Power, Privilege, and Parental Involvement: Sustaining Justice for Community Involvement in School Reform

GIBSON/Power,privilege,andparentalinvolvement

DRAFT:Donotcitewithoutauthor’spermission

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Runninghead:GIBSON/Power,privilege,andparentalinvolvement

Power,Privilege,andParentalInvolvement:SustainingJusticeinCommunityOrganizingforSchoolReform

MelissaLeighGibsonUniversityofWisconsin,Madison

[email protected]

PaperpresentedatAERAVancouver(SIG:GrassrootsCommunity&YouthOrganizingforEducationReform)

April15,2012



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AbstractThisstudyexaminesthechallengesofsustainingacommunity‐drivenvisionforschoolreformandeducationaljusticeinaracially,linguistically,andsocioeconomicallydiverseschoolcommunity.Drawingondatageneratedinayearlongethnographiccasestudyofadual‐languageimmersionschoolfoundedthroughcommunityorganizing,thisstudyexamineshowprivilege,power,andexclusionarereproducedwithinostensiblysuccessfulorganizingefforts.Whileallmembersofthiscommunityclaimtoworkforthesameidealsofeducationaljustice,patternsofparticipationandleadershiphavecometomarginalizeandexcludeLatinoandSpanish‐speakingfamilies—theveryfamiliestheschoolwasorganizedanddesignedtoserve.Whatpossibilitiesexistformoreactivelyresistingthereproductionofinequalityseepingintothisschool’sorganizingwork?



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IntroductionAcademiadelaComunidad(ADLC)1standsasanexampleofsuccessfulcommunityorganizingforeducationalreform.Foundedin2004throughtheorganizingeffortsofacoalitionofeducators,families,andalliesconcernedaboutlaggingLatinostudentoutcomeswithintheirdistrict,ADLCtodayisaK5,dual‐languageimmersioncharterschoolhousedwithinamid‐sizedmetropolitandistrict.ThecreationofADLCwithinadistricthostiletobothcharterschoolsandreformstargetingethnicandlinguisticminoritiesisatestamenttothesuccessofitsorganizingefforts.ADLChassincebecomealaboratoryforon‐goingchange,becomingamodelforhowtheschooldistrict’srestructuredbilingualprograms,approachtocommunityengagement,andrelationshiptocharterschools.Moreover,bythe2010‐2011schoolyear,ADLChadprovenonmultiplestandardizedmeasuresthatitwassuccessfulatimprovingLatinostudentoutcomes,outperformingpeerinstitutions. Despitethesesuccesses—infomentingdistrictchange,improvingeducationforlinguisticallyandethnicallymarginalizedstudents,andcreatinganintegratedschool—ADLCfaceschallengesinsustainingitsvisionforeducationaljusticeandschoolreform.WhileADLCwasfoundedoutofanexplicitdesiretoimproveeducationforLatinoandSpanish‐speakingstudentsinthedistrict,itisincreasinglythecasethatthedominantparticipantsarenotthoseitwasdesignedtoserve.RatherthanmobilizingtheLatinocommunity,ADLC’sgoverningbodiesandparentorganizationshavebecomedominatedbylinguisticallyandeconomicallyprivilegedfamilies—byEnglish‐speaking,non‐Latino,professionalfamilies.Thegrassrootsorganizingthatgavebirthtotheschoolhasgivenwaytothereproductionoftheveryprivilegeandpowerstructuresitwasdesignedtoresist. ByexploringthecaseofADLCusingdatageneratedinayearlongschoolethnography,Iexaminethechallengesofkeepingacommunity‐generatedvisionofsocialjusticealiveinaracially,linguistically,andsocioeconomicallydiverseschoolcommunity.Morespecifically,Ilookathowprivilege,power,andexclusionarereproduced.Howcanthisvisionbesustainedacrosslinesofpowerandprivilege?InaschooldesignedtoservetheneedsofLatinostudentsandEnglishlanguagelearnersandtobeintegratedacrosslanguageandethnicity,howcancommunityinvolvementmirrortheschool’svisionofjustice?Howarepowerandprivilegechangingthisvision—andhowmightthecommunityresistthereproductionofinequalityseepingintoitswork?ConceptualFrameworkIncreasingparentalinvolvementandengagementfiguresprominentlyinschoolreformefforts,particularlyforlow‐incomeandminoritystudents.Whetherlookingatnewmodelsofparentalengagementthatcanmoreequitablyinvolvediverseparents(e.g.,Olivos,Jimenez‐Castellanos,&Ochoa,2011)orfallingbackondeficitviewsoffamiliesbymandatingandmonitoringinvolvement(e.g.,Mathews,2009;Whitman,2008),reformersandeducatorsofallstripestakeseriouslytherepeatedfindingsthatparentalinvolvementcanincreasestudents’educationaloutcomes(seeEpstein,2011).1Allnamesofinstitutions,places,andpeoplearepseudonyms.



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Yetengagingfamiliesequitablyremainsachallenge.Inthe‘commonsense’approachtoreform,low‐incomeparentsremaina“stumblingblock”ontheirchildren’spathstoeducationalachievement(Whitman,2008,p.25).“Noexcuses”reformersthusproposeeffortstomonitor,control,andtrainlow‐incomeparentsinthe‘bestpractices’ofparenting(Thernstrom&Thernstrom,2001;Tough,2008).Infact,insomeofthemostprominentreformefforts,familiesseemtobedeliberatelyexcluded(e.g.,Vevea,2012).Educatorsfocusedonequityandsocialjustice,however,proposealternativemeansofworkingwithmarginalizedfamiliesandcommunities—approachesbasedonhumility,respect,andtrustingrelationships—thataimtoengageandworkwithfamiliesasequalsandpartners(e.g.,Epstein,2011;Henderson,Mapp,Johnson,&Davies,2007).

