Vision

MODLAN is a group of educators, school and community leaders, and university professors who believe in multilingual education for all students because linguistically- and culturally-diverse learning opportunities are essential for success in an integrated, transnational society.

Mission

MODLAN aims to:

  • Connect dual language (DL) and multilingual schools and educators across Missouri
  • Share information and research about DL education
  • Prepare strong teachers and school leaders for DL programs
  • Advocate for DL education and multilingualism
  • Empower multilingual parents and communities

History

MODLAN was first conceived by Drs. Kim Song and Lisa Dorner of the University of Missouri and their community partners in 2014. Having worked in multilingual and dual language (DL) communities for years, they saw a need for enhanced educational opportunities and training in Missouri. Currently, MODLAN defines “DL” broadly, including schools or educational programs that use two languages for instruction, with the end goal of bilingualism and biliteracy for a diverse group of students. However, many DL communities are truly “multilingual,” as community members use a range of languages and linguistic resources to interact with each other. Thus, we often speak of “multilingual” education as well.