Interrogating Intersectionality in Advocating for Multilingual Learners: Teacher Narratives within Multi-Tiered Systems of Support

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Abstract

This paper explores teachers’ roles in “imagining” equitable Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) that integrate intersectional perspectives of language, race, and ability, specifically for multilingual learners (MLs) with identified or suspected dis/abilities. Integrating theories of intersectional positioning and DisCrit, the study examines how teachers narrate their identities as they engage with the intersecting dynamics of language, race, and dis/ability in their efforts to support MLs within MTSS at a multilingual and multi-racial public elementary school in Connecticut. In their narratives of advocacy, they position themselves as advocates who “get” the intersecting racial, linguistic, and ability-based dimensions that shape their students’ identities. Simultaneously, they express struggles with navigating oppressive assessment policies that privilege English and promote language standardization in MTSS decision-making.

Authors

• Meredith McConnochie, University of Saint Joseph

• Haerin Park, University of Saint Joseph