"What's Best for the Kids": Rationing Dual Services for English Learners With Disabilities

• In Event: Perception, Assessment, and Outcomes of Multilingual Learners With Exceptional Abilities

Abstract

There is a paucity of research on dual service provision for English Learners (ELs) with disabilities in U.S. secondary grades. This embedded case study draws upon a street-level bureaucracy framework to understand dual service provision for ELs with disabilities in middle school. Findings indicated that service provision for the students presented educators with competing EL and special education policy demands. Educators navigated these demands by rationing services for ELs with disabilities. This rationing, however, created a local service provision policy that constrained the linguistic development of ELs with disabilities and perpetuated the stigma they experienced. The findings have implications for improving service provision practices and policies for ELs with disabilities in secondary grades.

Authors

• Sara E.N. Kangas, Lehigh University

• Megan Cook, Lehigh University