Equitableparentalinvolvmentisaparticularchallengeindesegregatedanddiverseschools.Increasingly,middle‐andupper‐classparentsarechoosingdiverse(usuallyurban)schoolsfortheirchildren(seePosey,2012).Theirpresenceinschoolslongseenasstrugglingisconsideredbysometobeanessentialcomponentofeducationalimprovement(Kahlenberg,2001).Afterall,theseparentsbringtheirprivilegetobearonimprovingschools,attractingneededresources(Spencer,2012),advocatingforhigh‐qualityinstruction(Horvat,Weininger,&Lareau,2003),andgenerallyinsistingonmoreeffectiveschools(Kahlenberg,2001).Yettheirinvolvementismorecomplicatedthanthis.Repeatedly,researchshowsthatmoreeliteparents,howeverunwittingly,useschoolsasameansofmonopolizingandmaintainingprivilege(Cucchiara&Horvat,2009;Oakes,Wells,Jones,&Datnow,1997;Wells&Serna,1996).Lookingacrossresearchonmiddle‐classparentalinvolvementindesegregatedschools,Posey(2012)foundthattheseparents

pursuedself‐interestedandindividualisticstrategiesofengagementthatultimatelydidlittletocounterraceandclassinequalitiesintheirlocalschoolanddistrictcontexts.Althoughtheenrollmentandinvolvementofmiddle‐classparentsbroughtincreasedresourcestoschoolsservinghighnumbersoflow‐incomestudents,inmostcasestheseresourcescamewithsignificantcoststoequityandinclusion.(p.9)

Whilethereishopethattheinvolvementofprivilegedfamilieswillimproveschoolsforallstudents,itseemsinsteadthattheirparticipationmoreoftenthannotreproducespowerhierarchies—multiplyingprivilegesfortheirownchildrenattheexpenseofothers(Posey,2012;Wells&Serna,1996).Unfortunately,DLIsettingsarenoexception.Evenwithinamodelthatrequiresthesuccessofallstudentsinapurposefullyintegratedsetting,privilegeandpowerareoftenreproduced(Scanlan&Palmer,2009).

Thisisinpartbecausetheinvolvementofmoreprivilegedfamiliessetsthestandardforgoodparentingandparentalinvolvementinwaysthatmatchtheirownpractices—andasaresult,excludeand/ordenigratetheinvolvementandparentingofdiversefamilies.Inotherwords,thesocialandculturalcapitalofthesefamiliescontinuestobeprivileged,evenindiverseschools(seeBourdieu,1986).Middle‐andupper‐classparentswieldtheirsocialandculturalcapitalintheserviceoftheirchildren’seducation,whilethecapitalofmarginalizedfamiliesremainsoflittleofficialworthwithinthemarketplaceoftheschool(Chin&Phillips,2004;Horvat,Weininger,&Lareau,2003;Lareau,2002).Bourdieu(1984)arguesthat“theeducationalsystem[is]oneofthefundamentalagenciesofthemaintenanceofthesocialorder”(p.387)andthatthesocialorder,asmanifestedinschooling,privilegesstudentsfromparticularclassbackgrounds:“[B]ytakingallchildrenasequal,whileimplicitlyfavoringthosewhohavealreadyacquiredthelinguisticandsocial



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competenciestohandlemiddle‐classculture,schoolstakeasnaturalwhatisessentiallyasocialgift,i.e.culturalcapital”(Apple,2004,p.31).Thiscapitalisgiftedthroughfamilyandcommunitymembership,anditiswieldedanddeployedbyprivilegedparentstoensuretheirchildrenareatanadvantage.Thus,whileeducatorsandparentsmayarguethatmereinvolvementofdiversefamiliescancounteractthesehegemonicforces,therealityisthatparticipationaloneisnotenoughtotransforminequitablefamilyandschoolrelationships.AsHawkinsandGraue(2008)argue,“Unfortunately,immigrantandminorityfamiliesdonothavethepowerorvoicetochangestrongculturalforcesthatpromotemainstreamhome‐schoolrelationships,andbothpractitionersandresearchershavesearchedforapproachesthatmoreadequatelyrespondtotheneedsofallfamilies”(p.5).

Communityorganizingaffordsanalternativeconceptualizationofwhatparentalengagementamongmarginalizedfamiliesmightinvolve—anditaffordsanopportunityformarginalizedfamiliesandcommunitiestoacquirecollectivepowertoimpactschoolandsocialchange.Tobecertain,itisnotprimarilyan‘involvement’or‘engagement’strategy.Rather,communityorganizingislongitudinalworkforsocialjustice,rootedinthetraditionsoftwentieth‐centuryrightsandjusticemovementsandmostassociatedwiththeworkofSaulAlinsky(1971).Althoughcommunityorganizingeffortsarenotsolelyfocusedoneducationalreform,accordingtoWarren,Mapp,etal(2011),“Communityorganizingoffersafreshapproachtoaddressingeducationalfailureaspartofalargerefforttobuildpowerformarginalizedcommunitiesandtackleissuesassociatedwithpovertyandracisminsideandoutsideofschools”(p.5).Whereasproponentsofmiddle‐classinvolvementinlow‐incomeschoolsbelievethatschoolreformwillbearesultofthepoliticalandpersonalworkofmoreprivilegedparents,acommunityorganizingapproachtoschoolreformwouldrecognizethatsuchalop‐sidedapproachtocommunityandfamilyengagementwilllikelyreproducethestatusquoformarginalizedstudents.Instead,thebasicpremiseofcommunityorganizingworkisthat“communityconditionsareshapedbypoliticalpower,andthatimprovingundesirableconditionsrequiresbuildingthepowerofneighborhoodconstituencies”(Mediratta,Shah,&McAlister,2009,p.2).

Asindividuals,low‐incomeparentsandparentsofcolorlackthepoliticalcapitaltoaffectchangewithinschools.AsWarren,Mapp,etal(2011)explain,“Schoolsinlow‐incomecommunities,bothurbanandrural,lackapoliticalconstituencyofthosemostaffected—parentswithchildreninschools,whocandemandrealimprovementandholdpublicschoolsaccountableforresultsoverasustainedperiodoftime”(p.5).Organizingisthemeansbywhichmarginalizedindividualsbecomeanempoweredcollectiveandapoliticalconstituencywithpoliticalclout:“[T]hepromiseofcommunityorganizingstemsformitscentralpremisethatschoolreformmustbeconceptualizedandpursuedwithinalargerframeworkofcommunityactionandpower”(Mediratta,Shah,&McAlister,2009,p.54).

Communityorganizingwithinschoolcontextsdoesnotconsistofasetofprescribedactions.Instead,communityorganizingiscollectiveworkforsocialtransformation.Itis,accordingtoWarren,Mapp,etal(2011),theprocessofbuildingrelationshipsandpowerinordertotransformindividuals,communities,andinstitutions.Unlikeaparentengagementframework,communityorganizingisnotfocusedmerelyonschool‐anddistrict‐specificpolicies.Rather,itispartofalargermovementandtraditionofworkingtowardsocialjustice,striving“togivevoicetothevoiceless,buildtheparticipationoflocalpeople,increasethepowerofhistoricallymarginalizedcommunities,expandcitizenshipanddemocracy,addresstheprofoundinequalitiesofAmericansociety,andworktotransform



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ourpublicinstitutionstomakethemresponsiveandaccountabletopoorandworkingfamilies”(Warren,Mapp,etal,2009,p.19).Schoolreformisbutonepieceofthissocialjusticework,workthatcanneverberealizedwhenschoolcommunitiesandparentsaresingularlyfocusedonmaximizingadvantagefortheirownchildren.

