Leaders’ Sensemaking for Multilingual Learner Equity: A Case Study

• In Event: Transforming Policy for Equity: International Perspectives on Inclusive Multilingual Education

Abstract

After 15 years as an English-only state, the passage of the Act Relative to Language Opportunity for Our Kids gave Massachusetts school districts the flexibility to choose the language acquisition program that best meets the needs of multilingual learners (MLs). This paper examines how district and school leaders' sensemaking of this policy enables or constrains access to and equity within ML language acquisition programs. An analysis of interview data reveals that leaders’ sensemaking for ML equity is informed by personal and professional experiences, local politics and beliefs around language learning and instruction, organizational infrastructure, and the broader federal policy and political climate. These findings have implications for how leaders across the nation make sense of ML language policy reform.

Author

• Nora Turriago, University of California - San Diego