"Why Do You Wanna Test Me on These Weird Words?" Common Core and Mexican English Learners

• In Event: Roundtable Session 53
  In Roundtable Session: Imperial Tongues, Colonized Students

Abstract

My study qualitatively investigates the policies and practices that impact adolescent Mexican Emergent Bilinguals (EBs) in a small Wisconsin city. At the same time that this predominantly white, working class school district is responding to an increased number of diverse and non-English speaking learners, it is also undergoing major initiatives to align curriculum with Common Core. These reforms prioritize standardized assessments, homogenous curriculum, and quantitative measurements of teaching performance. However, rather than eliminate educational inequities as proponents claim, these policies have “unintended consequences” on Mexican EBs and their teachers. These students not only struggle with daily microaggressions from a community that is unwelcoming to diverse populations, but also with disconnected curriculum and testing policies that do not address their needs.

Author

• Bailey Smolarek, University of Wisconsin - Madison