Interrogating the Climate of Diverse, Multilingual Schools: Views From Students, Parents, Teachers, and Administrators

Session Type: Symposium

Abstract

Meeting AERA’s mission to promote research that improves education and serves the public good, this symposium is designed to engage policymakers and publics interested in the culture and climate of multilingual schools—spaces where either students have multiple language backgrounds, or educational programs aim to develop bilingualism. This session’s research includes views from diverse stakeholders who shape school climate—students, parents, teachers, and administrators—and analysis of its key dimensions. Papers 1 and 2 explore the institutional environment and relationships at new language immersion schools, from children and parent perspectives; Paper 3 examines how teachers can establish multilingual contexts for literacy learning in English-as-a-Second-Language and general-education classes; and Paper 4 analyzes how school leaders ensure the welcome/safety of undocumented student populations.

Sub Unit

• SIG-Bilingual Education Research

Chair

• Lisa M. Dorner, University of Missouri - Columbia

Papers

• Students Understand and Enact Their "Learner Profile" at Spanish and French Elementary Immersion Schools - Rhodesia McMillian, University of Missouri - Columbia; Lisa M. Dorner, University of Missouri - Columbia

• Mexican Immigrant Parents' Perceptions of Climate at a New Language-Immersion Charter School - David Aguayo, University of Missouri - Columbia

• "I Write to Show How Beautiful My Languages Are": Examining Teachers' Approaches to Translingual Literacies - Angie Zapata, University of Missouri - Columbia; Tasha Marie Tropp Laman, University of Louisville

• Welcoming Undocumented Immigrants? School Leaders' Role in Shaping School Climate - Emily R. Crawford, University of Missouri - Columbia

Discussant

• Deborah K. Palmer, The University of Texas - Austin