Navigating Policies, Shaping Practices: Critical Discourse Analysis of Language Education Policies and Teachers’ Practices

• In Event: Navigating Equity in Language and Immigration Policy

Abstract

The relationship between politics and pedagogy is sophisticated, complex, and long-standing. Furthermore, political discourses influence how teachers shape the educational journeys of emergent bilingual students. In this presentation, the authors delve into the experiences of ESOL teachers as they navigate complex and often conflicting tensions between policies and practices. By exploring how ESOL teachers interpret and implement language education policies in their classrooms, the study aims to provide a nuanced understanding of the dominant discourses at play in ESOL teachers’ experiences. Ultimately, our objective is to identify the strengths and limitations of existing policies, develop policies and practices that help develop teacher agency, and ensure emergent bilingual learners have access to high-quality education.

Authors

• Melanie Renee Marty, Hilsman Middle School

• Shuang Fu, New York University