Too often, programs for emergent bilingual learners use curricula, teaching methods, and assessments that were designed for monolingual English students. As a result, the programs underestimate what these learners know and can do, resulting in missed opportunities and poor outcomes.
In this webinar, noted scholar Dr. Kathy Escamilla and Doris Chávez-Linville show you why US schools need a Science of Biliteracy to better meet the needs of emergent bilingual learners. You’ll understand:
- How the Science of Biliteracy is both alike and different from the Science of Reading
- What the research shows about how bilingual students learn to read—and how two languages interact in the brain
- Why it’s essential to leverage students’ home languages to support literacy development, from pre-K through high school
- How to understand and build on all of the language and cultural assets that students bring to the classroom
Presenters
Kathy Escamilla is Professor Emerita of Education in the Division of Social, Bilingual, and Multicultural Foundations at the University of Colorado, Boulder. She is the author of three books and numerous journal articles. She served two terms as the president of the National Association for Bilingual Education (NABE) and is a member of the Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL) Board of Trustees.
Doris Chávez-Linville is Director of Linguistic and Culturally Diverse Innovation at Renaissance. A former migrant education teacher and dual-language teacher in her native Monterrey, Mexico, she leads Renaissance product management and innovation around tools that empower emergent bilingual students.
