Eso déjaselo a los americanos: Latinx Families' Perspectives on a Gentrifying Dual-Language Bilingual Program

• In Event: Losing Place, Losing Opportunity: The Varied Experiences of Latinx Families With Neighborhood and School Gentrification

Abstract

The issue of gentrification in bilingual education contexts has been examined in both literal and metaphorical senses (Author, 2021; Valdez, Freire & Delvan, 2016). On the one hand, the ideological gentrification of dual language bilingual education (DLBE) refers to the ways in which white middle-class English speakers are becoming the main audience for whom these programs are being planned, which impacts classroom dynamics and parental voice and decision-making at schools (Burns, 2017; Fitts, 2006; Heiman & Yanez, 2018; Palmer, 2009; Valdez, Freire & Delvan, 2016). On the other hand, patterns of demographic gentrification are also impacting where and why dual language bilingual programs are being implemented (Author, 2021).

The literature that has examined the effects of middle-class parents in public schools has shown their various impacts, including the ability to raise considerable funds for the school, parents’ influence on decision-making such as personal hiring and curriculum development, and the displacement of low-income families of color (Billingham & Kimelberg, 2013; Cucchiara, 2013; Posey, 2012). Within this literature, little attention has been paid to perspectives of people of color who are also impacted by these demographic and socio-economic shifts. Thus, the purpose of this analysis is to document the reactions of Latinx parents within a dual language bilingual program to the presence of white English speakers in the program, and in general, their presence in the neighborhood.
The data for this paper comes from a subset of 12 interviews with Latinx parents in one emerging dual language bilingual program within an urban public school. These interviews were part of a larger ethnographic study that examined the social processes that impacted how this DLBE program came about as well as the experiences of children and families in the first two years of its existence. I analyzed the data qualitatively, with an initial round of coding that revealed general experiences of Latinx parents in the program. From the initial round of coding, I selected key interview excerpts to conduct a more detailed and critical analysis of discourse and interaction.

The findings reveal diverse and nascent perspectives on “los americanos,” as Latinx parents referred to white English Speakers. At the time of the interviews, gentrification had not yet impacted these Latinx families in significant ways; white English speakers in the program were tangential to the significant immigrantion experiences Latinx parents described. Because immigration from Latin American countries was a relatively recent phenomenon in this part of the city, Latinx parents’ responses to my question about “neighborhood change” were not focused on the issue of gentrification. Yet, there were distinct perspectives on the presence of “los americanos'' in the dual language program. While some seemed happy about this integration, others believed that, given their presence, the bilingual program must be for those students who did not already know Spanish. I analyze these comments within the socio-political context and ideological discourses that Latinx immigrants encountered in this space and suggest ways in which, six years from the start of the program, the situation could be different.

Author

• Sofia Chaparro, University of Colorado - Denver