Courageous Leadership for Multilingual Equity: Dual Language Immersion in Action

• In Event: Leadership for Liberation: Centering Marginalized Voices in Equity Reform

Abstract

Objectives
This study explores the essential leadership traits, practices, and planning elements that support successful dual language immersion (DLI) programs in public schools. It aims to identify how courageous principals and district leadership teams implement DLI programs that foster bilingualism, academic success, and cultural inclusion for English learners and native English speakers. The paper addresses how leaders operationalize vision, build community trust, and promote equity through language-rich learning environments.

Theoretical Framework
The study draws on a multifaceted leadership framework that incorporates theories of transformational leadership, distributed leadership, and courageous leadership. Core theoretical contributions include Senge’s learning organizations, Fullan’s change theory, Elmore’s distributed leadership, and Kotter’s change management. The work is undergirded by Blankstein and Noguera’s (2016) concept of courageous leadership, which emphasizes equity-driven purpose, sustained relationship-building, and the moral imperative to confront systemic inequities.

Methods
This study combines two qualitative case studies. The first examines the characteristics and practices of highly effective DLI principals across two suburban school districts in California. The second explores the planning and early implementation stages of Spanish and Mandarin DLI programs in a K–12 district. Both studies utilized semi-structured interviews, purposeful sampling, and thematic coding to identify leadership traits and systems-level insights.

Data Sources
Primary data sources include interviews with principals, district leaders, teachers, and parents involved in DLI program implementation. Additional materials include district strategic plans, school demographic data, and examples of bilingual instructional practices. Nine participants were interviewed in the first study and ten in the second, ensuring diverse perspectives from all levels of program development and implementation.

Results
Findings from both studies underscore that effective DLI Principals are visionary, equity-minded, and collaborative. They maintain high expectations for all students, strategically hire bilingual staff, use inclusive communication practices, and foster professional development aligned to biliteracy goals. Key insights include:
1. Implementation is cyclical, not linear, with planning and adjustment continuing as new grades are added.
2. A unified vision, supported by the principal, district, and community, is essential.
3. Principals must be skilled in navigating community resistance, managing diverse stakeholder needs, and promoting culturally sustaining practices.
Successful DLI leaders act as bridge-builders who embed multilingualism into the school’s ethos while challenging exclusionary norms.

Scholarly Significance of the Study
This study makes a critical contribution to equity-focused educational leadership by spotlighting the role of principal leadership in sustaining dual language immersion programs. It advances understanding of how distributed and courageous leadership can disrupt language-based segregation and expand culturally affirming opportunities. The study provides replicable strategies for districts nationwide aiming to implement DLI programs with fidelity and equity. In alignment with AERA’s 2026 theme, the work showcases how language-inclusive leadership can dismantle historical barriers and construct transformative educational futures.

Author

• Natasha Neumann, California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo