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Attinasi Update: 2008

Strategic Languages in the World, International Education and the Economic Impact of Global Relations, especially between Mexico and California pose important challenges for the population, policy climate and educational sector of Southern California.  To address these issues, the linguistics department and the university generally need to analyze, collaborate and recruit talent for new initiatives. Follow the links below to investigate these isssues.

Research  Tools
Campus Sites
E-mail Tools
Library Research

 

What is BCLAD?

The acronym BCLAD stands for Bilingual Cross Cultural Language and Academic Development.  BCLAD is a teaching specialization added to a credential certifying that a teacher is able to teach using two languages and at least two cultures. About 1.5 million children are English Learners (25% of K-12 Public School students) and Spanish is the home language of 4 of every 5.  Moreover, Spanish is spoken in the home and community of nearly half of all children in California. A statewide panel of experts is reconsidering standards for BCLAD.  Several languages may be added as well, in response to diverse and changing populations.

Program Alternatives

Several dual language program alternatives are available for teachers and students at CSULB, although the emphasis is primarily on English acquisition with varied levels of home language usage in schools. English Learners, families and professionals deserve multiple options, and these are discussed in this webpage and my research publications.

Programs

Graduate Programs
Dual Language Development Master's Program
Spanish BCLAD
Asian BCLAD

Undergraduate Programs
Liberal Studies Track 1 Bilingual Spanish English Concentration
BCLAD in ITEP Integrated Teacher Education Program (Blended BA and Multiple Subject Credential)

International Programs
BCLAD Credential in Mexico
BCLAD Certificate in Mexico


 What is the status of bilingualism and bilingual education in California in 2006?

To paraphrase Mark Twain: "rumors of the demise of bilingualism are greatly exaggerated."

Bilingual populations continue to grow, the use of two languages or more is valuable commercially and recommended as a supplement to English instruction. Additional languages, Chinese and Indian languages, Western Asian Languages, Russian and Southeast Asian Languages are increasingly important for business and national-international purposes.

In the schools, personnel who know two languages are hired readily. At the university level dual language programs continue to expand in numbers of students and pathways for professional development. So on the one hand, the need for bilingualism is greater than ever, and on the other the political climate is contradictory: on the one hand bilingual programs are underutilized, and on the other linguistic competence is prized.  This is true for all types of diversity, but especially language.

Bilingual Education seems to be a stigmatized phrase, although bilingualism and multilingual skills are undeniably important resources.  Bilingual Education in the public view implies many different approaches. With the passage of Proposition 227 in 1998, 'English for the Children' became the policy of California, with a drastic reduction of the number of Transitional Bilingual Education (TBE) programs. [TBE, however, is but one model of bilingual education, and one that only weakly promotes biliteracy, the ultimate marketable use of two languages for speaking and writing. (Baker 2001, Brisk 1998, Genesee 1999].