Attheheartofthiswork,particularlywithinschools,iswhatRenee,Welner,andOakes(2009)describeasthird‐orderchange.Unlikeschoolimprovement—thetinkeringwithschooldetailsandbasicoperationsandthegoalofmuchparentalinvolvementefforts—third‐orderchangeisfundamentalchangethatseeks“toreformeducators’andcommunitymembers’corenormativebeliefsaboutsuchmattersasrace,class,intelligence,andeducability”(p.156).Withinthecontextofschoolsservingmarginalizedpopulations,third‐orderchangeisessentialnotonlyforachievingequity‐orientededucationalreformsbutalsoforachievingsocialjusticemorebroadly.Noamountoftinkeringwithbasicschooloperationscanchangedeficitviewsoflow‐incomecommunitiesofcolorandtheinadequacyofparentingmodelsandinvolvement;noamountoftinkeringwithbasicschooloperationscanpushprivilegedparentstoconsiderthewaysinwhichtheirwell‐intentionedworkmayactuallybereproducinginequity.Byorganizingmarginalizedcommunities,apoliticalforcedevelopedthatcanworkforthedifficultthird‐orderchangestooeasilyeschewedinmostreformefforts.StudyDesign&Methodology

Thedatainthispaperisdrawnfromayearlongschoolethnography,guidedbythecentralresearchquestion,Howdoesoneschoolcommunityconstructandworktowardavisionofeducationaljustice?Ethnographyisthestudyofeverydaypeopleineverydaysettings,“withparticularattentiontoculture,thatis,totheprocessesthroughwhichpeoplemake(andsometimesimposeorcontest)meaning…[E]thnographicmethodsarecrucialtoolsforunderstandingrealhumanbehaviorinallitscomplexityand,therefore,forseekingrealandlastingsolutionstohumanproblems”(Anderson‐Levitt,2006,p.279).Thus,“amongthegoalsofethnographicresearchistoanalyzesocialaction,socialorder,andsocialorganizationaswellastoanalyzetheformsandcontentsofculture”(Atkinson&Delamont,2008,p.304).Initsemphasisontheday‐to‐dayactofmeaning‐makinganddiggingdeeplyintothecomplexityofindividualandsocialaction,ethnographywaswellsuitedtointerrogatingADLC’sworktowardseducationaljustice.

Overthecourseof2010‐2011schoolyear,IembeddedmyselfwithintheADLCcommunitytoengageinparticipantobservation,semi‐structuredinterviewing,pedagogicfocusgroups,andartifactanalysis.Theprimarydatasourceisparticipantobservation:inclassrooms,non‐academicspaces,parentcouncils,familyevents,facultymeetings,schoolcelebrations,andboardmeetings.Inadditiontoattendingallmeetingsandevents,IspenttwotothreedayseachweekvolunteeringinADLCclassrooms.Ialsoparticipatedinformallyinthecommunity,suchasjoiningteachersandstudentsforlunchandattendingoff‐campuscommunitygatherings.Attheheartofthiswereethnographicinterviews,theunstructuredconversationsthatoccurbetweentheresearcherandparticipants(Spradley,1979).Intotal,Iparticipatedinnearly200hoursofschoollife.

Ialsoconductedsemi‐structuredinterviews(Fontana&Frey,2008)withparticipantsrepresentingallofthecommunity’sstakeholdergroups:teachers,administrators,families,students,alumni,communityleaders,boardmembers,andother



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schoolpersonnel.Iconductedover43hoursofsemi‐structuredindividualandgroupinterviewswith90communitymembers.

ThispaperdrawsonasubsetofdatafromthelargerstudythatisfocusedonparentalinvolvementinthelifeofADLC.Thissubsetincludesroughly60hoursofobservationaldatafromstaff,board,andparentmeetingsandschooleventsinadditiontointerviewswith50parents,teachers,andschoolandcommunityleaders.Thissubsetofdataincludesfollow‐upresearchconductedinthe2011‐2012schoolyearinwhichIattendedaLatinoparentorganizingandtrainingprogram,monthlyparentmeetings,andschoolboardmeetings,andconductedadditionalinterviews.School&CommunityContextAcademiadelaComunidad(ADLC)isaK5charterschoolinSpringfield,amid‐sizedMidwesterncity.Foundedin2004byacoalitionofeducators,communityleaders,andfamiliesconcernedaboutlaggingLatinostudentoutcomesandthewideningachievementgapinthecity,ADLCwasdesignedasabilingualandbiculturaleducationaloptioninanurbanizinganddiversifyingdistrict.Infact,inthe2010‐2011schoolyear,SpringfieldCitySchoolDistrict(SCSD)becameamajorityminoritydistrictforthefirsttime,servingapopulationthatis53%studentsofcolorand49%low‐income(ADLCitselfhasastudentpopulationthatis76%studentsofcolorand65%low‐income;seeAppendix:Table1foracomparisonofdistrictandschooldemographics).ThisdiversificationoftheschooldistrictisduebothtogrowingpopulationsofLatinosandAfricanAmericansinSpringfieldandwhiteflighttonearbysuburbsandprivateschools.2 PriortoADLC’sfounding,educatorsandfamilieshadbeenprotestingSCSD’spoliciesregardingLatinostudentsforyears.Infact,theADLCfoundersfrequentlycitetheiryearsofbeing“sidelinecomplainersabouttheracistschooldistrict”3astheimpetusforfoundingtheirownculturallyrelevantandjustice‐orientedschool.LilianRueda,aschoolfounderandcareerSCSDteacher,describesthishistoryoforganizing:

