This two-part podcast hosted by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of English Language Acquisition (OELA) features Montserrat Garibay — Assistant Deputy Secretary & Director of OELA, Melissa Castillo — Senior Advisor at OELA, Shantel Meek, Professor of Practice and Founding Director of Children’s Equity Project; Terri Clark, Literacy Director at Read On Arizona; and Martha Martinez, Senior Director of Research and Evaluation at Sobrato Early Academic Language.
In part I of the podcast, the panelists discuss the importance of early language development and research findings on the benefits of multilingualism and multiliteracy for young children, including English and multilingual learners.
In Part II of the podcast, the panel will focus on practices and policies of identifying and supporting young English learners and the positive effects that the attention to language development in the early years can have down the road.