This session examines the impact of purposefully designed Spanish Heritage courses at the middle school level and underscores the importance of instruction tailored to heritage language learners. Participants will explore how a dedicated heritage curriculum supports bilingualism, biliteracy, academic achievement, and cultural identity development. The session highlights key design principles, instructional practices, and programmatic considerations that address the unique linguistic strengths and needs of heritage speakers, offering insights for schools seeking to build or strengthen heritage language programs.
