In 2018, California became the only U.S. state to develop and publish a comprehensive strategic plan for teaching Portuguese language and cultures. Titled Portuguese Beyond Borders: Inspiring Language, Culture, Heart, & Community, the plan reflects a forward-looking and inclusive framework to preserve, expand, and institutionalize Portuguese instruction across public education systems and community contexts. More than a pedagogical manual, this strategic plan is a roadmap to cultural empowerment, civic engagement, and transnational identity building—one shaped not by government decree, but by the tireless efforts of educators, students, civic leaders, and diasporic advocates throughout the Golden State.

A Unique and Collaborative Endeavor

From its inception, the Strategic Plan was marked by democratic participation and community ownership. As noted in its acknowledgments, the plan emerged from the “dedicated effort and collaboration of our diverse stakeholders: teachers, administrators, students, parents, community members, activists, and business and civic leaders”. This breadth of engagement fostered a collective vision rooted in linguistic justice, educational equity, and cultural celebration.

The plan’s title—Portuguese Beyond Borders—captures its bold intention: to reframe Portuguese not as a heritage language confined to ethnic enclaves, but as a global, transcontinental, and 21st-century linguistic asset. In a time when monolingualism still predominates American educational frameworks, California’s call to promote Portuguese “as a Global Language” stands out as a powerful act of reimagination.

Core Vision and Mission

At the heart of the Strategic Plan lies a clear vision: “Portuguese Beyond Borders: Inspiring Language, Culture, Heart, & Community.” Its mission is tripartite:

1. CREATE powerful educational programs promoting the Portuguese language and culture.
2. INSPIRE communities to reimagine the role of Portuguese in their lives.
3. ADVOCATE for public policy that recognizes the language’s global and local significance.

This mission is animated by six core values: identity and cultural character, creativity and innovation, multilingualism and global competency, collaboration and cooperation, family and community, and advocacy-oriented leadership. These values ground the plan in human dignity, generational continuity, and educational rigor.

Strategic Goals and Action Items

The plan is structured around six strategic goals, each with concrete recommendations. Together, they envision a comprehensive system that serves students from preschool through college (PreK–16), integrating adult learners and non-heritage speakers.

1. Organizational Infrastructure & Sustainability

The first goal sets the foundation for structural coherence, urging the Portuguese-American community to “leave a legacy of transformative change and empowerment” by creating “the most appropriate organizational structure (i.e., coalition, community-based organization)”. It emphasizes fiscal development, online project management, and ongoing communication campaigns that spotlight the relevance of the Portuguese language in the modern economy and workforce.

2. Student, Family, & Community Engagement

This goal emphasizes relational and cultural immersion. It calls for “strong multimedia/multiplatform family and community engagement programs,” as well as student-led campaigns to promote multilingualism and Portuguese-specific language pride. One particularly innovative recommendation is the creation of online Portuguese centers to reach rural and underserved communities across the state.

3. Advocacy

Advocacy is a central tenet of the plan. It proposes developing a political platform, cultivating Portuguese-friendly candidates, and sponsoring an annual “Day on the Hill” in Washington, D.C., and Sacramento. By creating “advocacy training” and student/parent ambassador programs, the plan empowers the community to claim its place in policy dialogues.

4. Powerful Partnerships

The fourth goal seeks to formalize partnerships with civic, academic, and business entities. It envisions turning Portuguese halls into active community centers and leveraging institutions of higher education (IHEs) to create seamless pathways from high school Portuguese to college credit and certifications.

5. Programs, Services, & Resources

Perhaps the most pedagogically urgent goal, this section outlines actions to expand access to Portuguese education and deepen instructional quality. It recommends summer immersion programs, themed activity kits, a robust Portuguese “Success Website,” and performance-based assessments tailored to language development. It also advocates for promoting the California Seal of Biliteracy for Portuguese—a critical credential to affirm multilingual proficiency.

6. Professional Learning & Leadership

Recognizing that teachers are pivotal to program success, the plan proposes a “common professional development framework” and a state-wide mentoring program to cultivate high-quality Portuguese language educators. It recommends demonstration sites, teacher certification pathways, and regional conferences to foster a statewide network of pedagogical excellence.

Pathways Forward: Short-Term and Long-Term Impacts

The Strategic Plan explicitly notes that it is not meant to criticize current efforts but rather to build upon them. It recognizes the importance of assessing “what IS in order for us to accurately be able to plot our path to our desired future”. Its flexible implementation model encourages local districts, cultural associations, and higher education institutions to adopt components most aligned with their needs.

Key actions that can be taken immediately to increase the number of students include:

• Creating multimedia advocacy campaigns showcasing Portuguese as an asset for the global economy.
• Establishing dual-language immersion programs in school districts with large Portuguese-speaking populations.
• Launching student clubs and competitions that raise awareness of Portuguese literature, music, and history.
• Organizing family literacy nights that promote intergenerational learning and language transmission.
• Pursuing teacher credentialing pathways in collaboration with local universities to expand the educator pipeline.

Over time, these actions, coupled with robust partnerships and community investment, can dramatically shift the trajectory of Portuguese language education in California and serve as a national model.

A Tragic Oversight: Portugal’s Institutional Silence

Yet, for all its innovation and democratic ethos, the Strategic Plan has been met with a deafening silence from those who should have been its greatest champions. The Portuguese government and some traditional institutions in Lisbon, Madeira, and the Azores failed to meaningfully engage with or acknowledge the plan. This absence is especially painful given that “the document is the fruit of [the] collaborative spirit, passion, and enthusiastic support” of hundreds of community members, educators, and leaders.

Despite Camões—Instituto da Cooperação e da Língua’s stated mission to support Portuguese teaching abroad, there has been a lack of tangible follow-up, investment, or partnership. This omission reflects a broader pattern: an outdated model in which Lisbon-centric policies ignore or minimize the evolving realities of the Portuguese diaspora, particularly in North America. There remains a persistent disconnect between Portugal’s cultural diplomacy and the lived experiences of communities who struggle to keep the language alive outside traditional heritage structures.

As the plan recognizes, “The time is right for us to move forward”. But without support from the Portuguese government, the burden falls entirely on community volunteers, educators, and local institutions already stretched thin. Suppose Portugal hopes to remain relevant in global language conversations. In that case, it must recognize that its diaspora is not a peripheral asset but the center of the next linguistic and cultural expansion phase.

Inspiring Language, Culture, Heart, and Community

Still, there is hope. The cover of the Strategic Plan speaks not just of curriculum or policy, but of heart: “Portuguese Beyond Borders: Inspiring Language, Culture, Heart, & Community.” These are not just words; they are a lifeline. They point to a vision of California where a preschooler in Tulare, a high schooler in San Jose, or a college student in San Diego can find a language of connection, pride, and possibility in Portuguese.

In this vision, language is more than grammar or vocabulary—it is belonging. Culture is more than history—it is hope. And community is not inherited—it is created, nurtured, and defended.

Let us then carry forward the torch lit by this strategic plan. Let it illuminate new schools, new partnerships, and new leaders. Let it remind every parent and student that their language, story, and voice can shape the future.

The plan states, “Our journey unfolds as we strive to believe that large-scale success is possible, envision that success clearly, and then create that success by inspiring achievement.” And so, with pen in hand and heritage in heart, we write not just a plan, but a promise—that the language of Camões shall echo in classrooms and courtyards, in lullabies and legislatures, carried not by fate, but by faith. Portuguese shall not sleep in silence—it shall rise, spoken boldly, beyond borders.

Diniz Borges