The upcoming U of A English as a Second Language symposium will focus on new legislation in Arkansas regarding bilingual education and dual-immersion programming.

The 14th annual event, sponsored by the College of Education and Health Professions, will be free and held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 26, over Zoom. Speakers include Shantel E. Meek, Megan Godfrey and Susan Ibarra Johnson.

The symposium is titled "Landmark Legislation and Arkansas Act 663 Bilingual Education/Dual Immersion: Envisioning Possibilities for Schools, Teachers, and Emergent Bilingual Students with a Translanguaging Lens."

Meek is a professor of practice and the founding director of the Children's Equity Project at Arizona State University. Her session will focus on young bilingual learners and, based on the science of brain development and bilingualism, discuss how they should be included and considered in policy and funding decisions at the federal, state and local levels to strive for optimal outcomes.

Godfrey is a second-term legislator in the Arkansas House of Representatives. She was a career-long public educator and will complete a Ph.D. in curriculum and instruction from the U of A this spring. Godfrey will share key takeaways from her research and her experience as a legislator in Arkansas about the political work that facilitated the passage of two pro-immigrant education policies in Arkansas. Educators, policymakers and scholars of curriculum and instruction for English learners can apply these concepts in their work.

Ibarra Johnson is an assistant professor of bilingual education and TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) at New Mexico State University at Las Cruces. Her session will focus on translanguaging core beliefs and the different entry points for leveraging it in classrooms. She will share videos featuring three bilingual education teachers who discuss using flexible language with their students. Johnson will also assist participants in planning a translanguaging space for emergent bilingual students.

Participants will receive a certificate for four hours of professional development and DESE Assurance Number upon completion of a survey. Registration is required, and the deadline is Tuesday, Feb. 22. To register after Feb. 22, email the U of A registrar at ksmoot@uark.edu.

Contact Diana Gonzales Worthen or Alissa Blair in the College of Education and Health Professions for more information about the symposium.