Language Minority Populations Twice Neglected: A Critical Ethnographic Study of Language Education Policy and Practice in Middle America

The bulk of the work in policy and planning for educating language minority children in the US has been done in urban centers, which have had long traditions of educating these populations. Demographics are changing in the US; regions of the US not previously affected are experiencing an influx of language minorities. In addition, the Western and “other” worlds, more and more find themselves living side by side. Therefore, it is important that educators in non-urban settings understand language minority issues, and understand these voices and ways of knowing in regions without a tradition of educating minorities create. Through this knowledge educators can better create and adjust curricula to meet the needs of these newcomers. Using a case study approach to illuminate the findings, the researcher reports through the voices of students, teachers, English as a second language staff in the district, administrators and parents in this community. Hornberger\u27s Continua Model of Biliteracy (1989, 2000) is used to situate the complex relationships between bilingualism and literacy that are uncovered through the findings. The Continua Model is also useful in understanding power relationships and their fluctuations in this unique setting in the mid-South. Findings, conclusions and implications for educational language planning and policymakers are presented