Tammy Oberg De La Garza

Building Strong Community Partnerships: Equal Voice and Mutual Benefits

This article explores an urban partnership and service-learning project deliberately created to improve literacy and strengthen learning communities in an urban, Latino neighborhood of Chicago. The project aligns activities and objectives with resources and needs of university participants, a Latino community organization, and local public schools. The needs addressed include (a) improving literacy achievement in Latino students, (b) improving literacy instruction, (c) expanding students’ awareness and engagement with social injustices, and (d) exploring barriers to literacy access in students’ homes and community. This project serves as a model for developing partnerships and outreach between higher education institutions and the community.This article explores an urban partnership and service-learning project deliberately created to improve literacy and strengthen learning communities in an urban, Latino neighborhood of Chicago. The project aligns activities and objectives with resources and needs of university participants, a Latino community organization, and local public schools. The needs addressed include (a) improving literacy achievement in Latino students, (b) improving literacy instruction, (c) expanding students’ awareness and engagement with social injustices, and (d) exploring barriers to literacy access in students’ homes and community. This project serves as a model for developing partnerships and outreach between higher education institutions and the community.

Teaching English in the United States: Looking Back and Moving Forward towards a Brighter Future

This article provides a historical overview of English language instruction in the United States as well as a spectrum of the current models used in schools. From subtractive methods to additive approaches, the benefits of each are explored. This work highlights the rapidly expanding movement towards Dual Language instruction for English language learners, and the advantages it brings to students, schools and the community. The authors examine future considerations for Dual Language programming and the escalating need for these qualified and specialized educators.