Shifting the Narrative: Evidence, Equity, and Action in Bilingual Development
Genesis D. Arizmendi, PhD, CCC-SLP
Bilingual Initiatives Symposium
March 20, 2026
Objectives
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3/20/26
Recognize and address
Advocate
Implement
Background
Background
Background
Background
Background
Clinical and Research Training
Clinical Experience - all Latino students + families
• Early Intervention
• Elementary and Middle Schools
• Outpatient Rehabilitation Clinic
• Home health – Telehealth
• Forensic speech-language pathology
Postdoctoral Training – UNM:EdPsych & UT Austin:SpEd
• Cognition, Math, and Academic Achievement in EB Children
• Culturally Responsive Test and Intervention Development
Genesis Arizmendi, PhD, CCC-SLP
Assistant Professor of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences
Assistant Professor of Cognitive Science
Director, Multicultural Bilingual Certificate Program
PI/Director, Bilingualism And the Brain in Education and Language Lab
Bilingual learners
Students developing proficiency in two or more languages in school, at home, or both.
This includes learners in:
Two-way dual language immersion programs �(e.g., Spanish-English classrooms with both native English and native Spanish speakers)
One-way immersion programs �(e.g., Spanish-speaking students learning in both Spanish and English)
Developmental bilingual education �(e.g., additive bilingual models for emerging bilinguals)
Heritage and indigenous language immersion �(e.g., Diné, Tewa, or Mixtec language revitalization in community-rooted schooling)
Emergent bilinguals
Children learning English as a second language who are the most rapidly growing demographic in U.S. public schools.
Demographic shifts
Most U.S. Hispanics/Latinos are U.S. born.
Demographic shifts
Most U.S. Hispanics/Latinos are U.S. born.
In 2022, 68% were native born and 32% were immigrants.
Demographic shifts
Most U.S. Hispanics/Latinos are U.S. born.
In 2022, 68% were native born and 32% were immigrants.
By 2050, 1 in 3 students in the U.S. will be Latino.
92.5% �Spanish in the home.
Santa Cruz County
Pima County
57% Spanish in
the home among Latinos.
Clinical Experience
• Early Intervention
• Elementary and Middle Schools
• Outpatient Rehabilitation Clinic
• Home health
• Telehealth
• Forensic evaluations
As a clinician
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Hard lessons about the realities and gaps in educational and healthcare service due to:
School professionals in training
Minimal exposure to:
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What I learned
There is a disconnect in what parents and families share with me.
There is a disconnect among school professionals in working with one another and with our students.
There is a disconnect in the evidence-based practices that are implemented for our students.
What’s going on?
I knew I had my clinical experience to support what families shared with me.
Disconnect between what is going on in the research world vs. what is going on in the real world.
February-April 2023�Nationwide study for teachers and Spanish-speaking parents and bilingual parents��Funding:�University of Texas at Austin Provost Early Career Fellows Program
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Participants
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Teacher background
K-8 Educational contexts
N = 1267
K-8 Teachers: Background
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What kind of teacher are you?
Are you currently working in a:
K-8 Teachers: Background
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My teacher training was:
What is the highest level of education that you have completed?
How many years of teaching experience do you have?
K-8 Teachers: On bilingualism
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I think that children learning two languages get confused with using their languages.
Strongly �disagree
Strongly �agree
I think that children should only hear one language if it looks like they're confused with more than one.
24.73%
17.28%
K-8 Teachers
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Approximately 1 in 4 teachers believe that learning two languages causes confusion.
K-8 Teachers
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I think that children learning two languages get confused with using their languages.
Strongly �disagree
Strongly �agree
I think that children should only hear one language if it looks like they're confused with more than one.
K-8 Teachers
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I think that children learning two languages get confused with using their languages.
Strongly �disagree
Strongly �agree
I think that children should only hear one language if it looks like they're confused with more than one.
53.22%
39.95%
The first language is the�architect of the brain.
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K-8 Teachers
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Strongly �disagree
Strongly �agree
I think that children learning two languages are at greater risk of having language delays and/or learning disabilities.
11.98%
K-8 Teachers
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Strongly �disagree
Strongly �agree
I think that children learning two languages are at greater risk of having language delays and/or learning disabilities.
28.92%
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Nearly 1 in 3 K-8 teachers believe that learning two languages puts students at risk of delays and/or disabilities.
Bilingualism does not lead to confusion, delays, or disabilities.
The majority of the world speaks more than one language.
