Bilingual Research Journal, 37: 223–236, 2014 Copyright © the National Association for Bilingual Education ISSN: 1523-5882 print / 1523-5890 online DOI: 10.1080/15235882.2014.966924 RESEARCH ARTICLES Latina Early Childhood Teachers Negotiating Language Policies en la Frontera Verónica E. Valdez University of Utah Grounded in new language policy studies (McCarty, Collins, & Hopson, 2011), this qualitative study examines two bilingual Latina preschool teachers’ language views, experiences, skills, and goals in a Texas/Mexico border community to determine how these factors mediate their choice to use Spanish/English in their instructional practices with the emergent bilingual children in their class- rooms. Despite a stated institutional language policy that valued the equal use of English and Spanish, case study teachers’ individual values of and practices with each language were shaped by their edu- cational experiences acquiring English. Particularly, their language skills in each language were found to be influential factors in teachers’ negotiations of how much and in what ways Spanish was used for instruction. Implications for teacher training and professional development are discussed. INTRODUCTION Language education policy is complex and riddled with conflicting language ideologies present in U.S. society, ranging from English-only to multilingual sentiments. Some language educa- tion policies have centered on rapid immersion into English instruction such as English as a Second Language (ESL) models. Other efforts have pointed to the need for sustained use and development of the student’s primary home language in instruction, such as is typically pro- vided through various bilingual education models. Research with English learners (ELs) in K–12 education provides the strongest evidence that the use of the student’s home language in instruction promotes high academic achievement in Latina/o students for whom Spanish is a Verónica E. Valdez is an assistant professor in the Department of Education, Culture, and Society at the University of Utah. Her research interests include bi/multilingual language policy and planning and language maintenance for linguistically diverse students, families, schools, and communities. Address correspondence to Verónica E. Valdez, Department of Education, Culture, and Society, University of Utah, 1721 Campus Center Drive, SAEC #3288, Salt Lake City, UT 84112-9256. E-mail: veronica.valdez@utah.edu