT professor and McGovern Institute investigator John Gabrieli, who is the Grover Hermann Professor of Health Sciences and Technology and a professor of brain and cognitive sciences at MIT. “However, our research tailored stimuli to each child’s interest, eliciting stronger—and more consistent—activity patterns in the brain’s language regions across individuals.” This work unveils a
Colorado Assesses Multilingual Learners - Language Magazine
Early this month, the Colorado Department of Education is presenting a “state of the state on multilingual learners” (MLLs)—a sign of more focus on their needs by the state.In the 2023–24 school year, Colorado identified 114,482 MLLs, up from 109,780 in 2022–23 but lower than the 122,976 in 2019–20—that equates to about 13% of all Colorado students learning English as a new language. That figure is similar to the last few years, but a larger percentage of these students are considered not English proficient—at the lowest level of fluency. In 2023–24, there were 38,036 students identified as not English proficient,
AI Biased by User Language - Language Magazine
AI speaks letters, text-to-speech or TTS, text-to-voice, speech synthesis applications, generative Artificial Intelligence, futuristic technology in language and communication. A new study, “How User Language Affects Conflict Fatality Estimates in ChatGPT,” published in Journal of Peace, suggests that the language used to ask questions of large language models (LLMs) can significantly affect the information provided by them, potentially deepening biases. Conducted by researchers from the University of Zurich and the University of Konstanz, the study highlights how ChatGPT generates differing responses when asked about armed conflicts depending on the language of the query. Researchers Christoph Steinert from the University of
Indiana Saves Seal of Biliteracy Program - Language Magazine
Under pressure from language-learning advocates, Representative Robert Behning, the chairman of Indiana’s House Education Committee, has introduced an amendment to his own bill to remove the language that would have eliminated the state’s eight-year-old Certificate of Multilingual Proficiency (CoMP) program. This amendment was later passed by Indiana’s House of Representatives. If CoMP had been eliminated, Indiana would have become the only state without a Seal of Biliteracy program. In January, Behning introduced House Bill 1002 as an attempt to remove outdated educational regulations that supported optional educational programs. The original version of HB 1002 would have eliminated the bipartisan and
Rigorous Teaching and Learning - Language Magazine
You know it when you see it” is an axiom that has been applied to rigorous educational experiences. And there is truth to this sentiment. When the classroom is humming along and teachers and students have high expectations for learning, combined with the support to achieve greatness, rigor seems self-evident. It’s obvious that learning will occur when rigor is present and that students’ content and language development will be accelerated. Yet the issue of rigor is especially problematic when it comes to multilingual learners (MLs). Evidence suggests that teachers lower the rigor threshold for these students, a process some researchers
World-Readiness as Career Readiness - Language Magazine
World language enrollments are declining and technology is advancing faster than we can imagine. How can we keep attracting investment in language learning and teaching? Threats and Opportunities for Language Learning… The End Is Not in Sight In the year that I was born, coincidentally, Douglas Adams introduced the world to a very useful little creature called the Babel fish. This “cyborganism” would live in your ear, feed on your brain waves, and allow you to interpret every language you encountered. The original Babel fish was fictional, but it inspired the name of the first free online translator. Announcing the
Visions for 2025: Getting Future Ready - Language Magazine
Career exploration and exposure to real-world experiences are essential in today’s education for students in K–12 as they consider postsecondary and career opportunities after high school graduation. UnidosUS and the National Urban League co-authored a white paper in 2024, “A Community-Based Approach to Career Pathways Navigation,” to elevate the promise of career pathways as a transformative force for learners to navigate a future demanding a skilled and adaptable workforce.1 Yet our research found that Black, Latino, and other student populations such as English learners (ELs) have limited access to high-quality career pathways that can help them to develop marketable skills
Yes, Structured Literacy and Multilingualism Go Together - Language Magazine
Literacy is foundational—not only for academic success but as a fundamental skill for navigating life. Yet literacy rates in the US paint a troubling picture: about 21% of adults are illiterate, and 54% read below a sixth-grade level, with 45 million Americans considered functionally illiterate. This urgent reality calls for evidence-based literacy practices, like explicit foundational skills and vocabulary instruction, developing background-knowledge comprehension strategies, and effective spoken language teaching for multilingual learners (MLs). It Starts with Language Yes, our brains are wired for language. From birth, exposure to language, combined with caregivers’ intentional interactions—like repeating words, allowing practice through babbling,
Indiana Saves Seal of Biliteracy Program - Language Magazine
Under pressure from language learning advocates, Rep. Robert Behning, the Chairman of Indiana’s House Education Committee, has introduced an amendment to his own bill to remove the language that would have eliminated the state’s eight year-old Certificate of Multilingual Proficiency (CoMP) program. This amendment was later passed by Indiana’s House of Representatives. the bill’s lead author and the Committee’s chair. If CoMP had been eliminated, Indiana would have become the only state without a Seal of Biliteracy program. In January, Behning introduced House Bill 1002 as an attempt to remove outdated educational regulations that supported optional educational programs. The original
Grammar Aids Early Vocab Building - Language Magazine
A new study carried out at the MIT Language Acquisition Lab offers a novel insight into the early acquisition of vocabulary—sentences contain subtle hints in their grammar that tell young children about the meaning of new words. The finding, based on experiments with two-year-olds, suggests that even very young kids are capable of absorbing grammatical cues from language and leveraging that information to acquire new words. Even by age one, many infants seem to think that if they hear a new word, it means something different from the words they already know. But why they think so has remained subject to
Tailor Learning to Students’ Interests - Language Magazine
A recent study from the McGovern Institute for Brain Research, which appears in Imaging Neuroscience, shows how interests can modulate language processing in children’s brains and paves the way for personalized brain research. “Traditional studies give subjects identical stimuli to avoid confounding the results,” says of MIT professor and McGovern Institute investigator John Gabrieli, who is the Grover Hermann Professor of Health Sciences and Technology and a professor of brain and cognitive sciences at MIT. “However, our research tailored stimuli to each child’s interest, eliciting stronger—and more consistent—activity patterns in the brain’s language regions across individuals.” This work unveils a
Colorado Assesses Multilingual Learners - Language Magazine
Early this month, the Colorado Department of Education is presenting a “state of the state on multilingual learners” (MLLs)—a sign of more focus on their needs by the state.In the 2023–24 school year, Colorado identified 114,482 MLLs, up from 109,780 in 2022–23 but lower than the 122,976 in 2019–20—that equates to about 13% of all Colorado students learning English as a new language. That figure is similar to the last few years, but a larger percentage of these students are considered not English proficient—at the lowest level of fluency. In 2023–24, there were 38,036 students identified as not English proficient,
Visions for 2025: Getting Future Ready - Language Magazine
Career exploration and exposure to real-world experiences are essential in today’s education for students in K–12 as they consider postsecondary and career opportunities after high school graduation. UnidosUS and the National Urban League co-authored a white paper in 2024, “A Community-Based Approach to Career Pathways Navigation,” to elevate the promise of career pathways as a transformative force for learners to navigate a future demanding a skilled and adaptable workforce.1 Yet our research found that Black, Latino, and other student populations such as English learners (ELs) have limited access to high-quality career pathways that can help them to develop marketable skills