ABSTRACT
One opportunity for teachers to participate in directed discussions on the state of their field was held at University of California, Los Angeles in the summer of 1999 at a National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) institute for teachers of Spanish to Spanish speakers. The chapter summarizes the NEH participants’ discussions on the state of the field of teaching Spanish for heritage speakers—often called Spanish for native speakers (SNS)—in six key areas: benefits and challenges, characteristics of students, teacher qualifications and training, programs and instruction, assessment, and policy. Many Spanish-speaking students in the United States come from low-income families. The experience of summer institute participants indicates that Spanish speakers in SNS programs are more successful than other students in passing exams such as the Advanced Placement Spanish Language Exam and the Spanish Language Golden State Exam and in qualifying for the language requirements of the International Baccalaureate degree.
