While much of the literature regarding Spanish as a heritage language has focused on higher education institutions and areas of traditional immigration in the United States, less research has specifically examined Spanish heritage language learner (HLL) policies in states like Tennessee that have recently experienced an exponential rise in the number of Spanish HLLs in schools. Through 22 in‐depth qualitative interviews, this study examines how high school teachers negotiated their institutions' Spanish HLL policies (or lack of them) and how this negotiation informed the implementation of the policies in classroom practices and curricula. Results indicate that teachers worked in a policy vacuum and exerted their agency by creating their own policies and taking initiatives to address issues related to identification, placement, and curriculum that were specific to their contexts and compatible with their pedagogical goals. The study concludes highlighting the importance of bottom‐up language policy and planning in areas of recent immigration.

中文翻译：

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在新拉丁裔侨民中度过政策真空：在田纳西州高中教授西班牙语作为传统语言

尽管许多关于西班牙语作为传统语言的文献都集中在美国的高等教育机构和传统移民领域，但较少的研究专门研究了田纳西州等最近经历了成倍增长的州的西班牙传统语言学习者（HLL）政策。学校中的西班牙HLL数量有所增加。通过22次深入的定性访谈，本研究考察了高中教师如何谈判其机构的西班牙HLL政策（或缺乏），以及该谈判如何为课堂实践和课程中政策的实施提供了信息。结果表明，教师在政策真空中工作，并通过制定自己的政策并采取主动行动来解决与识别，安置，和特定于他们的背景并且与他们的教学目标相适应的课程。该研究的结论强调了自下而上的语言政策和计划在最近移民领域中的重要性。