Language Lessons for the 21st Century: Building Support for Two-Way Bilingual Education in Massachusetts

Cambridge, MA – On November 3, 2012, One Nation Indivisible hosted a strategy session for educators, scholars, and supporters of two-way immersion (also known as two-way bilingual education) in Massachusetts. In two-way immersion schools and programs, children learn in two languages and a substantial share of students are native speakers of a language other than English. In an effort to broaden the network of support for these programs, we explored the following questions:

  • What can Massachusetts learn from other states where elected leaders and educators have created and supported two-way immersion programs in a systematic fashion?
  • What does the newest and most rigorous research say about the benefits of two-way immersion?
  • What kinds of challenges would educators in Massachusetts face if they were to consider expansion of dual immersion programs and schools?
  • In what ways could state education leaders provide more support to existing dual immersion programs?
  • What kinds of connections – to advocacy groups or other educational or civic organizations – might bring dual immersion educators into the policy discourse and increase its visibility?
Read One Nation Indivisible’s story about two-way immersion programs in Massachusetts.

Resources

This event was planned in collaboration with The Massachusetts Association for Bilingual Education (MABE). One Nation Indivisible would like to recognize Phyllis Hardy, Fernando Reimers, Marjorie Soto, and Yanina Livington for their assistance in shaping the agenda for this strategy session.