Racial, Linguistic, and Economic Diversity across Schools with Two-Way Dual Language Immersion Programs: Evidence from Los Angeles Unified School District. EdWorkingPaper No. 23-822

Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University. Brown University Box 1985, Providence, RI 02912. Tel: 401-863-7990; Fax: 401-863-1290; e-mail: [email protected]; Web site: http://www.annenberginstitute.org

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93

Spencer Foundation

Immersion Programs; Bilingual Education; Bilingual Students; Language of Instruction; Student Diversity; Elementary School Students; Minority Group Students; English Language Learners; Racial Segregation; Socioeconomic Status; Educational Discrimination; Court Litigation; Desegregation Litigation; Hispanic American Students; Civil Rights; Urban Schools; Limited English Speaking

Mendez v Westminster; Lau v Nichols

Two-way dual language immersion programs (TWDL) aim to integrate English speakers and speakers of a partner language in the same classroom to receive content instruction in both languages. Stated goals include bilingualism and biliteracy, high academic achievement, and sociocultural competence. In school districts aiming to reduce segregation, TWDL programs can also integrate students from diverse linguistic, racial, and economic backgrounds, though mounting evidence shows equitable integration does not always happen. Using school-level enrollments and district data on TWDL program growth from 2000 to 2021, this paper describes enrollment and segregation patterns across Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) elementary schools with TWDL. We find elementary schools with TWDL programs are enrolling increasing numbers of racially, linguistically, and economically marginalized students, but the increasingly uneven sorting of students among TWDL schools demonstrates limits on the potential for intergroup contact.

As Provided

2024

ED639193