Dual Language for All: Central Office Leadership in the El Paso Independent School District

Abstract

Despite intentions to promote academic achievement among Latinx student populations, many districts continue to provide exclusionary and subtractive educational programs. Dual language education has been put forth by many researchers, social justice advocates, and practitioners as an approach to transforming schools through its emphasis on valuing linguistic diversity, inclusivity, and rigorous and culturally sustaining curriculum. Drawing upon theories of social justice leadership, we explore how one superintendent in the El Paso Independent School District (EPISD) in Texas engaged in leadership to address injustices against Mexican and Mexican American emergent bilinguals through the implementation of district-wide dual language education. This study highlights the important role of the superintendent in supporting dual language education, identifies specific actions and values pertinent to social justice leadership at the district level, and distinguishes some of the ways personal values, context, and continual learning can positively influence leadership.