CL2EAR Programs

Project PILAR

Project PILAR aims to assist teachers, administrators, families, and policy makers with the preparation of dual language bilingual education in Indiana.

A teacher works with a student at a desk

Program Overview

Project Parental Inclusion in Language and Research (PILAR) is a comprehensive and integrated professional transformation project, designed to create the conditions for partner districts to succeed in developing highly effective dual language bilingual education (DLBE) programs that will then serve as a model to newer DLBE schools throughout Indiana. Project PILAR will provide licensure in English Learner (EL) and DLBE education and/or master’s degrees in bilingual education, family and community biliteracy activities, evidence-based professional training, and policy priorities informed by project findings. Project PILAR focuses on:

  • pre-service and in-service DLBE teachers and their EL students,
  • instructional coaches,
  • family liaisons,
  • EL families,
  • EL Directors,
  • a DLBE teacher cadre,
  • Indiana educators improving their capacities to teach in DLBE programs through evidence-based professional development, and
  • educators participating in advocacy and policy activities for Indiana DLBE.
A young female teacher reads to a group of students from a chapter book

Project Goals

Goal 1: Increase the number, quality, and capacity of pre-and in-service DLBE educators through EL and bilingual teacher preparation, EL licensure, Dual Language graduate certification, DLBE master’s degrees, and instructional coaching.

Goal 2: Engage DL bilingual families, district family liaisons, community organizations and pre-and in-service teachers to improve EL students’ development and maintenance of both Spanish and English oracy and biliteracy; include findings in in-service licensure courses.

Goal 3: Disseminate Project PILAR findings on evidence-based DLBE instructional practices, DLBE coaching techniques, and DLBE family literacy to three geographically-representative educational service centers to enhance instruction, coaching, and family literacy quality and outcomes within Indiana DLBE programs.

Goal 4: Develop and expand a statewide network, in cooperation with DLBE school and district administrators, instructional coaches, INTESOL and the IDOE’s Dual Language Network, community agencies, the PILAR teacher cadre, and Advisory Council to implement systematic change to DLBE policies.

Sherman, B., Morita-Mullaney, T., & Renn, J. (2025). Speaking Up, Pushing Back, Closing the Door: Agency of Open and Covert Teacher Resistance in Dual-Language Bilingual Education. AERA Open, 11. https://doi.org/10.1177/23328584241311818

Li, H. Wright, W. E., & Morita-Mullaney, T. (2024). Literacy Instruction for English Language Learners in Indiana Elementary Schools before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Journal of English Learner Education, 16(2). https://stars.library.ucf.edu/jele/

Renn, J., Choi, W., Li, H., Wright, W., & Morita-Mullaney, T. (2024). Supporting bilingualism during the COVID-19 pandemic: dual language bilingual education teachers’ experiences and challenges. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1080/13670050.2024.2432509

Renn, J., Li, H., Choi, W., Wright, W. and Morita-Mullaney, T. (2023), Making “Small Waves of Change”: Dual Language and General Education Teacher Transformation through Instructional Coaching. TESOL Quarterly. https://doi.org/10.1002/tesq.3216 

Choi, W., Kim, W. H., Wright, W. E., & Morita-Mullaney, T. (2023). Improving English language arts instruction in Indiana dual language bilingual education classrooms. Language and Education, 37(2), 151-170. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09500782.2022.2032731

Morita-Mullaney, T., Renn, J., & Chiu, M. (2022). Spanish language proficiency in Dual Language and English as a Second Language Models: The Impact of model, time, teacher, and student on Spanish language development. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 1-19, DOI: 10.1080/13670050.2022.2089012. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13670050.2022.2089012

Contesting math as the universal language: a longitudinal study of dual language bilingual education language allocation

Trish Morita-Mullaney, Jennifer Renn, & Ming Ming Chiu

Obscuring Equity in Dual Language Bilingual Education: A Longitudinal Study of Emergent Bilingual Achievement, Course Placements, and Grades

Trish Morita-Mullaney, Jennifer Renn, & Ming Ming Chiu

García, A. M., Zhang, R., King, A., & Morita-Mullaney, T. (2021). ” Español, el Idioma Que Nosotros Hablamos”: A Collective Case Study of Home Language Use and Literacy Practices of Mexican American Families. School Community Journal, 31(2), 213-238. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1323027

Renn, J., Morita-Mullaney, T., & Wright, W.E. (2020). The ELL-Teacher Cohort Model: Communities of Practice in Online Learning. TESOL Connections. http://newsmanager.commpartners.com/tesolc/print/2020-06-01/3.html

Morita-Mullaney, T., Renn, J., Garcia, A., & Wright, W.E. (2020). Preparing K–12 teachers for effective instruction of English learners: The transformation of a Purdue University online language teacher education program. In H. S. Kang, D. S. Shin, & T. Cimasko (Eds.), Online Education for Teachers of English as a Global Language (pp. 19-38). New York: Routledge.

