The CUNY-NYSIEB web series Teaching Bilinguals (Even If You're Not One) and the accompanying article “I’m Multilingual” penned by Espinet et al. (2019) render a very convincing and substantiated remaking of the whole concept of how schools may assist the emergent bilinguals—not by forcing them to live in English environments, but rather by affirming and utilizing the whole linguistic repertoires of students through translanguaging and the whole idea of 'language use' in education. They, along with the other sources, maintain that accepting the students' home languages as a part of their educational process is not only a matter of educational justice but also a pedagogical strategy based on the research that results in measurable academic achievement and community cohesion.
Sarah Vogel's introductory letter, which is part of the web series, pinpoints a historical conflict in American education that is still pertinent today: the issue of linguistic diversity has been always considered a problem that needs to be solved rather than a resource that can be utilized. The negative and painful story of language suppression in schools has paved the way for translanguaging to be seen as an educational technique, not just a change in the traditional educators' philosophy. To put it in Vogel's words, translanguaging gives the learners the opportunity to "employ all their languages wisely" to comprehend the subject matter and the series is committed to demonstrating that even monolingual teachers can be part of developing such accepting atmospheres.
The paper by Espinet et al. provides a comprehensive case study of this method at KAPPA International High School in the Bronx where it is practiced without any doubt. It is really remarkable how KAPPA school has taken the theory of translanguaging and applied it to different aspects of the school life—from teaching and learning to the involvement of the local community and peer mentoring. The academics present a very distinct three-pronged structure of translanguaging practices: documentation (to gain insight into student learning), rings (to support instruction), and transformation (to make English-only practices extinct). Implementing such strategies enables the educational system to effectively meet the needs of the students while also transforming traditional teacher-students relations into a more humane one especially when those students have been neglected by conventional methods of teaching.
The way in which translanguaging acts as a cohesive factor that strengthens the school community is perhaps the most remarkable thing about it. The slogan “I am multilingual! Are you?” printed on students' T-shirts and the home language recorded student-led conferences are among the examples that demonstrate that the practice of allowing different languages in school can lead to the formation of the threefold virtues of curiosity, pride, and social interconnectedness. One of the student mentors named Camila insists on the teaching of content and key vocabulary in English and Spanish, not as a crutch but as a scaffold. Her perspective is very much in line with the broader theme which is seen in both texts: when the language and culture of the students are acknowledged, they not only become more competent but also more willing to participate in the learning process.
The results are truly remarkable. In spite of the fact that emergent bilinguals in the city graduate at a rate of 30.8%, KAPPA's bilingual students reach almost double that number (58.3%). The academic improvement of the students is not merely incidental; it is the outcome of the implementation of a pedagogical shift along with the equity, care, and high expectations that are the hallmarks of KAPPA's institutional culture. Instead of the "deficit lens" that's so often used with the English Language Learner (ELL) category, KAPPA's strategy sees multilingualism as a right and an asset at the same time.
All in all, these texts are an invitation to educators and policymakers to reconsider their definition of what efficient instructions are for bilinguals. Translanguaging does not mean lowering academic standards or discontinuing the teaching of English. It is the opposite; it means recognizing the multilingual background of the students and allowing that reality to exist in the classroom. The web series from CUNY-NYSIEB has made it perfectly clear that even teachers who are not bilingual still can and have to learn how to support translanguaging in order to create educational settings that are more inclusive, just, and effective.