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Born: January 27, 1970
Kim is a Professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago where is a professor of Hispanic linguistics in the Department of Hispanic and Italian Studies. Kim grew up in a home where only English was spoken to her but began speaking Spanish at a young age in school.

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Kim Potowski is well known for her research on the benefits of bilingualism/dual language education in children. Based on research she has determined that students who are in dual immersion programs become stronger in both languages that they are studying and are able to achieve high academic success. In an article she wrote called Student Spanish Use and investment in Dual Immersion Classroom: Implications for second language Acquisition and Heritage Maintenance, she took data on a dual immersion classroom and the amount of Spanish and English used with peers as well as the teacher. She found that students often used Spanish when speaking to the classroom teacher but this was not the case when speaking to other students. (Potowoski, 77)

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Another topic she often speaks about is the development of Heritage Spanish Language speakers which is when students primary language at home is Spanish.  In one study she discovered that Heritage speakers have a different language development than non-heritage speakers. She came to this conclusion because when taught similar ideas in the same both heritage speakers and  non-heritage speakers were successful but it seemed non-heritage speakers did better. Therefore they need to be taught language differently. (Morgan-Short & Potowoski, 537)

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Kim has been known to discuss the diversity within the Latino population. Specifically she discussed the Mexican-Puerto Rican heritage.

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In this video Potowski is discussing the idea that all students should have the opportunity to be bilingual or multilingual.  The best way to give students this opportunity is to put them in dualimersion programs where instruction is taught in  another language at a young age.
8:23-10:23

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No child left monolingual: Kim Potowski at TEDxUofIChicago

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Kim Potowski is Associate Professor of Spanish linguistics at the University of Illinois at Chicago, where she directs the Spanish heritage language program. She earned her Ph.D. in Spanish linguistics from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience.

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Potowoski , Kim, and Kara Morgan-Short. "The Effects of Instruction on Linguistic Development in Spanish Heritage Language Speakers." Wiley Online Library. Language Learning A Journal of Research in Language Studies, 7 Aug. 2009. Web. 18 June 2017.

Potowski, Kim. "Student Spanish Use and Investment in a Dual Immersion Classroom: Implications for Second Language Acquisition and Heritage Language Maintenance." The Modern Language Journal 88.1 (2004): 75-101. Jstor. Web. 18 June 2017.

http://potowski.org

http://newswise.com/articles/mexican-puerto-rican-population-in-chicago-examined

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Kim Potowski believes that bilingual/ multilingual education is very important. She thinks there should be dual language programs offered to families at an early age because that is the most optimal time to start a language to become bilingual. She also believes that heritage speakers need programs that are specifically designed for them. They may know " social" Spanish but they need courses geared to their needs to become even more proficient.

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"We can estimate around the world that between 50-60 percent of people are bilingual or multilingual" (This is how she begins many of her "Talks")
"We can become a nation that is English plus where the majority of us our proudly bilingual."

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This graphic is taken from the article Student Spanish Use and investment in Dual Immersion Classroom: Implications for second language Acquisition and Heritage Maintenance. In this study she took 2050 language samples from a classroom and categorized in in to spanish and English and then in to categories like on task, off task, management and unknown.

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Describes Kim's recommended steps to create  course for heritage speakers.
1. Who are your heritage speakers?

2.Based on what students can not yet do, choose your learning goals.

3a. What courses will be offered and will it fulfill a foreign language requirement?

3b. What materials would you use to help accomplish those goals?

4. Design placement testing to create curriculum

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http://potowski.org/content/publication/language-and-identity-dual-immersion-school