Parent and teacher perceptions of a Brazilian Portuguese two-way immersion program

Abstract

ABSTRACT As the popularity of two-way immersion (TWI) programs increases across the U.S., recent scholarship has drawn attention to inequities in who benefits from these programs and how they are implemented. These findings have drawn the field’s attention to the instrumental part played by particular stakeholders in TWI program implementation. While this research has been partially focused in documenting the key role played by parents and teachers in TWI programming, rarely have the roles of parents and teachers been addressed simultaneously. Thus, this study examines the overlap and dissonance between parent and teacher perceptions of a recently implemented TWI program in Massachusetts. As a Portuguese-English TWI program in an area serving Brazilian immigrant communities, this program exists in a relatively unique linguistic landscape in relation to the previous literature on TWI programming in the U.S. Currently, the Portuguese-English language dynamic, as well as the Brazilian Latinx immigrant identity, have been explored little in the extant literature on bilingual education. This study shows a convergence between teachers and parents, who hold parallel perceptions around a newly implemented TWI program, at times exhibiting in their fear and uncertainty, but also sharing excitement and hope for the future.