FOREWORD
Spanish Literacy Language Pedagogy for Biliteracy Programs, Second Edition
by Jill Kerper Mora, Ed.D.
With a deep interest in preparing teachers to work in bilingual education and research experience within bilingual classrooms and with bilingual students, we are exceptionally impressed and enthused by the publication of Dr. Jill Kerper Mora’s second edition of her book, Spanish Language Literacy Language Pedagogy for Biliteracy Programs. We are impressed by the comprehensiveness and depth of the content of this book. It literally covers just about every aspect of what teachers, administrators, parents and community members need to know and understand about language pedagogy and biliteracy development.
With the current impressive growth of bilingual education programs throughout communities in the United States, Dr. Mora’s book is thorough and addresses a multitude of aspects related to the teaching/learning of Spanish Literacy and Biliteracy. We need to focus continually on programmatic improvement to produce well prepared biliterate students who can enter and succeed in the multilingual world that they live in. This book is a great contribution to a more excellent future for bilingual education programs as well as in the breadth and depth of pedagogical knowledge for bilingual teachers.
Our first perusal of the book started at the table of contents which outlines the bounteous quantity of highly relevant topics—research, pedagogy in language development, literacy and biliteracy instructional practices, linguistic and metalinguistic factors in language (L1 and L2) teaching/learning and so much more richness. There are seven chapters–each of which has numerous subsections with intriguing titles that promise exciting and powerful learning. For example, chapter two is entitled Linguistic Foundations of Literacy and contains subsections like Language and Literacy Universals, A Linguistic-Based Biliteracy Curriculum, and Natural Order of Acquisition Hypothesis. For those of us who study and value bilingual education deeply, we see these titles as a menu of ultra-richness of knowledge for our hungry minds. In addition to these provocative chapters and subsections, there are equally enticing sections entitled Resource, Figures, Tables and Appendices which offer a treasure trove of knowledge that bilingual educators can use to create, organize and implement strong and effective bilingual education programs and pedagogy.
Practicing bilingual teachers will love this book because each chapter offers them a treasure trove of practical and ingenious Vignettes of real teachers in real classrooms teaching real lessons. For example, Vignette 6 is a Word Study Lesson Planning Vignette from teachers at Lincoln Juárez Elementary that addresses components of the Common Core en Español Standards, including foundational skills such as phonological awareness, spelling and vocabulary at each grade level. There are multiple such vignettes throughout every chapter, and each is a gift to practicing or even future bilingual teachers.
In addition, Dr. Mora has more gifts to offer us. Within each chapter are also exceptionally helpful Tables, Graphics and Figures. Figures provide the teacher and reader with educationally rich tidbits of knowledge such as the figure Phonics in Biliteracy Classrooms is a side-by-side comparisons of Spanish L1 and English L2 Phonics (insert figure here). Tables share critical knowledge that teachers can use in classroom lessons. Table 7: Text Elements by Genre, for example, is a matrix of elements in four genres; history, fairy tales, biography and adventures. Each square has approximately ten to twelve elements. This is very useful teacher support. There are eighty pages of appendices that offer bountiful riches to readers. Appendix A. offers such gems as the first page titled Demographics and Dual Language Model Analysis Worksheet. This worksheet provides a matrix of categories for Bilingual Education programs to gather key information that will help program staff. Another form, Inventario de Destrezas en Ejemplares de Composición Kindergarten y Primer Grado, provides the skills and evidence associated with them. Appendix B offers us Selections from the Mexico Program appropriate for grades K-5 in Spanish.
Dr. Mora’s book offers us the best that the reader can experience as pleasure for themselves. What we truly appreciate about the book is that it uses both Spanish and English as the languages of communication as a matter of course. This is very respectful and appropriate given the topic and the prospective readers who are very likely to be bilingual.
On essential elements, content and accuracy, Dr. Mora meets the high caliber criterion. The content must be accurate, up-to-date and provide relevant information because the subject matter needs to be presented by a recognized expert. Dr. Mora is unquestionably in that category, having prepared bilingual teachers at San Diego State University and conducted research in bilingual classrooms in the United States and Mexico for many decades of her professional career. As researchers and bilingual teacher educators, we are extremely impressed with her copious references to research in bilingual education pedagogy, curriculum, and policy. The research element ensures its accuracy. The bibliography is extensive and could easily help any educator complete a doctorate in bilingual education.
The real triumph of this book, however, is its pedagogy. It is actually Pedagogy Squared. First, it is an exemplary textbook that is a comprehensive and well-structured resource that serves as a solid foundational guide for establishing a bilingual program for Spanish English literacy development and providing highly effective bilingual and biliteracy pedagogy. From a learner’s perspective the book makes the content matter engaging, relevant and powerful. This is due not only to the features and resources described above such as the vignettes and graphics, but also to the clear, simple, lucid writing that communicates effectively and avoids jargon. It has high-quality illustrations, diagrams, charts and tables that are powerful aides for appreciating and understanding complexities involved in the practices of bilingual education programs and pedagogy.
This leads to the second part of the equation; this book is an excellent pedagogical tool to teach pedagogy for bilingual students– “Pedagogy Squared!” If you want to know what you need to know and do to be an excellent bilingual teacher, you must read this book. Indeed, if anyone of us want to know just about all that there is to know about how to establish a high-quality bilingual program we should read, Dr. Mora’s (2025) Spanish Literacy Language Pedagogy for Biliteracy Programs, Second Edition
¡Felicidades! Dra. Jill Kerper Mora! Brilliant Work! Exceptionally Done! Outstanding Contribution to the Successful Future of Bilingual Education and “Pedagogy Squared!”
Dra. Barbara Flores
Professor Emerita
CSU San Bernardino
Dr. Esteban Díaz
Professor Emeritus
CSU San Bernardino
September 15, 2025