2ADLC’sdemographicsaremorecomplicatedthanquantitativedatacanportray.Whileonly25%ofitsstudentpopulationisconsideredtobeEnglishLanguageLearners,afarhigherpercentageofstudentsspeakalanguageotherthanEnglishathomeorhavebilingual(Spanish/English)parents.Theschoolanddistrictdonothaveprecisedata,butschoolleadersbelievethemajorityofLatinostudents(61%ofADLCstudents)aswellasmanyoftheWhiteandmultiracialstudentshavemultilingualhouseholds.Moreover,thereisasignificantoverlapbetweenrace/ethnicity,language,andsocioeconomicstatus,withafarhigherproportionofELLandLatinostudentsreceivingfreeandreducedlunchandlivinginSpringfield’sisolatedandlow‐incomesouthsideneighborhood.Thus,whencommunitymemberstalkaboutLatinostudentsandfamilies,manyidentitymarkersareconflatedinthisterm;ithasbecomeastand‐infortalkingaboutADLC’slow‐income,southside,Spanish‐speakingcommunity. Thereis,however,diversitywithinADLC’sLatinocommunity.ManyLatinostudents,althoughgrowingupinmultilingualhouseholds,aresecond‐andthird‐generationimmigrants.ThereisalsoasignificantsubsetofstudentswhoidentifyasLatinobutareinfactmultiethnic,withoneLatinoparentandonewhite,black,and/orAsianparent.Inaddition,someofADLC’sforeign‐bornstudentsarethechildrenofSouthAmericanprofessionals,inSpringfieldforitsuniversity.Thelanguagetodescribeeachofthesegroupspreciselyiscumbersome.WhentalkingaboutADLC’sleastprivilegedparents,Iamconcernedwiththeschool’slow‐income,Spanish‐dominantfamilies,whotendtobeimmigrantslivingonthesouthsideofSpringfield.IwilldistinguishbetweenthisgroupandADLC’smoreprivilegedparents(includingassimilatedandhigher‐incomeLatinos)bytalkingaboutEnglish‐andSpanish‐dominantfamiliesandstudents.WhentalkingaboutADLC’sLatinocommunitymorebroadly—regardlessoflanguageorsocioeconomicstatus—IwillusethetermLatino.ADLCcommunitymembersthemselvesusearangeoftermstodistinguishbetweengroupsattheschool,andtheydosoimprecisely.Whenquotingcommunitymembers,Iwillbefaithfultothelanguagetheyuse.3Unlessotherwisenoted,datacomesfromtheauthor’soriginalfieldwork;specificcitationsforinterviewandobservationalmaterialareavailableuponrequest.



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Abouteverytenyearsorso,somethingwouldflareup.Therewouldbelotsofcommunityorganizing,lotsofparentswouldgettogether,wewouldmarchtotheboardandsay,“Youhavetochangethesethings”…Andinthosemany,manyyearsofbeinginvolved,oneofthethingswenoticedwasthatitwaseverytenyears.Sotherewasanotherflareupthatwashappening…andIrealizedIhadnotesfromtenyearsbefore,committeenotes,andallthedemandswereexactlythesame.Nothinghadreallychanged.

Theseunchangingpolicies,accordingtoRueda,includedParentaccessibilitytoeducation,tobeingabletotalktoschoolmembers,tobeinginvolvedinkids’educationallives.Itwascompletelylimited…Thesecondthingwasevenjustgettinginformation,andthenextbigthingwasthatcontinuouslyin[SCSD]thestatisticsintermsofgradesarereally,reallybad…Thelastthingwastherewasn’tanopportunityforkidstofeelcompetentandinvolvedintheeducationalschoollife.Wereallywantedthemtofeelthatthingsthatwereimportanttothemwereimportanttoschool,andkidsjustdon’tgetthat.Sothelastthing,andthisiffrommypersonalperspective,forLatinosthereisaglassceiling…becausewhathappensistheirEnglishisn’tquitethereintermsofdeepstructures,buttheydon’thaveanaccent…andatthesametimetheylose—theydon’thaveaneducationalbasisfortheir[Spanish]language…Wereallywantedtoaddresssomeofthosethings.

WhenADLC’sfoundersbegandesigningaschoolthatmightallowforLatinostudentstoexperienceeducationaljustice,theyknewthattheywantedittobebasedonresearch‐provenpracticessuccessfulatraisingLatinostudents’achievement,preferablyinabilingualsetting.ThedecisiontofoundaSpanish/Englishduallanguageimmersion(DLI)schoolwastheresultofyearsofresearch.DLIwasalsoamodelthat,whenpresentedtothebroadercommunity,receivedsupportfrombothSpanish‐dominantand(LatinoandWhite)English‐dominantfamilies—anecessityforbothpoliticalandprogramviability.

AsRuedaexplained,thefoundersknewthattheywantedtoprivilegeSpanishasawaytocounteractforcesthatdenigratedLatinostudents’culturalandlinguisticheritage:

Oneofthethingsthat’shardwhenyou’reanimmigrant,ordifferent,isthatotherpeopledon’tseeareasofvalue,sothatkidswalkingintotheschoolinKindergartenorfirstgradeveryearlyongetthemessagethatwhattheydoathomeandwhatmaybeanareaofstrengthforthem—it’snot.It’sridiculed…Forexample,mydaughterwastotallybilingualandwillingtospeakSpanishandEnglishatanypoint—untilshehitKindergarten.Becausesubconsciouslyshegotthatmessage—it’snotthattheydon’tfeelpride,butitbecomesanotherness…[S]owhathappensiswhenthey[Spanishspeakers]gointotheseimmersionclassrooms,theyarethestars.Thekidsthatwouldnormallybeintheupperechelonthathavealltheseotherexperiences,theyarenowrelyingonthem…Soallofasudden,thesekids[Spanishspeakers]arebringinglotsofstrengthsintotheclassroom,andallofasuddenthey’reallequal.

TheDLImodelthatADLCchoseensuredastrongbaseinconversationalandacademicSpanishforallstudents,andindoingso,itcreatedawayforstudentsoftenmarginalizedtoshine.ThisSpanish‐dominantschoolmightalsoprovemoreinvitingtoLatinofamilies.



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WhileADLCwasdesignedtoservetheacademic,linguistic,andculturalneedsofLatinostudents,itwasalsodesignedtobeanintegrated,multiculturalcommunity.TheDLImodelrequiresabalanceofEnglish‐andSpanish‐dominantstudents;thesuccessofeachlinguisticgrouprequirespartnershipwithpeerswhospeakadifferentlanguage(Calderon&Minaya‐Rowe,2003).Communityleaderschosethismodelbecausetheyfeltthatthealternative—segregation—didLatinostudentsmoreharmthangood.AsRuedaexplained,“Wefeltreallystronglythatweplaceourstudentsatadisadvantagebecauseeveryoneelseissaying,‘Let’sbeaglobalcitizen,’butwe’resaying,‘No,wewantyouoverhere[inyourownschool].’”Thefoundersexplicitlynamedbiculturalismasoneoftheschool’sdrivingtenets,andtoday,diversityisfrequentlycitedastheschool’sgreateststrength.

