ERIC Number: EJ1340418
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2022
Pages: 23
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1931-3152
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Moving Away from the 4-Hour Block: Arizona's Distinctive Path to Reversing Its Restrictive Language Policies
International Multilingual Research Journal, v16 n2 p113-135 2022
In spring 2019, without controversy or fanfare and without violating the voter mandate of Proposition 203, emergent bilinguals in Arizona were once again granted unrestricted access to dual language bilingual education after nearly 20 years. The policy change was accomplished through a seemingly small piece of legislation that reduced the daily Structured English Immersion requirement from four hours to two hours. In this study, we analyze the Senate and House education committee hearings in which this legislation was unanimously approved before being signed into law by the governor. Using critical discourse analysis and through a theoretical lens of interest convergence, we examine the strategic moves utilized by speakers and legislators to build consensus for this remarkable, yet overlooked, legislation. We found that, in contrast to policy reforms in California and Massachusetts, which used a "multilingualism-for-all" strategy, the speakers and legislators in Arizona focused on English learners. Yet, they worked to show that a change benefitting English learners would also benefit parents, schools, teachers, districts, and even the state of Arizona. Our findings suggest that advocacy for bilingual education that is informed by contextual awareness and translated into the local discourse can produce success, even in conservative contexts such as Arizona.
Descriptors: Voting, Bilingualism, Access to Education, Bilingual Education, Spanish, English (Second Language), Second Language Learning, Second Language Instruction, Native Language, English Language Learners, State Legislation, Immersion Programs, Educational Policy, Hearings, Discourse Analysis, Educational Legislation, Educational Change, Advocacy, Political Attitudes, Scheduling, Elementary School Students, Middle School Students, English Only Movement, Educational History, Block Scheduling
Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Education; Junior High Schools; Middle Schools; Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Arizona; California; Massachusetts
Identifiers - Laws, Policies, & Programs: Bilingual Education Act 1968
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A