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Caminos de Bilingüismo: Co-Designing and Co-Conducting Research on High School Biliteracy Pathways (Poster 19)

Fri, April 12, 3:05 to 4:35pm, Pennsylvania Convention Center, Floor: Level 200, Exhibit Hall A

Abstract

New Vista High School (NVHS) students in Boulder Valley School District (BVSD) are co-designing and co-conducting a study exploring potential high school biliteracy pathways for their school and district. The research question students designed is What kinds of unique secondary bilingual programs could BVSD create to best help emerging bilinguals (EBs) across the district?
Inspired by other Youth Participatory Action Research projects (Cammarota & Fine, 2008), students are using interviews, observation, and photovoice to answer their research question. Students developed interview protocols and have interviewed students and parents from BVSD DLBE elementary and middle schools, students at a bilingual high school in nearby Denver, bilingual education teacher candidates at Metro State University, and bilingual education scholars at the BUENO Center. Students have already witnessed the transformational power of having high school content in Spanish in a community that supports a diversity of linguistic practices. Leaving a Denver high school’s bilingual program, students said, “I want this in BVSD.” In analyzing interviews, NVHS students found that younger students value the support for their culture and the opportunity to learn in Spanish and want to be able to continue doing this in high school. When we researched the history of bilingual education in the United States, a Senior student said “what we’re doing is part of this history, we are fighting for this, too.”
There is a growing network of excellent DLBE schools across the country at the elementary and middle school level, but far fewer examples at the high school level. We believe student perspectives should be centered in program development, as well as in the development of policies that support culturally and linguistically diverse education. Our students will share their findings and recommendations bilingually to different stakeholders in BVSD in Spring 2024, with hopes of implementation starting in Fall 2024.

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