¿Estamos Escuchando? Creating Transformative Ruptures That Amplify Latinx Families’ Right to DLBE in Chicagoland

• In Event: Educational Possibilities Amidst the Gentrification of Dual Language Bilingual Education: Solution-Oriented Research

Abstract

Objectives

Most language programs in the neighborhood schools where Latinx populations attend offer only transitional programs with an end goal of English-only instruction. Despite the current explosion of DLBE programs in the Chicago metropolitan area where students can develop their Spanish and English literacy, such programs are commonly located closer to white populations (Author, 2022). The paper presents findings on these gentrifying inequities across three different studies conducted by our research collective.

Conceptual Framework

This paper focuses on creating more fertile grounds for dual language bilingual education (DLBE) in Chicago, pressing the need for language programs that Latinx families have traditionally desired so their children can maintain Spanish (Hernando-Lloréns & Blair, 2017).

Methods and Data Sources

The first study included data from interviews and a focus group of Latinx parents with children in different language education programs to capture their experiences and dissatisfaction with bilingual education in Illinois. The second study used a critical race spatial analysis to examine the accessibility for Latinx students to attend DLBE programs related to proximity and capacity. The final study used a document analysis methodology to assess publicly available information around the procedures for community members to apply for DLBE programs for their schools.

Findings

Findings across these studies demonstrate that Latinx communities lack access to the type of language programs (i.e., DLBE) shown to support maintenance of the Spanish language. While the number of DLBE programs are growing considerably, they are not always available to the long-standing Latinx communities in Chicago who should be prioritized for these resources. Finally, we highlight our ongoing efforts to make these research findings more accessible to Latinx parents and community members by 1) communicating with parents via community workshops and providing informational literature in Spanish that clarifies the differences between the types of language programs available to their children, and 2) disseminating some of these findings in the Spanish language, in order to broaden the audience for this work, outside of academe.

Scholarly Significance

We argue that neoliberal-oriented policies that purport to encourage school choice have actually made it more difficult for Latinx parents to select a language education program that they desire for their children. Moreover, DLBE programs are often inaccessible to predominantly immigrant and working-class Latinx families due to where they are located. Therefore, we call for transformative ruptures (Delgado Bernal & Alemán, 2017) to transpire at the community level to focus on bilingual education as a right for historically marginalized Latinx communities (Chaparro, 2021) and challenge the ongoing gentrification of DLBE programs in Chicago.

Authors

• P. Zitlali Morales, University of Illinois at Chicago

• Ramona Alcalá, University of Illinois at Chicago

• Norma Monsivais Diers, University of Illinois at Chicago

• Nancy Domínguez-Fret, Northern Illinois University