California Public Schools: A Socially Just or Inherently Unjust System Perpetuating Inequalities Based on Students' Primary Language?

• In Event: School Turnaround and Reform Roundtable

Abstract

The aim of this descriptive study is to investigate the relationship between the reclassification
practices in California school districts and the primary languages of the language minority
population within those districts. Key findings of our study demonstrate that the primary
languages of the student population as well as the number of languages spoken within a given
school district do impact the reclassification policies practiced by that district. For example,
school districts with large populations of students who speak Northern and Western European
languages have fewer academic requirements for reclassification than those with large
populations speaking languages from Latin America. This results in some students remaining
classified longer than others based on reasons beyond proficiency, impacting their school and
life trajectories.

Authors

• Jennifer Levine-Smith, San Francisco State University

• Irina S. Okhremtchouk, San Francisco State University