Alsoimportanttothefounderswasdemocraticschoolgovernance.Fromtheinitialcommunityorganizingtotheeventualdesignoftheschool’sstructure,ADLC’sfoundershavebeencommittedtosharingdecision‐makingpowerwithfamiliesandcommunitymembers.Thefounders—acoregroupofthreeSCSDteachers—soughtinputfromthecity’sLatinocommunityandfromfamiliesthatmightattendtheschoolduringtheplanningstages.Theypresentedtheirresearchfindingstothecommunityandadjustedtheirschooldesignbasedonfeedback.Whenitcametimetodesigntheschool’scurriculum,theyagainsoughtinputfromcommunitymembers.ADLCultimatelybuiltasocialjusticecurriculum,whichwasnotpartofthefounders’originaldesign.AsRuedaexplained,“Wecouldhavejustaseasilyhadatechnology‐focusedcurriculum,whichisactuallywhatIwasadvocatingfor,butthecommunitysupportedthissocialjusticecurriculum.”

Thisiterativedecision‐makingprocesswasbuiltintotheschool’sgovernancestructure.ADLChasthreegoverningbodies:(1)NuestroComunidad,Inc.(NCI),anon‐profitthatholdstheschool’scharter,actsastheboardofdirectors,andsetspolicy;(2)theInstructionalLeadershipTeam(ILT),ledbytheprincipalandteachers,whichmakesdecisionsaboutday‐to‐dayimplementationoftheschool’smissionandvision;and(3)theCommunityLeadershipTeam(CLT),aparent‐ledgroupthattakesactiontosupporttheschool’smission.Whilethesethreebranchesareequalpartnersinschoolgovernance,theCLTwasdesignedtobethe“hubofcommunication”anddecision‐makingatADLC.

Bymanyindicators,ADLCstandsasasuccessfulexampleofeducationalchange.SinceADLCbecamethefirstDLIschoolinthedistrict,ithasinspiredSCSDtobuildanetworkofDLIprogramsthroughoutthedistrictandtoexpandDLIthrougheighthgrade.ADLChasalsoprovensuccessfulatoneofitsprimarygoals:improvingLatinostudentachievement.Byfifthgrade,ADLCstudentsscoreonaverageatorabovedistrictproficiencyrates:Asawhole,theschooloutperformsthedistrict,onaverage,andeachsubgroup(byrace/ethnicity,languagestatus,andsocioeconomicstatus)alsooutperformsitspeersinthedistrict.Moreover,theachievementgapwithinADLCisnarrowerthaninthedistrictatlarge(seeAppendix:Table2foracomparisonofschoolanddistrictachievementdata).ThatADLChasboastedthesestandardizedsuccesseswhilealsoimplementingasocialjustice,culturallyrelevantcurriculumandschooldesignispartofitssuccess.Finally,ADLCstandsasanexampleofsuccessfulcommunityorganizing,particularlywithinSpringfield’sLatinocommunity.TheschoolwasfoundedasaresultofLatinocommunitydemands,anditsparentcommunityisstilllookedatbylocalleadersasoneofthecity’spoliticalforces.



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“TheVoicesThatSpeakLoudest”:UnequalParentInvolvementatADLCOneofADLC’sfoundingtenetswastohaveunprecedentedLatinofamilyinvolvementintherunningoftheschool.SchoolfounderMikeDonigerexplainshisinitialvisionforthiskindofdemocraticgovernance:

Well,IthoughtitwouldbeSpanish‐speakingparentsmakingdecisionsaboutthedirectionsoftheschool.Ithoughtthatwaspartofit.Ialsothoughtitwasparents,teachers,andadministratorsworkingtogether,soitwasn’tatop‐downmodelbutabottom‐upmodel,kindoflike,“Thisiswhatwewant,andnowwe’llworkwithyoutomakeithappen.”SoIthoughtthatwassocialjustice.

Toadegree,thisvisionhascometolifeintheeightyearsthatADLChasbeenopen.ParentsofalldemographicsarenoticeablymoreinvolvedthanatmostotherSpringfieldpublicschools.ParentandCLTleaderYaritzaBianchi,whoworksfortheSCSDcentraloffice,noted,“It’s[ADLCparentinvolvement]betterthanotheronesthatI’veseen…Parentinvolvement?Parentsbringtheirkidsandthat’saboutit.”ParticularlywhencomparingADLCtoNormWilson,theneighborhoodschoolinwhichADLCisembeddedandfromwhoseattendanceareaADLCdraws,ADLChassignificantlymoreparentinvolvement.Infact,thisisapointoftensionbetweenthetwoschools.Forexample,theCLTwasscoldedbytheNormWilsonprincipalforplanningateacherappreciationeventforitsteachers.Asoneparentobservedwithfrustration,“ADLCteachersgetsomuchmorefromtheirparents…SoifWilsonwantssomethingdifferent,Wilsonparentsshoulddosomethingdifferent!”ADLC’suniquelevelofparentalinvolvementisalsorecognizedcitywide.In2012,forexample,ADLCwastheonlyschoolinthedistricttohostacandidate’sforumforopenschoolboardseatsbecauseitsparentsareseenasbeingsoactiveandinfluential.

However,parentalengagementatADLCismorecomplexthanthispublicimageconveys.Teachers,administrators,andparentsallnotelop‐sidedparticipation:non‐Latino,economicallyprivileged,and/orEnglish‐speakingparentsdominate,whilelow‐income,Spanish‐dominantparentsareabsent.Thislop‐sidedparticipationwasconfirmedbymyownobservationsatthetenCLTmeetingsIattendedduringthe2010‐2011schoolyear.4Whileschoolcelebrations—suchasTeacherAppreciationNightandDiadelosNiños—attractEnglish‐andSpanish‐dominantfamiliesbythehundreds,turnoutforCLTmeetingswaslow,rangingfromfivetofifteenparents.Ofthoseattending,therewerenevermorethantwonativeSpanish‐speakingparents—andathalfofthemeetings,therewerenone.5

Unequalparentalinvolvementisnotjustaboutattendanceatmeetings.Instead,itreflectspowerdifferentialswithintheADLCcommunity.NDIboardmemberMariaPuentesnotedthatmaintainingdemocraticgovernanceandafocusonequityforLatinos“getscomplicatedastheschoolgrows”:

[T]herearemanytimesthat,[with]boardmembersorcommitteemembers,whenIthinkIhavetointerject,youknow,“HowdoesthisaffectourLatinostudents?”BecauseIthinksometimes…it’seasier…itcouldbeeasytogetoff

4IattendedallCLTandcommunitymeetingsduringtheschoolyearexceptforADLC’sWelcomeNightinSeptemberandthefirstCLTmeetinginOctober.AllCLTmeetingsareopentotheentireschoolcommunity;everyparent,teacher,andboardmemberisautomaticallya‘member’oftheCLT.5Theexceptiontothiswasadistrict‐sponsoredinformationnightonanevaluationofDLIprogramming.SevennativeSpanish‐speakingfamilieswereinattendance,butnotallofthesefamilieswerefromADLC.



