Funds of Identity and Education: The Journey of a Latina Educator from Linguistic Erasure to Linguistic Empowerment

This study had three aims: to present a case study and explain the funds of identity of a Latina educator; to use this as an opportunity to connect heritage language to ideological clarity and humanizing pedagogies in educator preparation programs; and to illustrate how pedagogy and language education can include transformational and healing elements when educators are engaged in culturally and linguistically affirming professional development. By understanding ourselves as teachers in relation to the communities in which we teach, we are able to develop ideological clarity and reject deficit perspectives that serve to erase non-English languages spoken at home in order to effectively serve and advocate for our multilingual, emerging bilingual and heritage language students. This case study of one Latina’s journey to linguistic empowerment may serve as an example of how future teachers can transform their own experiences of language loss into empowerment and reclaim their own culture, language, and values not only for themselves but for their students as well

“Aquí en los Estados Unidos hablamos ingles....o, y español tambien”: Students' emerging language ideologies and literacy practices in a dual language primary program

This dissertation is a mixed-methods study of language ideologies and literacy practices in Dual Language (DL) programs. The ideologies of participants were examined in five schools with DL programs, one specific DL program at Presidio Primary, two first grade DL classrooms and in students' homes. The quantitative data consisted of a questionnaire, Teachers' Language Ideologies (TLI), consisting of demographic, five-point Likert scale and open-ended items. MANOVA was applied to 209 questionnaires to explore group differences on four factors of language ideologies. Participants' bilingualism had little influence on their language ideologies and practices while teacher assignment and certificate had a significant influence. Qualitative research methods included observations, interviews and Critical Discourse Analysis. Official Discourse was uncovered through policy documents and administrator interviews. Analysis showed asymmetrical treatment of two programs: discourse on transitional bilingual/ESL programs demonstrated language-as-problem and assimilationist ideologies whereas discourse on DL programs demonstrated language-as-resource and linguistic pluralism. Qualitative findings also showed there was a divide between Spanish dominant and English dominant mothers related to DL implementation and literacy instruction. Spanish dominant mothers questioned the practice of delaying formal introduction of English literacy. Despite the fact that their parents had enrolled them in the DL program, not all students held positive views of Spanish and English at Presidio Primary. The children appeared to be most influenced by their families' perspectives on language rather than the school environment. Remarkably, children's ideological stances mirrored closely those of their mothers, demonstrating the importance of parental voice for successful DL program implementation