ABSTRACT
Across the United States, institutions of higher learning are adopting and implementing innovative heritage language (HL) pedagogies into their traditional language curricula. There is undoubtedly great diversity with regard to what these institutions are doing to serve their Spanish heritage language (SHL) learner population. While some programs have begun to consciously serve heritage language learners (HLLs) alongside second language learners (L2s) in mixed classrooms, other programs are able to offer separate courses for HLLs. The future seems promising. Programs offering special tracks have grown in the last two decades from 18% (Wherritt & Cleary, 1990) to 40% (Beaudrie, 2012). The leap is extremely encouraging when set within the historical timeline of SHL education, which can be traced back to the 1970s when a group of concerned educators began a grassroots effort to meet the unique needs of HLLs (Valdés, Lozano, & García-Moya, 1981). Currently, whether programs are able to offer separate tracks or have to serve their students in mixed classroom settings, each situation inspires the implementation of innovative pedagogies both in specific courses and across the curriculum. Adding to this diversity of approaches, we can also find different stages in progress as the process of development and implementation of the innovative programs moves toward possible institutionalization.
