Mapping Dual Language Bilingual Education Access: District Leaders as Policy Makers

• In Event: From District Leaders to Classroom Discourse: Policies and Practices in Multilingual Learner Education

Abstract

Our mixed-methods research examines the access of multilingual learners (MLLs) to bilingual programs in New York City (NYC), specifically dual language bilingual education (DLBE), within a context of the gentrification of DLBE programs (Delavan, Freire, & Menken, 2021). NYC’s public school system is divided into 32 geographical districts; we interviewed 20 school district leaders. We also conducted geospatial analysis to map bilingual program availability in communities where MLLs reside. Our research revealed extremely limited availability of bilingual education for MLLs overall, especially DLBE, but also found wide disparities in program availability by district. Furthermore, our findings show that district leaders are language policymakers who play a significant role in bilingual program access and in efforts to mitigate DLBE gentrification.

Authors

• Ivana Espinet, Kingsborough Community College - CUNY

• Kate Menken, Queens College - CUNY

• Maite Sanchez, Hunter College - CUNY

• Marisol Becerra, University of Illinois at Chicago