Estimates range from about �50-60% of people worldwide are bilingual or multilingual.
K-8 Teachers: Preparation Gap
Only 45% of teachers felt their university coursework sufficiently prepared them for serving this population.
The majority of our educators are entering the field with a self-identified "blind spot."
K-8 Teachers: Identification Gap
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There is a steep, downward trajectory in teacher confidence when identifying potential disabilities based solely on a student's linguistic profile.
K-8 Teachers: Needs
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There is a self-identified demand for specialized training at the intersection of cultural-linguistic diversity and learning disabilities.
Percentage of teachers reporting they would benefit from more training in �CLD and LD students
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of teachers agree that formalized, deeper interprofessional collaboration is the critical lever for improving outcomes for emergent bilingual students.
78.2%
Participants, N=1150
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Parent background
Bilingual
n=525
Spanish monolingual
n=525
Misconceptions
There is a persistent belief linking bilingualism to an increased likelihood of confusion.
1 in 3 parents
told to stick to ‘English-only’
#1 source = teachers
Stick to English-only
Teachers were the most frequently cited source, followed by pediatricians and family members.
�More likely than doctors or friends to recommend heritage language suppression
Misconceptions
Linguistic misinformation is not an outlier.
It is a pervasive baseline for families.
33%
bilingual parents
30%
Spanish-monolingual
told to stick to English-only
Misconceptions on Success
Spanish monolingual parents have been socialized to believe that maintaining their home language leads to an academic deficit.��When asked about concerns of Spanish maintenance:
English is important for success in this country
Fear their child "would not learn in school”
Fear of discrimination
32%
20%
17%
Internalized shame
While only 12% of teachers explicitly hold the myth “greater risk of language delays and/or learning disabilities”, the fact that nearly twice as many parents believe it implies communication through implicit teacher behaviors:
Parents begin to view their home language as the "problem" to be removed, rather than the "tool" to be utilized.
Reflection of needs
We must address both the explicit misconceptions teachers hold and the implicit signals they send to families that lead parents to believe their bilingualism is hindering their child’s academic progress.
Variability and individual differences
Children from linguistically minoritized backgrounds
Children from privileged communities
Indigenous and heritage language speakers
Children of immigrants or intergenerational bilinguals
Youth reclaiming ancestral languages in immersion contexts
Bilingual students are not a monolith—this term includes:
National & Local Statistics
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National & Local Statistics
More than 3,649 dual language immersion programs in the U.S. �(OELA, 2022).
In states like New Mexico, Arizona, and California, 30%+ of students live in homes where a language other than English is spoken (U.S. Census, 2023).
Most common languages: Spanish, Navajo, Vietnamese, Chinese, Arabic, O’odham, Mixteco.
Heritage and Indigenous language learners are central to the growth of tribal and community-based immersion (National Indian Education Association, 2022).
Assets in the learning process
Bilingual students bring:
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(e.g., Arizmendi et al., 2025; Bialystok, 2011; González et al., 2005; Paris & Alim, 2017; García et al., 2017; Murillo & Schall-Leckrone, 2017; Valdés, 2001)
Realities and Recommended Practices
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Misidentification risk for special education remains high for bilinguals with learning difficulties—especially if skill development is assessed in English-only �(Arizmendi et al., 2021; Artiles et al., 2005; Sanchez et al., 2021).
Asset-based approaches can buffer against the deficit framing of minoritized learners.
Effective support for bilinguals with learning differences requires bilingual assessment, translanguaging-informed instruction, and community-engaged pedagogy. �(García & Wei, 2014; Artiles et al., 2010).
Experiences across educational contexts
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What to do?
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3/20/26
WE CAN’T DO IT ALL.
More interprofessional collaboration
Work with your network of professionals
Learn from one another
Ask for help!
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Education and collaboration is key!
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3/20/26
Initiatives – Current offerings
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3/20/26
SLHS 435/535 Bilingualism, Multiculturalism, Language Varieties*
CGSC 305 Bilingual Language and Learning
Multicultural Bilingual Certificate*
Research in the BABEL Lab
Vamos A Mejorar Our Spanish in SLHS
SLP-TI Collaboration
PUENTE
In the community!
�
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3/20/26
Initiatives – Upcoming
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3/20/26
MULTILINGUAL CLINICAL LEARNING COLLABORATIVE*
MÁS!!!!!!!! WITH YOU? ☺
College of Science Lecture Series – ON YOUTUBE!
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3/20/26
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3/20/26