Summary
Bilingual education is now a reality in Spanish schools: 41.4% of primary education (PE) students are enrolled in bilingual programmes. In addition, 14% of students have specific educational support needs (SEN), of whom 85.2% attend mainstream schools (Ministry of Education, Vocational Training and Sports, 2025). Bilingualism promotes intercultural understanding, international collaboration, and provides significant cognitive benefits, particularly in the development of executive functions. Students with SEN can also benefit from these advantages, as bilingual education does not negatively affect content learning (Bialystok, 2020; Genesee, 2015). However, these students are more likely to leave bilingual programmes as they progress through primary education, especially when transitioning to secondary education (Durán-Martínez et al., 2020), limiting their future opportunities.
This project addresses a pressing social need for inclusive education. No student should leave bilingual education because of special educational needs or difficulties adapting to the classroom when, in most cases, effective solutions can be provided. To address this challenge, we propose the development of a tool to identify learning barriers in bilingual educational settings, help remove them, and ensure equal opportunities for all learners. The tool will support both the initial training of primary education teachers and the continuing professional development of practising teachers.
The resource will be made freely available through a web platform incorporating an artificial intelligence agent powered by a knowledge base curated by experts in bilingual education and inclusive teaching, and validated by experienced teachers.
Project Coordinators: Lyndsay Renne Buckingham Reynolds and María Álvarez
Project Results
Results will be published as soon as they have been reviewed, consolidated, and made available through the EUPeace network for the benefit of all participating communities.
