Addressing Gentrification and Critical Consciousness in Dual Language Bilingual Education Programs

• In Event: Gentrification 3.0 in Dual Language Bilingual Education: A Districtwide Analysis of Equity for Emergent Bilinguals

Abstract

Purpose and Background
This study explores the experiences of two Spanish teachers working at two schools’ dual language bilingual education (DLBE) programs within the Crossroads District, alongside an analysis of the district and school websites that represent these programs. We examine how demographic, programmatic, and discursive forms of gentrification unfold, shaping educators’ practices and access among emergent bilingual (EB) families (Authors, 2016; Authors, 2022). Our research questions ask: How do DLBE-Spanish teachers describe and negotiate gentrification within DLBE? How do official websites frame DLBE and how do these discourses represent gentrification?

Theoretical Framework
We conceptualize DLBE gentrification, with a focus on demographic, programmatic, and discursive gentrification, which privilege dominant linguistic and racial groups while marginalizing emergent bilingual (EB) students and families (Authors, 2016; Authors, 2022). We also apply Palmer et al.’s (2019) Critical Consciousness (CC) framework, which has four components: 1) interrogating power; 2) historicizing schools; 3) critical listening; and 4) engaging with discomfort. Rooted in Freire’s pedagogy (1970) and extended by Gay and Kirkland (2003), CC guides our exploration of educator ideologies and institutional narratives, illuminating possibilities for resistance and equity within DLBE.

Methods
Using a qualitative comparative case study, we examine Castleville and Suncrest in the Crossroads District (Knight, 2001). Data sources include: 1) semi-structured interviews with two fifth-grade Latinx Spanish teachers, a veteran teacher at Castleville and a novice teacher at Suncrest; 2) artifacts reflecting their DLBE experiences, and 3) district and school websites. Interviews were conducted via Zoom, transcribed verbatim, and conducted in Spanish and translated for the Suncrest teacher’s case. We coded interviews and websites for demographic, programmatic, and discursive gentrification and CC alignment, employing triangulation, peer debriefing, reflexivity to ensure trustworthiness (Saldaña, 2025).

Results
Findings reveal all three forms of gentrification. Demographically, Castleville attracts predominantly affluent, English-speaking families, while Suncrest, the neighborhood strand serves mostly immigrant Latino/a populations. Programmatic gentrification was most evident at Castleville as administrators prioritized the preferred teacher-placement for English-speaking parents and employing “sibling preference” for mostly White families, further exacerbated by frequent teacher turnover. Discursively, websites and teachers frame bilingualism as a neoliberal “future advantage,” sidelining DLBE’s foundational mission of linguistic justice and reparation. Regarding CC, the veteran teacher at Castleville showed emergent engagement by interrogating power and historicizing change as the EB population grew; the novice Suncrest teacher adopts a pragmatic, less critical stance. Both demonstrate limited critical listening and minimal engagement with minoritized families, strategies that could foster transformative equity.

Scholarly Significance
This study advances critical understanding of DLBE gentrification’s multifaceted impacts, revealing tensions between equity-centered educational ideals and neoliberal market logics that commodify bilingualism. Through applying CC theory, pathways for educators and leaders to challenge systemic inequities are identified. DLBE programs should center EB families through transparent access, equip educators with critical tools, and reconceptualize public messaging to represent linguistic rights and cultural affirmation authentically. Future research should adopt community-engaged approaches to create actionable strategies promoting social justice within bilingual education.

Authors

• Alejandro Baquero-Sierra, Purdue University

• Yangyang Zhu, Purdue University