Words matter. El idioma importa. How much? Join us to learn about the history and future of bilingual education in Arizona. Dr. Nadia R. Granados will discuss the long-term impacts of an elementary Spanish/English dual language immersion program. In 2000, Arizona voters approved Proposition 203 which attempted to dismantle bilingual education in the state except under limited circumstances. Dr. Granados examines how students’ early experiences in a bilingual environment shaped their long-term academic outcomes, linguistic experiences, and their understanding of a multicultural world. Her research highlights the ways in which language gets valued (or devalued) at multiple levels, and how it is imbued with other more complex social meanings and cultural understandings.