Sixth International Conference on Immersion and Dual Language Education: Connecting Research and Practice Across Contexts

Paper/Best Practice Session (1 hour)

Not language specific

One-Way Second/Foreign Language Immersion
Two-Way Bilingual Immersion

Elementary (K-5)
Middle School/Junior High

Dual language immersion leaders in Utah recognize the collective power and expertise that parents have to offer. To become successful partners, leaders have empowered parents with a knowledge of immersion’s objectives and outcomes, resulting in a united mission to mainstream immersion with access and benefits available to all students.

To ensure program quality and sustainability, practitioners must embrace and empower parents as pivotal stakeholders in dual language immersion. Empowered parents are advocates for immersion at the classroom, school, district, and state levels. Over the past eight years, dual language immersion educators in Utah have partnered with parents in their efforts to mainstream immersion for all learners. Program leaders have first strived to educate parents regarding the program’s objectives and provide opportunities for them to interact with respected research from the field. As parents have come to better understand the rationale for immersion, they have actively engaged in supporting student learning at home and in the classroom environment. They have developed their own cultural awareness as they have connected with local and international guest teachers. Collaborating with administrators in the school and local community, parents have participated in grassroots advocacy efforts for district policies and state legislation. In addition to an understanding of program objectives, parents now have a vision of the expected student outcomes gained through immersion. This has been facilitated as program leaders have focused on proficiency and shared clearly defined targets for each grade level. Utah parents are empowered to monitor their children’s language acquisition as a result of parent teacher conferences and informational meetings regarding proficiency and assessment. In this session, presenters will discuss the successes and challenges they have faced in integrating parents more fully into the immersion program. They will also share recommendations for how schools and districts can partner with parents by establishing transparent and informational processes and protocols. Participants will also be introduced to guiding tools that will support them in the implementation of these recommendations. As dual language immersion parents themselves, presenters will infuse the presentation with the perspectives of program leaders, teachers, and parents.