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thatvisionwhenthere’ssomanyvoicesintheschooland,honestly,thevoicesthatspeakloudestarenottheLatinofamilies.Eveninourcommunitywherethiswasbuiltforthem—itreallywas.

AlthoughADLCwasbuiltforitsLatinofamilies,theloudestvoiceswithinittendtobethoseofnativeEnglish‐speakingparents,professionalfamilies,or,asCLTleaderYaritzaBianchidescribedthem,“assimilatedLatinos.”Parentsholdingofficialleadershippositionsarenottheparentsofchildrentheschoolwasdesignedtoserve—low‐incomeLatinostudents,especiallynativeSpanishspeakers,whoareatthelosingendofSpringfield’sachievementgap.Take,forexample,CLTleadership.Ofthesixparentsinregularattendance,nonearenativeSpanish‐speakers.WhiletwooftheseleadersareLatinas,one(YaritzaBianchi)isaself‐identifiedupper‐middle‐classBrazilian,andtheother(RosalitaO’Malley)isasecond‐generation,nativeEnglish‐speakingprofessionalwhosechildrenarebiracial(Latino/White).BothBianchiandO’MalleyholdgraduatedegreesfromSpringfield’suniversity.Bianchiherselfiscriticalofthispatternofparticipation:

Well,Ithinkthis[ADLC’sphilosophyofaLatino‐ledschool]isaclassicalexampleofhowWhite,attimes—becauseoftheirprivilege,becauseoftheiraccesstocontrol,becauseoftheiraccesstoresourceswiththeirreallygoodheart,seeasocialjusticeorsocialproblemandsaylike,“Okay,we’regonnafixit.”Butwe’regonnafixourselves!How[doyou]thinkyou’llbebetterforthispopulation?Andattimesthey’renottakingintoconsiderationbringinginimportantstakeholders—andI’mnottalkingonlyaboutLatinopeople;I’mtalkingaboutpoor,Latino,Mexican,monolingualparents—intothoseconversations.Becausethat’sourpopulation.Ourpopulationisnotcomprisedof,youknow,peoplelikeme:professional,educated,resourcefulLatinos.Ourpopulation—themajorityofthepopulation—iscomprisedofMexicans,monolingual,lowereducationachievementfromtheirhomecountry,soliteracyintheirhomelanguageislower,sounderstandingofthesystemisdifficult,sothoseparentswerenotinthosemeetingstogettheschoolasitwasortogetthecommunityleadershipstructureoranythingasfarasparentengagement.SoourparentengagementisstillveryWhitemainstream…We’redefinitelynotfulfillingthatpartofthemission.

The“partofthemission”Bianchireferstoistwofold—democraticgovernanceoftheschool,particularlybySpanish‐dominantfamilies,andabiculturalcommunity.BothoftheseremainaworkinprogressforADLC.

Whenitcomestobiculturalismspecifically,integrationacrossculturalandlinguisticlinesisreadilyapparentamongstudentsandfaculty.Yetamongparents,thereisaculturalandlinguisticdivide,asfounderandparentMikeDonigernotes:

AndIthinkpartofthatschoolcultureneedstobemorecross‐cultural—honestcross‐culturalexperiencesforthefamilies.Istillthinkthere’ssegregation,self‐segregation,andIthinktherealwayswillbeapartofthat,butIthinkthere’salotmorewecandotoworkonthat.AndIthinkit’sverypoliticalforEnglishandSpanish‐speakingfamiliestotrusteachother.Youevenstillfeelitatthemeetings.Youknow,“We’regonnahavetospeakSpanishtonight?!”“Cometoameeting,andthey’reallgonnabespeakingEnglishtonight?!”It’sstillthatfeeling,insteadof,“I’mgonnagoseemyfriend.Youknow,they’regonnabethere,andtheirkidsaregonnabethere,



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andI’mgonnatalkaboutsomethingthat’sgonnahelpourschool.”There’ssomeofthat.Iwishtherewasmoreofthat.

Althoughtheparentcommunityremainssegregated,manyofADLC’smostprivilegedparentssaythattheschool’sdiversityispreciselywhytheyloveit.However,theyareuncriticalofthelackofdiversityamongparentleadersandorganizations.Whendiscussingwhyparticipationhasbeensolop‐sided,mostprivilegedparents’explanationsfallbackondeficit‐basedexplanationthatfocusonthesocioeconomicstatusofSpanish‐dominantfamilies,citingthefactthatfamiliesworkmultiplejobsandaretoopressedfortimeorresourcestobeinvolvedatADLC.Yetthisalonedoesnotexplainthedifferenceinparticipation.Instead,parentparticipationatADLCisstructuredtoexcludetheveryfamiliestheschoolwasdesignedtoserve.AsMariaPuentesexplains,“Withallgoodintentions,we’recreatingthisspacewherewewantLatinofamilies[to]feelcomfortable,butwe’redoingitusingthesamestructuresthatallschoolsdo.” Indeed,thereseemstobeacontradictionbetweentheprofessedbeliefsandactionsofADLC’sprivilegedparents.Forexample,inADLC’sfoundingdays,allmeetingswereconductedinSpanish,withtheschool’sprincipalconductingone‐on‐oneoutreachtoSpanish‐dominantfamiliestoencouragetheirattendance.English‐dominantparentsrepeatedlydescribedhowimportantitwasforthemtofeellikeoutsiders,tobeintheminority,andtoneedsupporttoparticipateinthelifeofADLCintheseearlydays.DanielleHenderson,motheroftwo,describesherparticipationintheseearlymeetings:

Thiswasprobablystillthesecondyearoftheschooland,um,theSpanish‐speakingfamiliesstartedgettingthe[translation]headsetsandputtingontheheadsetsandtheywerelike,“No,we’refacilitatingthis—youonlyneedaheadsetifyoudon’tknowSpanish.”Anditwasreallycool…[S]owegottheheadsetsandthenIfeltliketheSpanish‐speakingfamiliessatupalittlehigher,youknow,anditwasreallygoodforustohearkindofwhatoursonwashavingto[doto]figurestuffout,basedonwatchingotherpeople’sreactions,whentheylaughedandwhentheylikeleanedinmore…[A]ndsomeEnglish‐speakingfamilieslookedkindofuncomfortable,whichIthoughtwasawesome.Andsothatwascool.

