Bilingual education benefits both English only students and students who speak another language only. Multiple studies have shown the benefit of immersion to heritage language speakers. Spanish speaking children who enter into Spanish DLI programs have better outcomes than their peers
Author Archives: Marcella Cardoza McCollum
Marcella Cardoza McCollum is a bilingual speech-language pathologist, and assistant professor at San José State University. Her research interests focus on access of underrepresented student populations to appropriate education. She teaches courses and provides seminars in many areas, including language development, aging, clinical perspectives, supervision, accent, and multicultural issues. Marcella has been a member of medical and educational diagnostic/treatment teams and worked with diverse populations, including Native American, Hmong, and Somali families in Minnesota and California.
Posted inOpinion
COMMENTARY: Lack of diversity in healthcare is killing people of color
I am named after my great-grandmother; a curandera (healer) in the mountains of El Salvador, who only had a formal education up to first grade. For her whole adult life, people travel from surrounding villages to be healed by la niña Marcela. I grew up using herbs that have no English names, and having my mother and aunts use everyday herbs like garlic for multiple healing purposes. As a minority in my field (92% white), my upbringing has provided an awareness that a majority of my colleagues lack.