Illusion of Choice: Immigrant Latine Caregivers Navigating Educational Decision-Making in New York City

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Wednesday 11:45 am - Gold 2
  In Roundtable Session: Interrogating Perspectives and Practices in Bilingual Education

Abstract

This qualitative multiple case study examines how immigrant Latine caregivers of multilingual learners (MLs) in New York City navigate school and program decisions amid policies that presume caregiver agency. Drawing on interviews with nine mothers and one grandmother, findings reveal that caregivers deeply value bilingualism for cultural, economic, and social reasons, yet face structural constraints—particularly in charter schools—that limit meaningful choice. Guided by frameworks of idealized language ideologies, raciolinguistics, and LatCrit, this study illuminates how caregiver decisions are shaped by institutional messaging, evolving ideologies, and trust within support networks. While policy frames school choice as empowering, this study demonstrates that true agency requires equitable program access and recognition of caregivers’ experiential knowledge and evolving decision-making processes.

Author

• Emmeline Ortiz, New York City Department of Education