"Just Feel Seamless About That": Diversity Integration and Progress in a Suburban District of Immigrants

• In Event: 56.033 - School Boards in Changing Contexts: An Analysis of Equity and Opportunity in Policy Making Across Missouri

Abstract

Objectives
Demographic changes have posed challenges for many U.S. schools in fulfilling their proposed goal of serving diverse students on an equal ground (Cooper, 2009). This paper examines a particular school district which over last two decades has worked tirelessly to integrate its “English Learner” students from Vietnam, Bosnian, Muslim, and refugee backgrounds. Recognizing that school leaders’ sensemaking of their changing community is a critical factor in implementing equity education (Turner, 2015), we explored how school board members’ perception of community and diversity aligned with the district’s decision-making processes.

Theoretical Framework
We draw on policy implementation theories, specifically regarding school leaders’ sensemaking in local contexts (Dorner, 2011; Evans, 2007; Spillane, Reiser, & Reimer, 2002; Turner, 2015; Weick, Sutcliffe, & Obstfeld, 2005) to understand how school leaders respond to their changing community and its new needs through policy decisions and discourse.

Methods and Data
This case study (Yin, 2014) was developed as part of a larger qualitative project examining school board work in varying demographic contexts across Missouri. We analyze data from the “Beauton” school district, which is located in a suburban county, with about 1,600 students from lower- to mid-income households (58% free/reduced lunch). This district was chosen for its often discussed integration of immigrant and refugee families. Of the entire student population, ~60% are from families that speak languages other than English, mostly Bosnian and Vietnamese; ~30% receive English language services. Data included in-depth interviews with four school board members, five field notes from board meetings and other events, and artifacts including one year of board meeting minutes, program evaluation reports, and the district website. Using a constructivist approach to grounded theory (Charmaz, 2010), we asked: How did Beauton board members define and respond to “community” and “diversity”?

Results and Significance
Initial analyses showed that there was a significant alignment between board members’ sensemaking and diversity-oriented decision making in Beauton. Board members perceived “diversity” as the defining characteristic of their community, which they interpreted to be the contributing factor to intercultural community-building and greater student achievement. Such perceptions were reflected in district policies, programs, and practices. For example, the district comprehensively implemented the SIOP (Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol) method across subject areas, language interpreting services for immigrant families, hiring bilingual staff, and considering dual language programming for the future. Board members’ sensemaking was shaped by greater community partnerships; they spoke about active efforts with local universities and institutes to further their programming. However, Beauton’s diversity was not reflected in leadership; the board was composed of all English-monolingual, U.S.-born members, who still had questions about the immigrant students and family life. Thus, integration throughout the policymaking community was still a work-in-progress.

As one of the more diverse districts in Missouri, this analysis sheds light on how school boards can respond to changing communities and create more equitable educational spaces and policies. Continued analyses will interrogate how the local context supported board member sensemaking, as well as the historical process that brought them to this point.

Authors

• Isabel Cristina Montes, University of Missouri - Columbia

• Sujin Kim, University of Missouri