When the Program Doesn't Fit: Dual Language Stakeholders Negotiate the Unique Program Implementation at Rivera

• In Event: Sheraton Roundtable Session 23
  In Roundtable Session: Nuanced Analyses of Data to Improve Bilingual Education

Abstract

While much research lauds the many merits of dual language (DL) programs, there are few studies that examine the fidelity of DL program implementation. This qualitative case study explores how one 50/50, one-way DL campus implemented its program in terms of staff quality, professional development, and program structure according to the Guiding Principles for Dual Language Education (GPDLE). Teacher surveys, key informant interviews, administrator, and teacher focus groups alarmingly indicate that while DL programs may be astoundingly effective for many students, they have not found this to be completely true for its students. This unique case displays in extreme form how professional development and program structures must be modified to provide an equitable DL program for its students long-term.

Authors

• Alexandra Babino, Texas A & M University - Commerce

• Carol D. Wickstrom, University of North Texas