ABSTRACT
A new scientific landscape regarding the development of bilingualism and its relationship to teaching and learning of children/students attending schooling that is not primarily addressing their bilingualism has produced a robust knowledge base. This chapter will review the basic science of bilingualism/multilingualism, drawing on recent reports from the National Academies of Sciences (2017 and 2018) as well as a recent report (2020) focused directly on equity for bilingual education, PreK-3. It will touch briefly on the U.S. federal court decisions and federal legislation that have established rights and enacted policies since the 1960s. That policy is reviewed in the chapter as a prelude to policy discussions related to dual language learners (DLLs). Policy effort for these children and students, however, is limited, ambiguous, and in need of attention by elected policy-makers at all levels as well as potential judicial action in federal and state courts. Early access to high-quality PreK dual language (DL) experiences combined with high-quality DL programming PreK-3 enhances both the development of English and academic achievement. Yet, present policies only “protect” older students in the K-12 sector, leaving millions of young DLLs in a policy vacuum.
