This book is a guide for K-12 school leaders and educators who are planning to implement new bilingual and dual language (BDL) elementary programs for multilingual learners in the United States, focusing on the integration of subject matter knowledge of STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and math) with biliteracy development goals, both in English and a partner language other than English (LOTE). With this book, we advocate for an integrated STEAM and literacy development approach in BDL Education. Portions of this guide were motivated by The Guiding Principles for Dual Language Education (Howard et al., 2018).
The intended audience for the book is school district leaders, administrators, and educational policymakers interested in learning about the characteristics of BDL models with a specific STEAM focus. Furthermore, reading this book will benefit teachers and educators interested in establishing equitable BDL-STEAM instructional models that are enhanced and facilitated equitably among the two languages of instruction (English and the partner language). Finally, this book will be a valuable resource for professional development leaders who are interested in promoting the language and literacy development of multilingual learners through approaches aligned with linguistically and culturally sustaining pedagogies.