Are Interests Converging or Neighborhoods Gentrifying? A Comparative Case Study of Two Dual-Language Education Elementary Schools

• In Event: Gentrification 2.0 in Dual-Language Bilingual Education: New Ways of Peeling the Layers From Districts to Schools

Abstract

Purpose and Background
Most Emergent Bilinguals (EBs) are Spanish-speaking, representing over 77% of EBs and almost 8% of all K-12 learners (National Center for Education Statistics [NCES], 2019a). EB students are more likely to live in poverty, attend under-resourced schools, and have parents with lower levels of education compared to their White, monolingual peers (NASEM, 2017).
While a plethora of research points to dual language education (DLE) as an effective means to raise academic achievement for these learners (Baker, 2011; Lindholm-Leary 2001, 2012; Thomas & Collier, 1997; 1999; 2002), these models may not be available to these students (Valdez et al., 2016). Choice mechanisms, such as a school lottery system, that seek to make DLE access more equitable might cater to those knowledgeable about the system.
As neighborhoods gentrify and DLE programs increase in popularity, equitable access for Spanish-speaking EB students becomes increasingly critical. In The Atlantic, Williams (2017) addressed the issue of integration within dual-language programs and the concern that English-dominant, predominantly White, middle-class families may displace the English Learner population. Additionally, a recent report examining equity of access to DLE programs in the focal district noted that the proportion of Hispanic and Black students in DLE schools is decreasing, while the proportion of White students is increasing.

Theoretical Framework
This study employs a combination of four main conceptual frames, including Ruiz’s (1984) orientations in language planning, interest convergence (Bell, 1980), critical consciousness (Cervantes-Soon et al., 2017; Palmer et al., 2019), and equity (Espinoza, 2007; Monk, 1990; Murphy, 1988).

Methods
This study is a qualitative comparative case study including the perspectives of stakeholders (parents and administrators) in two different DLE elementary schools, coupled with the perspectives of district personnel. Data includes semi-structured interviews to understand, compare, and triangulate perspectives within the school district on DLE and access to these programs.

Results
This study provides insight into how and why parents choose DLE programs and how these parents—coupled with school administrators and district personnel—understand access to DLE programs. The inclusion of both affluent and low-income Spanish-speakers demonstrates that these two groups share linguistic similarities but experience both access to, and the DLE program, differently. While neighborhood entry to DLE programs may provide access for low-income EB students in historically Latinx communities, gentrification could push them out of these boundaries, as demonstrated by increasing housing prices. Long waiting lists at these schools indicate that the lottery system provides the façade of choice.

Scholarly Significance
This research contributes to the body of literature exploring how and why families choose DLE programs. This study broadens this scope by including Spanish-speaking families of higher socioeconomic class, illustrating that the dynamics in these DLE programs are not only racial and linguistic, but also class-based. This research contributes to our understanding of how gentrification can impact access to DLE programs for the low-income Spanish-speaking population.

Authors

• Maggie Sullivan Marcus, University of Maryland - College Park

• Conor Williams