Predicting Dual-Language School Emergence in Los Angeles County

• In Event: Academic Achievement and Educational Opportunities of Emergent Bilinguals

Abstract

Dual Language programs have increased, fueled by a positive outlook around bilingualism and a desire for increased racial and linguistic integration. Recent studies, however, have described how Dual Language schools, through programmatic structures or school placement, reinforce segregation and promote access primarily to primarily wealthier, whiter students. This study uses school and neighborhood-level panel data in Los Angeles county. We use a logistic regression model to predict the likelihood of a school developing a Dual Language program, with preliminary results suggesting that a school’s Latino/a and English Learner population as well as a wealthier school and neighborhood (share of students received free and reduced price meals, and median home values) increases the likelihood of a school being designated Dual Language.

Authors

• Clemence Darriet, University of California - Los Angeles

• Lucrecia Santibanez, University of California - Los Angeles