The Literacy Engagement of Language-Minoritized Students: A Humanizing High School in South Texas

• In Event: 28.059 - Humanizing Schools for Multilingual Learners in the "Post-Truth" Era

Abstract

Purpose: Current political discourses on curbing immigration, building a border wall, and ending the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Act bend toward dehumanizing diversity which directly impact public education, especially schools serving minoritized communities. Challenging the dehumanization of minoritized communities, we present findings from a study conducted from 2017 to-date that sheds light on how a humanizing school culture and climate of authentic care promotes the affective well-being and academic success of language-minoritized students. The context of the study is a large urban Title I school under an Independent School District in South Texas serving 2117 secondary students of whom 80.7% are Hispanic, 13.3% White, 2.7% Black, 0.01% American Indian, 2.3% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, and 0.7 two or more races. In 2009, the state’s Annual Report Card evaluated the school as “Low-performing/Unacceptable;” however, by 2014 the school turned from the brink of closure to improved scores in reading and math and higher rates of graduation, student retention, and college enrollment.
Research Context/Method: The conceptual framework for this study draws from Freire’s (1998) notion of humanization as “armed love” (p. 41) for creating a school-wide culture of close-knit relationships. Participants in the study comprised the principal of the school, a dean, six teachers, eight students, four parents/guardians, and two teacher educators from a local university. Data consisted of a survey and response to open-ended statements; autobiographical statements; district documents on student demographics, language policy, Annual Report Card for 2016-17 and programs offered; information on the school website, bulletin boards, and events brochures; and student assignments.
Results: Our study provides evidence that a humanizing culture of authentic care supported by strong leadership, student empowerment, close knit school-parent-community relations, team work, and culturally responsive teaching empowers language-minoritized students. Humanizing school leadership is reflected in programs that foster a sense of belonging such as students serving as mentors, information sessions for parents, resources for teachers’ professional development, and acknowledgement of staff contribution. Schools that empower language-minoritized students showcase students’ cultural knowledge and voice through art, creative writing, research projects, and civic engagement. Language and literacy learning of language-minoritized students are enhanced through pedagogies that balance high academic standards with culturally responsive teaching such as use of translation, cognate awareness, translanguaging, reading world literature and translations, critical inquiry, and problem-solving in real world contexts.
Implications/Significance: This study is significant as it provides evidence of the critical role of school and classroom leadership in creating and facilitating a humanizing culture of care for the academic success, affective well-being, and empowerment of minoritized students. Our findings suggest teacher education and educational leadership programs play a critical role in creating and facilitating a humanizing culture of care through intentional coursework and as part of continuing professional development for district, school, and classroom leaders. Future teachers would benefit from working with bilingual and multilingual students and communities as part of their field experiences and developing pedagogies that disrupt the banking concept of education by engaging students in critical inquiry, problem-solving, and transformative school experiences.

Authors

• Usha Gurumurthy, Corpus Christi Independent School District

• Suniti Sharma, Saint Joseph's University