Caught in a Policy Web: The Impact of Education Reform on Latino Education

Mora, Jill Kerper

doi:10.1207/s1532771xjle0101_3

Cited by 19 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 16 publications

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“…These officialized discourses pressure schools toward conformity with the monolingual norm of (standard) English proficiency and International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism 17 permeate policy discourses constructed at the state, district, school, and program level (de Jong and Howard 2009;Freeman 1998;Palmer 2007;Ricento and Hornberger 1996). The negative impact of English-only policies on DL programs has been well documented (e.g., Alamillo and Viramontes 2000;Arce 2004;Gutierrez 2001;Mora 2002;Stritikus 2003;Valdez 2001). Accountability under No Child Left Behind, the Reading First mandate, and English-only laws such as Proposition 227 (California) and Proposition 203 (Arizona) has placed significant pressure on DL programs to increase instruction in English (Combs et al 2005;de Jong, Gort, and Cobb 2005;Linton and Franklin 2010).…”

Section: Programs Within Schoolsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dual language programs as a strand within a secondary school: dilemmas of school organization and the TWI mission

Jong

Bearse

2012

International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism

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Dual language (DL) programs aim to create additive bilingual learning environments where the dominant language and the minority language are given equal status at the program, curricular, and instructional level. While several studies have documented the effectiveness of DL programs and classroom-based practices, few have considered how the organizational context affects the implementation of effective DL practices when the program is only a strand within the school. The purpose of this study was to consider this question in the context of a middle school two-way immersion (TWI) program through the analysis of teacher interviews, triangulated with student survey and focus group data. Our analysis suggests a basic conflict between effective TWI practices and the middle school structure. We conclude that integrated, interdisciplinary approaches that are systemically supported within the school are necessary to support TWI goals and pluralist discourses.

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Section: Programs Within Schoolsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dual language programs as a strand within a secondary school: dilemmas of school organization and the TWI mission

Jong

Bearse

2012

International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism

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“…These articles collectively highlight the chaotic nature of the initial implementation process in the absence of clear guidelines and the lack of sufficient professional development, collaboration, and resources (including access to native language resources) (Arellano-Houchin et al 2001;Gándara et al 2005;Gándara et al 2003). They also point out that the English-only laws are closely intertwined with other educational reform efforts, such as reading reforms and accountability mandates under the federal No Child Left Behind Act (Mora 2002;Stritikus 2002). They note that, combined with English-only laws, these reform efforts have led to a reduction in native language instruction in many bilingual programs (Black 2005;Garcia and Curry-Rodriguez 2000) and an approach to literacy that focuses on isolated skills rather than meaningful communication (Gutierrez 2001;Gutierrez et al 2002;Valdez 2001).…”

Section: Teachers and Language Policymentioning

confidence: 99%

Contextualizing Policy Appropriation: Teachers’ Perspectives, Local Responses, and English-only Ballot Initiatives

Jong

2008

Urban Rev

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Few studies have focused on practitioners' perspectives on and interpretations of official language policies in schools and how such policies shape their practices. Teachers are an integral part of the process of policy appropriations that occur within and across policy levels (state, district, school, and teacher). Through interviews with eighteen elementary teachers, this qualitative study focused on the experiences of teachers in one district as they negotiated the impact of Question 2, an English-only law passed by Massachusetts voters in 2002. Specifically, the study examined the teachers' perspectives on the passage of a top-down English-only state law, its implementation in their district, and its impact on their classroom practices. The study illustrates the multiplicity of policy appropriation: interpretations of the meaning of the policy for practice varied according to policy level (intent of the law, district administrator's interpretation, school-based interpretations), often leading to contradictory discourses. As a result, the teachers in the study had to (be able to) negotiate often contradictory policy discourses in their daily practices. The findings also underscore the importance of contextualizing policy processes: teachers' views of Question 2 were shaped by their own beliefs but also by the way the district conceptualized and interpreted the law.

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“…Currently in education, it is a common practice to narrowly define learning through standardized test scores (Mora, 2002;Nieto, 1999). Many educational assumptions about non-Euro-American middle-class learners are based on stereotypes that perpetuate the marginalization of certain cultures, especially those who have traditionally had low status in U.S. society (Nieto, 2002).…”

Section: Sociocultural and Historical Contexts Of Findingsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“Culture Is the Way They Live Here”: Young Latin@s and Parents Navigate Linguistic and Cultural Borderlands in U.S. Schools

Brown

Souto‐Manning

2007

Journal of Latinos and Education

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Throughout the United States, deficit perspectives contribute to Latino students' failure in terms of school success. This happens because many educators still regard bilingualism as a deficit. We examined the discourse of one family to better understand how deficit, assimilationist discourse affected them and their two children. We came to understand that, influenced by deficit messages, parents celebrated accelerated English acquisition. Implications for teachers include the recognition and support of linguistic and cultural diversity in the classroom. We suggest a sociocultural perspective that embraces the culture and humanity of every student and helps support the maintenance of multiple cultures.

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Caught in a Policy Web: The Impact of Education Reform on Latino Education

Cited by 19 publications

References 16 publications

Dual language programs as a strand within a secondary school: dilemmas of school organization and the TWI mission

Dual language programs as a strand within a secondary school: dilemmas of school organization and the TWI mission

Contextualizing Policy Appropriation: Teachers’ Perspectives, Local Responses, and English-only Ballot Initiatives

“Culture Is the Way They Live Here”: Young Latin@s and Parents Navigate Linguistic and Cultural Borderlands in U.S. Schools

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