Visibility for Indigenous Students and Their Languages: Analysis of Home Language Data in Federal Reports across Seven U.S. States

There is an increasing number of children in the U.S. classified as English Learners (ELs). Accurately identifying and supporting ELs in their academic settings entails understanding their non-English language experiences. This study presents findings from language reporting practices from seven U.S...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Social sciences (Basel) 2024-08, Vol.13 (8), p.427
Main Authors: Zyskind, Karen, Dorman, Meagan, Medina, Yessenia, Gabriela Pérez Báez
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Bilingual education
Bilingualism
Children
Children & youth
Civil rights
English as a second language learning
English language
English learner
Identification
Indigenous languages
Language diversity
Language identification
Learning
Legislation
linguistic diversity
Linguistics
Mesoamerican languages
Multiculturalism & pluralism
Multilingualism
Native languages
Registration
School districts
Special education
Students
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Summary:There is an increasing number of children in the U.S. classified as English Learners (ELs). Accurately identifying and supporting ELs in their academic settings entails understanding their non-English language experiences. This study presents findings from language reporting practices from seven U.S. states by examining how states account for the linguistic diversity of Indigenous Mesoamerican languages. Our findings reveal varied state approaches and underscore the limitations of current federal guidance, which limits the recognition of students’ non-English language experiences. We advocate for updating language identification practices and policies and propose a new framework for accurate language identification and continuous monitoring of student linguistic diversity.
ISSN:2076-0760
DOI:10.3390/socsci13080427