Review: Brokering Tareas: Mexican Immigrant Families Translanguaging Homework Literacies and Community Literacies en Confianza: Learning from Bilingual After- School Programs by Steven Alvarez

Abstract

Steven Alvarez’s commitment to understanding the complex challenges faced by emerging bilingual (or multilingual) students and their families is easily seen through his two recently published books, Brokering Tareas: Mexican Immigrant Families Translanguaging Homework Literacies (2017a) and Community Literacies en Confianza: Learning from Bilingual After-School Programs (2017b). Alvarez’s dual studies of after-school programs in New York City and Lexington, Kentucky provide deep insight into the educational challenges emerging bilingual students face in and out of the classroom, as well as how to form relationships between students, parents, teachers, and other mentors that can help students succeed