Offering recognition for bilingual fluency is growing throughout the country. More states and school districts are helping to promote bilingualism by recognizing high school graduates who are fluent in languages other than English. According to a report in EdWeek, “Thirteen states now offer a ‘seal of biliteracy,’ and at least 10 more are working toward implementing a similar award.” California was the first state to adopt the seal. 40% of the students on California who have earned the seal are former ELLS. 68% of all recipients have received the Seal in recognition of their fluency in Spanish.

The perspective regarding bilingual education is gradually changing due to demographic transformations and an increasing appreciation of the value of speaking more than one language. One of the goals of offering the seal is that it allows employers to know if you are truly fluent in another language. In today’s globalized economy that is a now seen as real plus. You can learn more about the biliteracy seal here. [http://sealofbiliteracy.org/]

On another related front, the New America Foundation has recently released three reports on Dual Language Learner (DLL) efforts in three cities: San Antonio, Texas; Portland, Oregon; and Washington, D.C. In each city, schools have made strong advances in supporting DLLs in their cities. As New America reports, “In all three cases, local leaders are exploring: early education investments and reforms that support DLLs’ healthy development from birth through third grade; robust family engagement policies that often include “dual-generation” strategies for simultaneously addressing the needs of families and students; and rigorous use of data to determine DLLs’ strengths and needs over time.” For more on these reports, please go here.