ABSTRACT
Significant migration into Australia, dating from the end of World War II and increasing in the last 20 years, has been a driving force in initiating Heritage Language (HL) research to investigate and promote understanding of issues in HL learning in the Australian context. Similar factors have also led to the development of the field in North America, which has seen a rapid proliferation of research, professional development projects, and meetings in the last two decades (Van Deusen-Scholl, 2014). Seeking to share resources and insights, in 2001, U.S. and Australian scholars gathered in Melbourne, Australia, to identify potential collaboration in developing, implementing, and evaluating Heritage/Community Language Education. Since then, the rapid development of the field has been characterized by an international outlook and a growing diversity of languages and issues (Hornberger, 2005).