Multiliteracies in Rural Communities: The “Revuelto y Mezclado” of Home and Community Literacy Practices of Midwestern Emergent Bilingual Families

Trish Morita-Mullaney, Haiyan Li, & Jennifer Renn

Nurturing Spanish-speaking English learners to be bilinguals in the rural Midwest: Challenges and possible solutions

Haiyan Li & Jennifer Renn

Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL)

The mission of the Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL) is to promote language learning and cultural understanding by serving as a trusted source for research, resources, and policy analysis. Through its work, CAL seeks solutions to issues involving language and culture as they relate to access and equity in education and society around the globe.

¡Colorín Colorado!

Colorín Colorado is the premier national website serving educators and families of English language learners (ELLs) in Grades PreK-12. Colorín Colorado has been providing free research-based information, activities, and advice to parents, schools, and communities around the country for more than a decade.

Indiana Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (INTESOL)

INTESOL–as a statewide professional association–supports and seeks to inspire those involved in English language teaching, teacher education, administration and management, curriculum and materials design, and research; provides leadership and direction through the dissemination and exchange of information and resources; encourages access to and standards for English language instruction, professional preparation, and employment; and supports the initiatives of its international parent organization TESOL, Inc.

National Association for Bilingual Education

The National Association for Bilingual Education is the only national professional organization devoted to representing bilingual/multilingual students and bilingual and dual language education professionals. As tireless advocates, NABE works to influence, support and create policies, programs, research, pedagogy and quality professional development because investing in our children’s education is an investment in our nation’s future leadership and our world’s well-being.

National Clearinghouse for English Language Acquisition

NCELA collects, coordinates, and conveys a broad range of research and resources in support of an inclusive approach to high quality education for ELs. To fulfill its mission, NCELA supports high quality networking among state-level administrators of Title III programs. In addition to SEA coordinators, NCELA serves other stakeholders involved in EL education, including teachers and other practitioners, parents, university faculty, administrators, and federal policymakers.

National Committee for Effective Literacy

The National Committee for Effective Literacy uplifts research, policies, and practices to ensure that English learners/emergent bilinguals leave school as proficient readers and writers in English — and preferably more languages — and who thrive and succeed in school and their communities.

Red Bilingue Mex-US

Center for Applied Linguistics in collaboration with the Embassy of Mexico announced the free release of hundreds of online, authentic Spanish language educational materials for language teachers across the United States, including digital textbooks, movies, videos, audio clips, and more.

WIDA

At WIDA, we create more than just assessments. We support students, families, educators and administrators with high-quality, research-based tools and resources, dedicated to language development for multilingual learners. We strive to provide multilingual learners – of all ages and all levels of language development, in programs and classrooms around the world – with an equitable opportunity to obtain a quality education that reinforces learner assets. We believe that the best way to support multilingual learners’ success is to support the entire system: not only do we design the standards and assessments, we also create teaching tools and offer instructional support to make language development and learning more effective. We provide opportunities for professional learning to empower educators. And we continually collaborate with educators, state and local educational agencies, researchers, policy-makers and thought-leaders worldwide to seek out even more ways to further language learning.

Our Team

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Virak Chan

Clinical Associate Professor

Priya M. Dabak

Graduate Student

Kelly Farkas

Graduate Student

Anne Garcia

Project Manager

Trish Morita-Mullaney

Professor

Santiago Parra

Teaching Assistant

Jennifer Renn

Research Assistant Professor

Wayne E. Wright

Associate Dean for Research, Graduate Programs and Faculty Development & Professor and Barbara I. Cook Chair of Literacy and Language

Yangyang Zhu

Graduate Student

  • Alejandro Baquero-Sierra
  • Melinda White
  • Rong Zhang

Contact Us

Center for Literacy and Language Education and Research logo

For questions or additional information about Project PILAR, email us.