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By Hilda Maldonado, Imelda L. Nava and Marco A. Nava
Categories: English learners, Leadership, Learning communities, School leadership
April 2019
Vol. 40 No. 2
More than half of the world’s population is bilingual (Grosjean, 2010). In many countries, bilingualism is embedded within culture and identity (Callahan & Gandara, 2014) and is valued because it facilitates communication among diverse people, presents increased market-based opportunities, and improves the brain’s executive functioning capacities (Bialystok, Craik, & Luk, 2012). In the U.S., however, minority multilingual K-12 students’ linguistic, social, cultural, and academic assets are often not valued in many communities and institutions, including traditional school settings. Yet for immigrants and those learning English, denying or devaluing the native tongue can have negative impacts on academic outcomes, health, and behavior (Wilson, Ek, & Douglas, 2014). How might schools and districts leverage multiple languages as assets rather than deficits? What is the role of leadership,

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Authors

Hilda Maldonado, Imelda L. Nava, and Marco A. Nava

Hilda Maldonado (hilda.maldonado@lausd.net) is senior executive director of diversity, learning, and instruction for the Los Angeles Unified School District. Imelda L. Nava (inava@ucla.edu) is STEM faculty advisor at the University of California, Los Angeles. Marco A. Nava (mnava@lausd.net) is administrative coordinator of leadership development for the Los Angeles Unified School District.

References

Arbona, C., Olvera, N., Rodriguez, N., Hagan, J., Linares, A., & Wiesner, M. (2010). Acculturative stress among documented and undocumented Latino immigrants in the United States. Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences, 32(3), 362-384.

Ascenzi-Moreno, L., Hesson, S., & Menken, K. (2016). School leadership along the trajectory from monolingual to multilingual. Language and Education, 30(3), 197-218.

Bialystok, E., Craik, F.I., & Luk, G. (2012). Bilingualism: Consequences for mind and brain. Trends in cognitive sciences, 16(4), 240-250.

Brooks, K., Adams, S.R., & Morita-Mullaney, T. (2010). Creating inclusive learning communities for ELL students: Transforming school principals’ perspectives. Theory Into Practice, 49(2), 145-151.

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

Elfers, A.M. & Stritikus, T. (2014). How school and district leaders support classroom teachers’ work with English language learners. Educational Administration Quarterly, 50(2), 305-344.

García, O. (2009). Emergent bilinguals and TESOL. What’s in a name? Tesol Quarterly, 43(2), 322-326.

Grosjean, F. (2010). Bilingual: Life and reality. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Learning Forward. (2011). Standards for Professional Learning. Oxford, OH: Author.

Oppedal, B. & Idsoe, T. (2012). Conduct problems and depression among unaccompanied refugees: The association with pre-migration trauma and acculturation. Anales de Psicología/Annals of Psychology, 28(3), 683-694.

Wilson, C.M., Ek, L.D., & Douglas, T.R.M. (2014). Recasting border crossing politics and pedagogies to combat educational inequity: Experiences, identities, and perceptions of Latino/a immigrant youth. The Urban Review, 46(1), 1-24.

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Categories: English learners, Leadership, Learning communities, School leadership

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