Equity in Multilingual Schools and Communities

Celebrating the Contributions of Guadalupe Valdés

Edited by Amanda K. Kibler, Aída Walqui, George C. Bunch, Christian J. Faltis

Publication date:

14 May 2024

Publisher

Multilingual Matters

Dimensions:

234x156mm
6x9"

ISBN-13: 9781800417182

This book honors the impactful contributions of Guadalupe Valdés toward equity in multilingual schools and communities. As one of the first language education scholars to examine the vibrant language practices of bilingual users in the US Southwest, her work marked a departure from traditional foreign language approaches and sparked a movement focused on valuing heritage languages and creating more equitable educational systems for young people from linguistically minoritized backgrounds. Influenced by the work of Professor Valdés, the contributors to this book draw on multiple aspects of her research to look at new ways of addressing equity and social justice for multilingual users in schools and communities. Chapters focus on three major areas of her work: the nature of languages and literacies in multilingual contexts, language development in classrooms and communities, and equity and access. At the end of each section, short interludes describe contributors’ personal experiences of learning from and with Professor Valdés, providing insight into the practices of mentorship and professional development within the field. This volume will appeal to students and researchers across bilingualism, applied linguistics and education, offering an overview of developments in these fields and directions for future research on equity in multilingual educational settings.

This book is a fitting tribute to the esteemed scholar, Professor Guadalupe Valdés. Beyond serving as a tribute, this anthology affords readers chapters of high quality, written by scholars who have been influenced by her work and who continue her challenge of orthodoxy, especially in support of language-minoritized communities. Outstanding!