Reparative Shifts in Language Education Policy: A Case Study of Language Ideologies in Urban Charter Schooling

• In Event: 47.058 - Educational Policies Shaping Bilingual/Dual-Language Education

Abstract

In this paper, we theorize the reparative shifts and marketing of bilingual education through a case study of a longstanding charter network in a large city, which recently reconstructed its language policy from Structured English Immersion (SEI) to Dual Language (DL). After a shift in the sociopolitical climate within and around the charter network, reforms in school policy are newly receptive to language scholarship. Through historical analysis of this complex case study, we investigate the absence and impact of culturally-sustaining pedagogy and translanguaging theories on stakeholders. We argue that after operating in politically-targeted communities for decades, its language policy shifts must include reparations, addressing long-term impact on language-learning practices and academic achievement of Mexican-origin students in this large urban district.

Authors

• Victoria F. Trinder, University of Illinois at Chicago

• P. Zitlali Morales, University of Illinois at Chicago