Infact,mostEnglish‐dominantfamiliesacknowledgethattheschoolwasn’tdesignedfortheirfamiliesandchildren:ItwasdesignedtoserveSpringfield’sLatinocommunity,andtheirfamiliesarejust“alongfortheride.”YettherehasbeenlittleprotestasADLChasincreasinglyprivilegedEnglish‐speakingfamilies.AsmeetingshaveshiftedtoEnglishandasEnglish‐dominantparentshavetakenonmostleadershippositions,fewhaveadvocatedforareturntoearlierstructures—orforrethinkingthestructureandphilosophyofparentparticipationaltogether.Infact,whileCLTleadersacknowledgedthatthelackofSpanish‐dominantparents’participationwasaproblem,theyproposednosubstantivechangestotheCLTtoaddressthis.TherewasdiscussionofincreasedoutreachtoLatinofamiliesbutnocriticalinterrogationofhowthestructureandsubstanceoftheCLTitselfwasadisincentive.Infact,CLTleadersalsoalludedtothebeliefthatitwasuptotheLatinocommunityitselftofixthisinequalityiftheyfeltthestructuresweren’tworking,withoneleaderarguing,“We’reallinfavorofthe[CLT]structurewedeveloped,butweneedtogetpeoplehere…We’renotthepeopleatthispointwhocanmakethisdecisionhere.Yaritzasays[CLT]it’snotworking,soYaritzaneedstoleadit.”



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“IFeelLikeICan’tFitThere”:TheInvisibleWorkofLatinoParentsWhilethereistruthtothisstoryofunequalparentalinvolvement,itisnotthewholestory.Participationmayappearlopsidedatofficialmeetings,butinothervenues,Spanish‐dominantparentsaredeeplyinvolved.Theirwork,however,isnotalwaysvisible.Forexample,YoloHierra,motheroffourSpanish‐dominantADLCstudents,israrelyatofficialleadershipmeetings(shewasatnoneofthetenCLT‐sponsoredeventsthatIattendedin2010‐2011),yetsheistheunofficialleaderofADLC’sLatinoparentcommunity.ShehostsregularmeetingsatherhomewhereSpanish‐speakingmothersplansomeofADLC’sbest‐attendedcommunityevents—DiadelosNiños,DiadelosMuertos,andTeacherAppreciationNight.Theseeventsarenotorganizingorinformationalevents,noraretheyCLT‐plannedevents;theyareculturalandcommunitycelebrationsthatspringfromaninformalnetworkofmothersandthatincludepotluckdinners,dancing,games,andtraditionalculturalactivities.WhileitiswidelyknownthatHierraandhercadreofparentsaretheforcebehindtheseevents,moreprivilegedparentsstillfocusonSpanish‐dominantfamilies’lackofinvolvementinofficialschoolcommittees.TheworkofLatinamothersisacknowledged,butitdoesnotcountasofficialandequalparticipation.

Hierra’sworkisneighborhood‐basedratherthanschool‐based.BecausetheADLCcommunityisgeographicallyandlinguisticallysegregated,herneighborhood‐basedworkonthesouthsideisadefactoexclusionofEnglish‐dominantparents.Andbecauseitdoesn’tincludeEnglish‐dominantparents,itdoesn’tcountasofficialinvolvement—eventhoughschool‐basedworkthatisadefactoexclusionofSpanish‐dominantfamiliesdoes.TheworkofSpanish‐dominantfamilies—conductedinalessprivilegedlanguage,inoneofSpringfield’s‘undesirable’low‐incomeneighborhoods,andwithmotherswholacksocialstatusandpoliticalpower—isinvisible,inpartbecausethefamiliesinvolvedlackthestatusandpoliticalclouttomaketheirworkvisible.

YetwhilethereisonlypassingconcernamongprivilegedparentsaboutsegregatedCLTmeetings,thereisahistoryofcontestationregardinglanguage‐segregatedevents.Forexample,Puentestriedtocreatemoreculturallyrelevantparentalinvolvementstructures:“[O]neofmyideaswaswejustneedtostartaseparateparentmeetingfortheLatinoparents,andIcalleditaplática,becausethat’sconversation,becausethat’smoreculturallyrelevant,atleastwhatIknowanyways.”Thisgroupbyheraccountwasquitesuccessful,withSpanish‐speakingparentstakingownershipforthegroup’sstructureandcontent—arrangingchildcare,re‐arrangingmeetingtimes,buildingaphonetreeforLatinofamilies,invitingspeakerstotalkaboutschoolanddistrictissues,andorganizingactivitiesforfamilies.Similarly,anotherteacher—AnaSierra,aChicanawhogrewupinamigrantfarm‐workingfamily—organizedliteracyworkshopsforSpanish‐speakingparents.

YetthisworkiscontestedbymoreprivilegedADLCparents.WithHierra’sgroup,¡Adelante!,English‐dominantparentswholeadtheCLTtalkaboutthenecessityoffoldingitintotheCLT.TheoppositiontoPuentes’sandSierra’sworkisevenstronger:

Ithinkoneofthereasonswhyit[pláticaandtheliteracygroup]kindofstoppedwas,weweregettingquestionsfromtheothernon‐Spanishspeakingparents,orthenon‐Spanishspeaking,non‐Latinoparentssaying,“Whycan’tIgotothatmeeting?”Andevensomeparentswhowereabletosay,“IspeakSpanish;whycan’tIgotothatmeeting?”AnditwasreallytoughformanyparentstounderstandthegoalofitistocreateasafespaceforourLatinofamilieswho—Idon’tthink,notonlydoweknowthatinaschool



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systemitisintimidatingforpeoplewhodon’tknowhowtofunctioninaschoolsystem,butIthinkADLCisparticularlyscarybecauseourEnglish‐dominantparents,they’retheoneswiththevoice,theyknowhowtodoschool,andtheyknowhowtodoacharterschool,too,youknow.Theyusetheirvoice,theydoresearch,theyknowhowtositoncommitteesandrundifferentthings.Andyouknow,notonlyareLatinoparentsinthiswhole—immersedinthisthingofschoolingbutthey’reimmersedinthisparticularschoolbuildingpitchedagainsttheseotherpeoplewhoknowwhattodo…[Y]ouhavethosepeoplethatask,“Well,whycan’tIparticipate?”Oryouknow,“Thisisn’tfair.”Oryouknow,“Isn’tthisjustasracist?”

