Alianzas Familiares in Multilingual Education - (Bilingual Education & Bilingualism) by Eric J Johnson & Luz A Murillo (Paperback)

About the Book

Written in English and Spanish, this volume explores family engagement policy and practices, showcasing pedagogical, administrative and community-based efforts aimed at countering the traditional hierarchies of power that shape relationships between schools and families from culturally, linguistically and economically minoritized backgrounds.

Book Synopsis

First bilingual volume on family engagement in multilingual education, providing evidence of the need for schools to work with Latinx families, communities and students, to the benefit of all involved.

This book examines the significance of family engagement policies and practices within culturally and linguistically diverse schooling contexts, through English and Spanish chapters which explore these alianzas familiares/family alliances in a variety of multilingual contexts.

It employs a wide range of perspectives including policy analysis, theoretical discussion, programmatic frameworks and ethnographic portraits to explore contexts across US states including rural and urban communities, Indigenous language communities, special education programs, preschool through high school settings and community education programs.

The chapters offer examples of pedagogical, administrative and community-based efforts aimed at countering the traditional hierarchies of power that shape relationships between schools and families from culturally, linguistically and economically minoritized backgrounds. Expanding the linguistic representation in literature on multilingual education, this volume includes chapters written in Spanish and English and will be of interest to educators, researchers and community advocates.

About the Author

Eric J. Johnson is Professor of Multilingual Education at Washington State University, USA. His research explores language policies and programs, community and family engagement, and language and social justice. His recent book publications include The Language Gap: Normalizing Deficit Ideologies (with David Cassels Johnson, 2021, Routledge).

Luz A. Murillo is Associate Professor of Bilingual/Biliteracy Education at Texas State University, USA. She studies the literacies of bi/multilingual indigenous, immigrant, and Latinx children, families and teachers, working with novice and practicing bilingual teachers to (re)learn to embrace their own linguistic practices as powerful teaching tools.