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The other day, something magical happened in my dual-language kindergarten classroom. Dani, filled with excitement, exclaimed in Spanish, “¡Eso fue bueno, me gustó mucho!” Almost immediately, Marlon echoed the sentiment speaking in English, “It was beautiful! Let’s do it again!”
What inspired such joy and enthusiasm? It was the Bridge, an essential strategy in our dual-language education program model. In our Bridge activity on that day, my students made connections between Spanish and English while learning about the parts of a plant. As an experienced bilingual educator, I have seen firsthand how the Bridge fosters cognitive flexibility and academic growth. In my classroom, students don’t just learn two languages; they learn how to think in two languages. The Bridge provides a structured yet dynamic way for students like Dani and Marlon to compare and contrast linguistic structures, build vocabulary across languages, and develop confidence in expressing themselves bilingually.
My partner teacher and I planned for this strategy and guided the students by reviewing what a Bridge is in dual-language education. Then students used body language and TPR (Total Physical Response) to reinforce key vocabulary, making learning an engaging, interactive experience. They also practiced Turn and Talk, developing their oral language skills while asking the child next to them what part of the plant they remembered. The students then took turns telling me the parts of the plant they remembered while I wrote it on a drawing of a plant. The process of this Bridge was done in Spanish and then in English. On one side, the Spanish names of the plants were in red, and on the other side, the English names were in blue.
This moment was more than just a successful lesson — it was proof of the power of bilingual education. Research points to dual-language education programs — where instruction is given in two languages (English and Spanish in this case) with roughly equal shares of native speakers for both — as an ideal model for the nation’s growing English learner population. Dani and Marlon weren’t just learning words; they were experiencing language in a way that made it relevant and joyful. If one lesson can inspire such excitement, imagine the lifelong impact of dual-language learning.
Let’s continue to invest in these experiences, celebrate bilingualism, and empower our students to thrive in a multilingual world. Here is how:
Massachusetts should invest in preparing more bilingual educators to support our students. I was an elementary school teacher in my home country, the Dominican Republic. When I moved to the United States, I began working as a paraprofessional while completing the requirements for my teaching license in Massachusetts. I couldn’t be happier when I began teaching Spanish in a newly opened dual-language program in my district. What made it even better was when, in my first year, a student who had recently arrived from Guatemala told me in Spanish, ”I’m glad to have a teacher who speaks like the teacher I left in Guatemala!”
Even though organizations like the Massachusetts Association for Bilingual Education (MABE) offer professional development opportunities, such as the Dual Language Bilingual Education Annual Conferences, and a bilingual certification endorsement is now available for teachers in bilingual programs, these efforts are not enough. Colleges and universities should encourage more aspiring teachers to specialize in bilingual education by offering scholarships, targeted recruitment efforts, and clear certification pathways. Expanding bilingual teacher preparation programs is not just beneficial — it is essential for building a more inclusive and effective education system.
School districts must also do their part by providing financial incentives and ongoing professional development (PD) for bilingual teachers. I learned about the Bridge strategy during a PD provided by MABE. However, this is the only organization facilitating these types of PDs. We need more PDs like this specifically for bilingual education.
As an English language learner myself, I understand firsthand how meaningful it is for students like Dani and Marlon to participate using their full linguistic repertoire. By fostering bilingualism, biliteracy, and cultural appreciation, dual language programs create welcome learning environments where all students thrive. I hope to see more children gain these enriching experiences and more educators embrace and support dual-language instruction to ensure accessible and effective learning for all.
Maria Zak is a kindergarten Spanish lead teacher at A.J. Gomes Elementary School in New Bedford and a 2024-2025 Teach Plus Massachusetts Policy Fellow.
While I agree with the article, it’s apparent that the Trump administration doesn’t agree. They are attacking migrants, especially those of color whether documented or not. Therefore, don’t expect any help for expanded bilingual education to be coming from the Trump administration.
I think you need to brush up on your English, or maybe it’s your hearing, or ability to read English. President Trump, and most of us American tax payers don’t have have any issues with “Migrants”, it’s the illegal aliens of any color who violated American borders and live here at the expense of the federal & state tax payers. You’re right about one thing though, of people are going to continue coming to America and have their children educated in public schools, the parents should pay for the added costs, the tax payers are already covering the costs of education, we’re certainly not going to pay more to teach the children illegal immigrants brought to America!
Hi Maria and anyone looking for teacher development in bilingual preschool education. BU Wheelock is looking to fill their next cohort of the Nuestros Ninos program. This is a two year 12 credit class. It is free and can be taken for graduate or undergraduate credit. Reach out to Dina Castro at dccastro@bu.edu
for more information. It is a fantastic opportunity to study this topic and bring your learning into the classroom.
Congratulations on the Dual Language program’s achievements. Such success benefits everyone involved and strengthens community bonds. The positive impact on the community is commendable for English- and Spanish-speaking families. I wish we could have more Spanish resources for families, such as story time and crafts.
One of the biggest mistakes our Founding Father’s made was its failure to mandate a national language. Instead, English served as the de facto language for nearly two centuries in America until left-wing do-gooders, who couldnt squander America’s wealth fast enough, passed the Bilingual Education Act of 1968 in order to federally funded bilingual programs in schools. Now don’t get me wrong, I have a clear understanding of the personal benefits of commanding more than one language and have added English, German, and Latin to my curriculum vitae. With that said, I am aware of no study that has ever shown a bilingual education to objectively benefit the economy of any nation or contribute to a nation’s GDP. The pundits in America simply point out subjective benefits like “enhancing global competitiveness, boosting productivity, and improving trade relations” or similar subjective verbage without citing a study’s single numerical benefit. Make no mistake, these very same pundits will give you a number concerning how many tax payer dollars need to be taken from Citizens at the point of a government gun to support bilingual education. Finally, until someone can legitimately show an economical benefit for bilingual education, please fund the schools to teach English only in the lower grades with funding for foreign languages reserved for high school students. As Americans’ English proficiency plummet to an all time low, and is even non-existent in many schools which only teach English, we need to focus on the basics, that is, English as a common language to ensure every American has the ability to communicate with his or her fellow American anywhere in the USA.
That’s a very arrogant point of view, especially when learning to fluently speak another language. Children who are exposed early on are more likely to be affluent in the language not used at home. It’s much easier and less stressful for children who are exposed earlier in their education. America has many immigrants, and let me be very clear for someone like you, legal immigrants who have children learning English. China teaches English among many other languages and we all know China has a top notch education, so why continue to keep America behind? France also teaches English. Among many other countries. The ignorance and arrogance of you long winded paragraph trying to prove that you can use large words making you seem like you are smarter than you are. If you haven’t noticed, the people who are dual+ language are raising the bar in any field. Medical staff are struggling more and more not being able to communicate with patients effectively. Law enforcement is struggling to communicate in the field, causing confusion. Even when out dining in a restaurant, there are human beings struggling to communicate. Having students who can communicate with others throughout the world should be the goal, not selfishly thinking America is the end all be all of the world. Your arrogance is disgraceful.
T. E. Maloney makes a point that commonly held claims need to be warranted by facts. This is an important point that many people who are critically literate share. The fact is that there is evidence to show that when districts plan for a dual language program, they hire talented teacher that are language and literacy experts for the program. So there are no extra costs. In fact Daniel Toto Gonzalez and Marialuisa Di Stefano just completed a study in Massachusetts on a comparative cost analysis that provides solid evidence that dual language programs do not cost extra. They at at Umass Amherst. Other studies are out there as well. Just because one doesn’t know about these doesn’t make the case for not looking to find out