American Councils Research Center identifies and monitors best practices in second language immersion learning at all levels, through externally-funded and American Councils supported research.
In order to understand successful drivers of language proficiency and cross-cultural competencies, we analyze data in immersion learning, advanced-acquisition, program performance, and curricula, as well as instructional and co-curricular interventions. American Councils' research is widely represented in major U.S. and international academic journals, as well as in study abroad and international education literature.
Dual Language Immersion (DLI)
Dual language immersion (DLI) programs are rapidly becoming prominent across the country in cities and smaller communities alike. As the linguistic range of U.S. schools continues to expand, DLI programs invite students to use their linguistic abilities as key assets in expanding multilingual instruction with native English-speaking students. These programs have been found to significantly raise student achievement in core subjects for both English learners (ELs) and native English speakers.
Dual language education opens a necessary window for educational opportunity by increasing the achievement of all students. DLI programs have been found to reduce achievement gaps between different groups of students, eliminating predictable trends about which students are the highest and lowest achieving in a school system.
View our recent study results of a systematic national canvass of Dual Language Immersion (DLI) programs in the U.S.
View our full portfolio for detailed information.
Our Alliance and Mission
The Alliance is a network of K-12 practitioners and education researchers seeking to advance quality and build capacity in dual language immersion learning by identifying core features and variables for quality implementation in DLI. These programs can successfully prepare students to be bilingual, biliterate, bicultural, and career and college-ready. The Alliance is positioned to address issues in research and policy to ensure long-term success for this important intervention strategy.
Objectives
We seek to develop and carry out a rigorous research agenda on topics that matter to all schools involved in, or planning to be involved in dual language learning. The Alliance will advance excellence in education by providing credible, nonpartisan research and evidence about policies and practices that promote student success. Specifically, we will:
- Conduct rigorous applied research in collaboration with policymakers, educators, and other stakeholders;
- Develop and maintain an archive of available longitudinal data on dual language immersion programs and communities to support ongoing research, and;
- Disseminate research findings to multiple audiences around the nation.
Our Team
The Alliance is led by Dr. Robert Slater, co-director of ARC at American Councils. To ensure that the Alliance addresses a wide spectrum of research and policy questions that reflect the needs and concerns of school districts, we have identified a Steering Committee that works toward setting the agenda and future of the partnership.
Steering Group Members
- Mr. Michael Bacon, Director, Department of Dual Language, Portland (OR) Public Schools
- Dr. Donna Christian, Senior Fellow, Center for Applied Linguistics, Washington, DC
- Ms. Lynn Fulton-Archer, Education Specialist, Delaware State Office of Education
- Dr. Margaret Malone, Director, Center for Assessment, Research and Development, American Council of Teachers of Foreign Languages (ACTFL)
- Ms. Rosa Molina, President, Association of Two-Way and Dual Language Education (ATDLE)
- Mr. Gregg Roberts, Director, Dual Language Studies, American Councils Research Center (ARC)
- Ms. Sylvia Romero-Johnson, Executive Director, Office of Multilingual and Global Education, Madison (WI) Public Schools
- Dr. Robert Slater, Co-Director, American Councils Research Center (ARC)
- Dr. Johanna Watzinger-Tharp, Associate Professor, Department of Linguistics, University of Utah
- Mr. Jon Valentine, Director, Foreign Language Programs, Gwinnett County (GA) Public Schools
Our Practitioner Partners
We are joined in this initial effort by a group of founding partners. These partners already represent more than 500 dual language programs, with over 70,000 students enrolled in these programs. These include:
- Anchorage (AL) School District
- Cave Creek (AZ) Unified School District, Scottsdale, AZ
- Delaware Department of Education, World Languages and International Education
- District of Columbia Public Schools
- Gwinnett County (GA) Public Schools
- Herrick (NY) Public Schools
- Los Angeles Unified School District
- Madison (WI) Metropolitan School District, Office of Multilingual and Global Education
- Natrona (WY) County Schools
- North Carolina Department of Public Instruction
- Portland (OR) Public Schools, Department of Dual Language
- Utah State Board of Education
Our Research Partners
Our researchers encompass a wide range of disciplines and professions including education policy, second language learning, assessment, econometrics, and linguistics.
- Dr. Alison Bailey, Professor, Graduate School of Education & Information Studies, University of California, Los Angeles
- Dr. Richard Brecht, Co-Director, American Councils Research Center, American Councils for International Education
- Dr. Donna Christian, Senior Fellow, Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL)
- Dr. Dylan Conger, Associate Professor, Trachtenberg School of Public Policy, George Washington University
- Dr. Dan Davidson, Senior Academic Advisor and President, Emeritus, American Councils for International Education
- Dr. Susan Eaton, Director Sillerman Center for the Advancement of Philanthropy, Heller School for Social Policy and Management, Brandeis University
- Dr. Erika Feinauer, Associate Professor, Department of Teacher Education, Brigham Young University
- Dr. Tara Fortune, Director, Immersion Programs, Center for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition, University of Minnesota
- Dr. Patricia Gandara, Research Professor and Co-Director, The Civil Rights Project, UCLA
- Dr. Elizabeth Howard, Associate Professor, Neag School of Education, University of Connecticut
- Kathryn Lindholm-Leary, Private Consultant
- Dr. Margaret Malone, Director, Center for Assessment, Research and Development, ACTFL.
