Editorial Francisco Lorenzo* and Oliver Meyer Languages of Schooling: Explorations into Disciplinary Literacies: an Introduction https://doi.org/10.1515/eujal-2017-0025 Europe was once labelled the spiritual reconstruction of Babel 1 , the natural cross- roads of diverse tongues and the wellspring of languages which would eventually spread around the world. Language diversity is inherent to the continent and over the centuries policies have been implemented to harmonize and oft-times to repress multilingualism. The Council of Europe (CoE) has been a major player in contemporary continental policymaking, whose Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, Teaching, Assessment (CEFR) and European Language Port- folio (ELP), two of its hallmark deliverables in this century, have led to a thorough reconsideration of language or, at least, language education. Driven by social and political concerns, the CoE has now focused on the development of academic language as a necessary conduit for educational success and social integration. This applies both to European nationals with official languages and to newcomers of school-going age who have a language profile differing from the mainstream. International language benchmarking initiatives (PISA, PIRLS) have identified language competence as an intervening factor in learning in all areas and, as a result, the attention has turned to how languages are articulated in relation to the other school subjects (mathematics, history, etc.). Therefore, the CoE is taking action to ensure high literacy levels across the board in order to meet literacy targets as demanded by international bodies like the OCDE (see CoE Recommen- dation CM/Rec(2014)5). The European Language Policy Division is currently pursuing a full description of subject languages; a new insight into the develop- ment of disciplinary literacy. A first step in this direction has been the publication *Corresponding author: Francisco Lorenzo, Facultad de Humanidades, Edificio 2, Ctra. Utrera km.1, 41013 Sevilla, Spain, E-Mail: fjlorber@upo.es Oliver Meyer, Fachdidaktik des Englischen, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität, Jakob-Welder-Weg 18, D-55128 Mainz, Germany, E-Mail: omeyer@uni-mainz.de 1 Zweig, Stefan: 1916. The Tower of Babel. EuJAL 2017; 5(2): 153–156 MOUTON Brought to you by | UCL - University College London Authenticated Download Date | 9/21/17 5:35 PM