Abstract
ABSTRACT Language education policy in Arizona has been on a rollercoaster over the last five years. Between 2019 and 2024, the state shifted from strict English-only enforcement to loosening restrictions and encouraging dual language approaches, then back to strict English-only enforcement. In this forum piece, we use approaches from critical discourse analysis to trace the arc of Arizona’s language policy changes during this period. We discuss how benevolent policy arbiters were able to use a policy workaround to loosen Arizona’s stringent English-only policy, only to see the loosening of restrictions easily undone with the (re)election of an ideologically opposite arbiter, Superintendent of Public Instruction, Tom Horne. Through this piece, we aim to provide a cautionary tale to scholars and policymakers in other states by highlighting the potential perils of using policy workarounds to promote equity-oriented agendas.
Published Version
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