Latina Mothers of Emergent Bilinguals as Policymakers? Barriers and Opportunities toward Critical Participation in LCAP

Abstract

ABSTRACTUnderstanding why and how stakeholders become involved in education governance, and with what consequence, is critical to the success of any equity-minded participatory policy. This area of inquiry is especially salient to California’s education law called the Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP). LCAP requires local district officials to include families of emergent bilinguals in deciding how to spend nearly $48 billion in education funds. Moreover, it specifically calls for the direct involvement of historically marginalized families, including parents of emergent bilinguals in setting and evaluating LCAP policy decisions. Findings from this study highlight the adversity, tension, and suppression faced by 10 Latina immigrant mothers (mamás) active in a district-level District English Learner Advisory Committee (DELAC). Despite the challenging environment, every mamá regards her involvement as important and intends to continue her advocacy work. Findings also highlight that active mamás do not share a common or clear understanding about LCAP or the role of parents in the new policymaking process – issues that can create barriers to authentic parent engagement in participatory policymaking processes. These issues, however, could be addressed if meaningful dialogue and deliberation opportunities were constructed between parents and district officials.