Cultural and Linguistic Responsiveness: Empowering Spanish-speaking English Learners through Dual Language

Authors

  • Charlotte Robey Hancock University of North Carolina at Charlotte
  • Anna Sanczyk University of North Carolina at Charlotte

Abstract

As the population of Spanish-speaking (LatinX), English learners (ELs) in the United States increases, it is imperative for K-12 schools in urban areas to become responsive to this diversity of student population. This paper purports to express that it is essential that schools take a culturally and linguistically responsive approach to address this urban critical issue by implementing a Dual Language (DL) program. While there are a variety of different programs that exist to provide support for ELs as they enter into the school system, there is one that proves itself to be a plausible solution to best meeting the needs of the LatinX, EL population of students. This article highlights the research that suggests a two-way 90:10 Dual Language (DL) program can be the most culturally and linguistically responsive measure. This current study adds to the field by mapping out what program models and characteristics previous research studies have shown to be the most beneficial to LatinX EL success while further examining if these research findings are being currently implemented in five, large urban school districts with high populations of LatinX ELs. Examining the data from five, larger urban school districts, the following research questions were explored: (1) What are the different program types being offered to ELs in five large, urban school districts that have high populations of LatinX students? (2) Which of these five large, urban districts provide DL programs? (3) What type of program (one-way or two-way) and what percentage of language instruction is allocated to English if DL programs are offered? The findings show that the five, large urban districts with large populations of LatinX ELs are providing both additive and subtractive programs. Additionally, all districts are providing the option of a two-way DL program. The 90:10 language allocation was only provided in two of the five districts and was the language distribution model least provided across the districts.

Downloads

Published

2019-07-03

Issue

Vol. 6 No. 2 (2019): Urban Education Research and Policy Annuals

Section

Journal Articles

License

Urban Education Research and Policy Annuals License Agreement


This Agreement (the “Agreement”) is made by and between __________(“Author(s)”) and the Journal “Urban Education Research and Policy Annuals” (the “Journal”).


Author Agreement

By submitting this research article entitled “_____________” ('article')to (Urban Education Research and Policy Annuals) published by Urban Education Research and Policy Annuals, the Author(s) certify that:


I. Warranties:


A.  Author  __________(name)  is legally authorized and possesses full power and authority on behalf of my co-authors [list names] to enter into this Agreement.

B. Author warrants, on behalf of all article authors, that:

a. the article is original, has not been formally published in any other peer-reviewed journal, is not under consideration for publication by any other journal and does not infringe any existing copyright or any other third party rights;

b. The named authors (above) are the sole author(s) of the article. Any co-author not signing this Agreement personally has granted full authority to [named author in I.A.] to enter into this agreement of his/her behalf and to grant  the following rights to Urban Education Research and Policy Annuals set forth below.

c. the article contains nothing that is unlawful, libellous, or which would, if published, constitute a breach of contract.

II.Copyright

Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:

a. Author(s) shall retain copyright to the article but  grant the Journal right of first publication, and the irrevocable right to perpetually disseminate the article as part of the Journal subject to the Creative Commons Attribution License, that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.

b. Beginning one year after the date of formal publication of the article, Authors may enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work and subject to the Creative Commons Attribution License (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), subject to a proper acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal: “This article was originally published in the Urban Education Research and Policy Annuals (Vol., Issue, Year).”

III. Indemnification.

Author shall indemnify, defend, and hold harmless the Journal from any and all claims, liabilities, damages, expenses (including attorneys’ fees and expert costs’, penalties, fees, if any arising from enforcement of this Agreement and/or related to claims of infringement of copyrights or proprietary rights allegedly contained in the Article  , or resulting from a claim of defamation, obscenity, or invasion of privacy based upon or arising out of the publication of the Article or any other breach of warranty as set forth in No. 1.