ABOUT US
Bilingual Futures
EL FUTURO ES BILINGUE
Behind the Founding
Bilingual Futures was founded by Nicolas Lopez, with support from co-founder Alejandro Salas, after both recognized a major gap in Seattle’s bilingual education landscape in comparison with other programs. Motivated by a shared commitment to educational equity and culturally grounded learning, they established the research project to expand opportunities for bilingual education research within the local context and to help strengthen the resources, support systems, and experiences available to future multilingual students. The initiative also looks to create new opportunities for undergraduate students at the College of Education to engage in research, community-based work, and the development of emerging bilingual education programs. Through community partnerships and collaboration with educators and researchers, the initiative works to advance a more inclusive and sustainable future for bilingual education in Seattle.
Our Work
The team here at Bilingual Futures is excited to work on this research with the main goal of seeing implementation of a more immersive system for dual language education in Seattle's elementary schools. Currently, programs operate on a 50/50 model, which splits the days half English, half Spanish. Although this model has been in practice, it lacks early immersion and preparation. It does not expose Spanish learners to the language enough to take away early-on, and does not accommodate well for Spanish speakers. On top of this, it is noted that Seattle struggles to maintain consistent program design. With our work and future partnerships with program designers we hope to implement an immersive, objective based 50/50 model or 90/10 progressive model. This directly prepares students to enter Middle School with a well rounded and balanced advanced knowledge of both languages, and they will be able to interpret every subject in both languages with a deeper cultural wealth.
The more evident issue within Seattle’s Bilingual Education program is the lack of availability. Seattle's district only has 5 out of 64 elementary schools offering bilingual classrooms. The current “international” elementary schools that carry these programs are spread across the operating boundaries. There is no guarantee of enough slots for every student that applies, regardless of language background status. Expanding the program to more schools with an established, effective model will maximize opportunities for students, creating more slots in different neighborhoods and promoting itself to families as a beneficiary. Expansion also opens up job opportunities for current educators who are bilingual, enabling them to lead the change and make a difference, along with job security.
With critical advisory from Dr. Manka Varghese, we are working to collect important statistics and information that will shape our decisions and approaches as an organization. We collect statistics from districts and schools operating on the immersive models we hope to see in Seattle, showcasing student growth, community strength, and a well-rounded education experience. To see updates in our research, see the 'News' tab.