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The multiple academic and social advantages of a dual language education are well known; yet there is little practical guidance for Catholic school leaders who are taking on this whole school change. This paper explores the necessary steps for Catholic school leaders to develop equitable dual language schools. Guided by the Gospel principles of love and justice and using the Community of Practice theoretical framework, the authors argue that taking thoughtful risks in transforming one's school can lead to meaningful learning in service to culturally and linguistically diverse students. Seven main implementation areas for developing a dual language Catholic school are considered: Clear goals, vision, and mission; leadership and support; productive partnerships; quality personnel; knowledge of students and high expectations; recruiting, retaining and reassuring students and families; and cross-cultural curriculum and instruction. Practical insights, timelines for feasibility and implementation, as well as examples for school leaders are provided.

Cultures recreate themselves constantly, sometimes through natural transformations, sometimes through imposition. While colonialism was atrocious, partly because it transformed cultures by imposing disfigured identities and understandings (Fanon, 1963), we cannot reset cultures to how they were before conquest. That would require erasing languages now spoken for generations, dismantling religions and beliefs now practiced for hundreds of years, and purifying food habits now valued by the palettes of those formerly colonized. We can, however, work towards decolonizing our present-day society. Specifically, we can identify how colonialism continues to position some populations and their cultures as inferior (minoritized) and others as superior (majoritized; Vaccaro, 2021). We can also explore how colonized cultures adapted to colonialism, leading to the fusion or mestizaje of cultures that, in spite of colonial atrocities, led to new, intersectional identities that have now fallen prey to the same hegemonic perspectives of the past. And we can examine how natural mestizaje that occurs with immigration can be subject to contradictory pressures to assimilate to colonial ideals and to resist colonial influences. This paper proposes that Catholic schools are in a privileged position to contribute to decolonization by aiding students' transcultural acculturation (Mudambi, 2021a; Mudambi, 2021b). Furthermore, this article offers specific actions in which Catholic schools can engage to mobilize education towards decolonization and, in doing so, foster a Christian culture of equity and justice, while serving as a model for other education systems.

Research has established the connection between the academic success of culturally and linguistically diverse students, and their schools' ability to recruit and retain teachers that reflect such diversity (Shirrell et al., 2019). Studies have also highlighted the criticality of the students' home language use as a way to enhance academic growth and develop their sociocultural competence and well-being (Feinauer & Howard, 2014). There is no research, however, addressing the diferences between the experiences of Hispanic teachers in bilingual Catholic education compared to those in monolingual English Catholic education. This article highlights the diferences captured by a recent study, and discusses the potential lessons learned from these diferences--including their connection to the recruitment and retention of Hispanic bilingual teachers. It concludes by proposing meaningful future research, and by offering recommendations to (a) affirm bilingual Hispanic identities and (b) positively impact educators' career choices and their students' academic experiences.