- Ms. Myriam Met, Private Consultant
- Dr. Trey Miller, Economist, American Institutes for Research
- Dr. Fernando Rubio, Associate Professor, Second Language Teaching and Research Center, Department of World Languages and Cultures, University of Utah
- Dr. Robert Slater, Co-Director of the American Councils Research Center
- Dr. Jennifer Steele, Associate Professor, School of Education, Teaching and Health, American University
- Ann Tollefson, Private Consultant
- Dr. Johanna Watzinger-Tharp, Associate Professor of Linguistics, College of Humanities, University of Utah
- Dr. Conor Williams, Senior Researcher, Education Policy, New America
- Dr. Gema Zamarro Rodriguez, Endowed Chair in Teacher Quality, College of Education and Health Professionals, University of Arkansas
Our Organizational Partners
Each of these organizations is a cornerstone to the Alliance’s efforts to ensure that our work reflects the expertise of the nation’s best researchers and policy experts.
- American Council of Teachers of Foreign Languages (ACTFL)
- Association of Two-Way and Dual Language Education (ATDLE)
- Brandeis University, HSSPM
- Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL)
- Multistate Association of Bilingual Education, Northeast (MABE)
- New America
- The RAND Corporation
- The University of California, Los Angeles, GSEIS
- The University of Minnesota, CARLA
- The University of Utah, L2TReC
Research Efforts
2021 Canvass of Dual Language and Immersion (DLI) Programs in U.S. Public Schools
The American Councils Research Center (ARC) is pleased to announce the results of a systematic national canvass of Dual Language Immersion (DLI) programs in the U.S. The study was overseen by Mr. Gregg Roberts, Director of Dual Language Studies at ARC. Read the study.
Foreign Language Proficiency in Higher Education
A 2019 ARC study, co-authored by Dan Davidson and Jane Shaw, compares the development of a second language among early- and advanced-level learners of Arabic, Chinese and Russian during year-long study abroad, and also explores the relationship between reading and listening comprehension in L2 to a student’s overall proficiency growth. Read the study.
America’s Languages: American Academy of Arts & Sciences
The Commission on Language Learning released the first comprehensive report on U.S. language education in decades. ARC Director Dr. Dan E. Davidson contributed to the report. Karl Eikenberry, former U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan and current member of the American Councils' board of trustees, also contributed. Read the report.
Assessing Language Proficiency and Intercultural Development in the Overseas Immersion Context
This study is a comparison of the development of both language proficiency and intercultural development. Read more here.
The Development of L2 Proficiency and Literacy within the Context of the Federally Supported Overseas Language Training Programs for Americans
This research published ARC studies on language gains within the NSLI-Y, CLS, and Flagship Programs. Read more here.
The Effect of DLI on Student Achievement: Utah Public Schools Study
This two-year study of dual-language immersion in Utah is funded by the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) and the U.S. Department of Education. Learn more.
Effects of Dual-Language Immersion Programs on Student Achievement
This documents the causal effects of dual-language immersion programs on students' test scores in reading, mathematics, and science, and on English learners' reclassification. Learn more.
Survey of U.S. & Russian Language Enrollments
Sponsored by the National Security Education Program, the study reports on Russian language enrollments in U.S. high schools, identifying the number of schools offering Russian language courses throughout the U.S., enrollment levels, numbers of teachers, and the administration of the Prototype AP Russian exam (now known as NEWL Russian).The results of the survey were published in the Russian Language Journal (Vol 59, 2009)by Dr. Dan E. Davidson and Nadra Garas.
National K-12 Foreign Language Enrollment Report
ARC analyzed K-12 foreign language enrollment data as it currently stands in the U.S., where more than 21 percent of households speak a language other than English at home. Read the report.
The Outbound Alumni Survey Project
A survey of 701 U.S. alumni of select overseas Russian language programs in 2000. The primary purpose of the study was to gain a perspective on the long-term impact of exchange on both personal and career development.
Study of Less Commonly Taught Languages in U.S. High Schools
American Councils conducted a nationwide survey of less commonly taught language instruction in U.S. high schools to identify and collect basic data on language instruction in order to support efforts to strengthen critical foreign language education. The survey was sponsored by the National Security Education Program, The Language Flagship, and American Councils for International Education. Languages include Russian, Arabic, Chinese, Turkish, Japanese, Persian, Turkmen, Uzbek, Swahili, Yoruba, Tajik, Azeri, Kazakh, and Kyrgyz. Read the report.
Study of Dual Language Immersion in Utah Public Schools
This research brief summarizes results of a two-year study of a Dual Language Immersion (DLI) scale-up initiative in Utah, funded by the Institute of Education Sciences (IES). The brief was prepared by American Councils Research Center (ARC) in partnership with American University, the University of Utah, and the Utah State Board of Education. Senior ARC Fellow Dr. Robert Slater directed the project and co-authored the research brief. Read the report.
To request a report or inquire about our research, contact research@americancouncils.org.