Heritage Language Program Direction: Research into Practice

This innovative text presents an introduction to different facets of building and leading language education programs at the university level to meet the needs of students who are minority speakers of a heritage language (HL) – also known as community or home languages.

Providing a unique synthesis of theory and empirical research, Sara Beaudrie and Sergio Loza authoritatively illustrate and guide the reader through the main issues that program directors face from the early stage of program conceptualization and creation through later stages of program management and evaluation. The book keys in on the diverse considerations and skills involved in this leadership work – including advocacy and fund-raising, placement, curriculum development and assessment, teacher preparation and student advocacy – and offers an array of practical advice and pedagogical features.

This is an invaluable resource for advanced students and scholars of applied linguistics and education, as well as future and current language program administrators in institutions of higher education, for understanding the benefits of specialized HL courses, for blazing a trail in future research in this domain, and for forging a path to solidified institutional recognition and support for HL education.

Sara M. Beaudrie is Professor of Spanish Linguistics in the School of International Letters and Cultures at Arizona State University and Director of the Spanish Heritage Program. She is the co-editor of Heritage Language Teaching: Critical Language Awareness Perspectives for Research and Pedagogy (Routledge, 2022) as well as two other volumes on heritage language education. She is also the co-author of Heritage Language Pedagogy: Research and Practice (2014).

Sergio Loza is Assistant Professor of Spanish Linguistics at the University of Oregon and Director of the Spanish Heritage Program. He is the co-editor of Heritage Language Teaching: Critical Language Awareness Perspectives for Research and Pedagogy (Routledge, 2022) and has published extensively on critical language awareness and language ideologies.