Immersion 2012: Bridging Contexts for a Multilingual World

Plenary Speaker

No Program Is an Island: Policy Contexts for Immersion Education

As educators work to establish or develop dual language programs, they must take into account local conditions, our current knowledge base, and a set of external policy contexts that expand or limit the possibilities for the programs. Because the programs are language-focused, they are subject to both education and language policies, at every level of government, from local to national. Further, the policies come in many forms – laws, regulations, budget appropriations, and judicial decisions, among others.  This presentation will examine the interaction between various policy contexts and the implementation of dual language education and discuss implications for program planning and advocacy.

Download PowerPoint Slides (PDF)

Donna Christian is a senior fellow at the Center for Applied Linguistics in Washington, DC (where she previously served as president).Her research and publications have focused largely on the role of language in education, with a particular interest in two-way immersion education. She co-edited (with Dee Tedick and Tara Fortune) the 2011 volume on Immersion Education: Practices, Policies, Possibilities. Other recent publications include a chapter on Dual Language Education in the Handbook of Research in Second Language Teaching and Learning. She serves on numerous boards, including The International Research Foundation on English Language Education (TIRF) and the editorial boards of the International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism and the Heritage Language Journal.