Defining and Enacting Multiculturalism in a Dual Language School: A Case Study

• In Event: Dual Language Education: Opportunities and Challenges

Abstract

This case study of a Dual Language school explores the complexities of multicultural education in a bilingual context. I ask how a Dual Language school defines and enacts the goals of multiculturalism and “biculturalism.” In addition, I ask how social categories other than language, such as race and social class, affect the mission of Dual Language. I argue that, while the school had some effective strategies for dealing with biculturalism and racial integration, the challenges it faced exemplify the work still left to do in making Dual Language programs equitable tools for social justice.

Author

• Meg Burns, University of Colorado - Boulder