Nice-White-Parent Gentrification of a New York City Middle School: The French Dual-Language Program

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

Abstract

Objectives

This presentation examines the introduction of a new French dual language bilingual education (DLBE) program in a New York City public school. It focuses on the experiences of Author 3 – a parent leader who was also featured in the acclaimed podcast Nice White Parents, and who was the President of the Parent Teacher Association (PTA) when the school opened the new program with the intention of attracting White families to enroll their children in the school.

Methods and Data Sources

We begin this presentation by providing some historical context for the school and bilingual education in New York City. Then, we share Author 3’s experience as a parent leader to illustrate how deficiency narratives played a role in the development and rollout of the French DLBE program, and the inequitable parent dynamics that followed.

Findings/Results

The introduction of the dual language program transformed the nature of the whole school community as large numbers of White students enrolled in the school after the principal opened a new French DLBE program to attract them, creating tension between the racialized students who had been at the school and the new students coming into it with the belief that they were saving a failing school. We describe how these tensions between divergent visions for school communities became visible around fundraising, as the new families created a non-profit foundation that would allow them to collect and use the money solely to benefit students in the French DLBE program without having to go through the PTA.

Our presentation shares a resource guide we have developed that builds on those experiences and lessons learned to offer parent leaders, educators, and school administrators a set of recommendations and concrete actions they can take to promote equity in bilingual education – particularly dual language bilingual education. Towards that end, we offer a collaborative inquiry process designed for groups considering a new DLBE program or for groups who want to interrogate existing programs, which invites them to approach their work together from a perspective rooted in openness and curiosity.

This resource is organized into three “Actions” that can guide the collaborative inquiry:
1) Looking inward, by taking stock of who is in the school and how the school is serving the students and families that are part of the community.
2) Seeing the school’s bilingual program in context, by learning about the history of bilingual education and the recent gentrification of DLBE and considering how to collectively address those challenges through an equity lens.
3) Listening in order to build an equitable community, by listening to the podcast, discussing it, and then drafting an action-oriented plan that describes how the school community will engage with new community members.

Scholarly Significance

Each of these actions offers activities, discussion questions, and handouts that groups can use to foster dual language bilingual education programs that prioritize multilingual learners and benefit existing school communities.

Authors

• Ivana Espinet, Kingsborough Community College - CUNY

• Kate Menken, Queens College - CUNY

• Imee Hernandez