From the Nurse's Office to the Classroom: Unpacking (Mis)Perceptions of Brazilian Children's School Readiness

• In Event: Teacher and Staff Perceptions of Emergent Bilinguals

Abstract

The construct of “school readiness” has no precise definition. Educators have grappled with the skills necessary for children to thrive upon school entry. This study investigated how fifteen staff members conceptualized the school readiness of European American and Brazilian kindergarteners and first graders in an urban bilingual program. Findings revealed that staff members, including Brazilian personnel, characterized their Brazilian immigrant students as affectionate and culturally rich but not as academically ready to learn due to lack of parental involvement, cognitive skills and behavioral maturity. Conversely, non-Brazilian students were heralded as academically prepared due to their upbringing. This presentation contends that fixed notions of school readiness can reinforce deficit narratives and justify school climates with lowered academic expectations for immigrant children.

Authors

• Marisa Saris Segel, Boston College

• Mariana Lima Becker, Boston College

• Gabrielle Oliveira, Harvard University