WhenparentparticipationstructuresareestablishedthatexcludeEnglish‐dominantfamilies,thisworkiscontestedormadeinvisible,butwhentheworkoftheCLTisadefactoexclusionofLatinoandSpanish‐dominantfamilies,itslegitimacyisneverquestioned. PartofthisstemsfromadifferenceinmissionoftheCLTandgroupslikeHierra’s¡Adelante!TheCLTwasdesignedtobeavehicleofdemocraticgovernance:Accordingtotheschool’scharterandcontract,itistheofficialavenueforfamiliesandcommunitymemberstoparticipateingoverningtheschool.YetSpanish‐dominantparentsrepeatedlysaidthattheymostwantedtobeinvolvedintheculturallifeoftheschool.Thiswork,suchasplanningDiadelosNiños,isnotevermentionedaspartofthedemocraticgovernanceofADLC.OneSpanish‐dominantmother,NayeliGarcia,notedtheimpactoftheCLT’slackoffocusonculture:“Whentheschoolignoresculture,familiesfeelalienated.Wehavetheimpressionthatwecan’tcelebrateourculture.”ThecontributionofLatinoandSpanish‐dominantfamiliestoculturallife,whilefulfillingafundamentalpartofADLC’smission(biculturalism),isseenasseparatefrom—ornotcountingtowards—democraticgovernance.YetformanySpanish‐dominantfamilies,theworkoftheCLTrelatedtopoliciesandlogistics—communicationstructuresorliaisoningwiththeprincipal—isn’ttheinvolvementthatmattersmosttothem.Garciasaid,“Themeetingsarenotimportanttous.Iftheyweremoresignificant,moreparentswouldcome.”

FortheSpanish‐speakingparentsinvolvedwith¡Adelante!,takingactionismostimportant:planningevents,networkingwithotherparents,orgoingtoclassrooms.CLTmeetingsareseenasbeingirrelevant.Hierradoesn’tattendCLTmeetingswithanyregularity,shehasgonetothesuperintendent’sofficetoprotestdistrictpolicies,talkedtoschoolleadersaboutoffensivelanguage,andevenconfrontedteachers:

Wehaveourvoice,butIalways—Iseealotparentsareafraidtotalk,areafraidtospeak,areafraidtosaysomething.AndIwasthesamewayuntilsomebodytoldme,youhaveyourrights.Youcancomeandtalktotheteacherifyoudon’tlikeit,andyoucancomeandtalktotheprincipalifyouhaveanissue.SoIstartkindofbeverystrongandsay,“Ok,Idon’tlikewhatyoutoldme.”Iwenttotalktomyson’steacheratGrove[themiddleschool]andsay,“Idon’tlikeyou.Whyyoudon’tlikemyson?Whatisyourproblem?”Andshewaslike,“[gasping]I’msorry.”[laughs]“Yeah,youdon’tlikeme,I’msorry.I’malwaysnicetoalltheteachers,butyoubeensomeanwithme,withmyson,andI’mtiredofyou.Tellme,whatisyourproblem?”

ForHierra,knowingherrightsasaparentanddefendingherchildrenisfundamentaltohowshetakesactionwithintheschoolcommunity.



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ManySpanish‐dominantparentsfeelexcludedbythedominantparentparticipationstructuresatADLC.Whilemoreprivilegedparentshavedeficit‐orientedexplanationsforlopsidedLatinoparentinvolvement—explanationsthatrelyheavilyonperceptionsofthemaslow‐incomeandworking‐class—Spanish‐dominantparentsdescribeasystemthatisnotwelcomingandthatexcludestheminstructure,design,andcontent.Logistically,forexample,allCLTmeetingshavetraditionallytakenplaceatschoolonaweeknight.Thisalonebarsparticipationformanyfamilies,asHierraexplains:

Theschoolisfaraway.It’sfar,far.Iftheymissthebus,it’slike30minutestogettherethroughtherushhour,30minutestocomeback,soit’slikeanhourtomakethetrip.Soit’salittlefar…AndIoffer—Ialwaysoffermyhouse.Youcancomehere,especiallyduringwinter.Idon’twanttodrivewithallmykids.AndIwastealotoftimegoingbackagainanddoingthehomeworkand…andiftheycanmovetoadifferentday,myhusbandcanwatchmykidsandIcangobymyself,buttheydecidetohaveonlyTuesdays.

TheleadersoftheCLTknowthis,andyettheCLTchosetocontinueitsmeetingstructureintothe2011‐2012schoolyear—meetingonTuesdayevenings,atschool.

Evenifmeetingsweremorelogisticallyfeasible,Spanish‐dominantparentsdonotalwaysfeelwelcome,andtheyfeelthatthemeetingsdonotattendtotheissuesthatmattertothem.Again,Hierraexplains:

[T]heyaskmehowwecanbringmoreHispanicparentstothemeetings,tothecommunity,totheschool.AndItoldthemthatweprobablyhavetostartatlikethebottom…Isaywehavedifferentneeds[than]theothergrouphas…[F]irstofall,weneedprobablyameetingonlyinSpanish.AndbringspeakerswhospeakSpanish.Sowedon’t[need]anytranslator.Wedon’tneedanybodytotranslateintheirway.Sometranslatorsareverygood.Somedon’t.Andtheytranslatewhattheywant,notwhatwewant…[S]oItoldthemifwebringourlibrarianwhocomesandteacheshowtotake—howtohavelibrarycardandhowitworks,whatdoweneed,whatwewouldneedtohaveone,we’reteachingsome[thingthat]probablyalotdon’tknow..[T]heotheronecanbehowwecanfindadoctor,whatclinicwecanpaybypaymentsorwecanfindandnottooexpensiveorgotourgentcareinsteadofhospital…[W]hatyoucandowhenyoudon’tfeelgoodandyoudon’thaveinsurance.Sotherearesomeotheroptions.WhenItalkto—whenIbroughtthisideatotheCLT,Laverne[theCLTco‐chair]toldme,“Sodoyoumeanwearegoingtofindfreedoctorsforpeople?Who’sgoingtopayforthat?”SoIgotreallymad.Igotfrustratedandsay,“Younolisten;wehavedifferentneeds.Youhaveadoctor;Idon’t.Youhaveinsurance;Idon’t.YouspeakEnglish;Idon’t.HowI’mgonnacallaclinicandsayIneedanappointment,butcanIdopayments,ifIdon’tspeakEnglish?How?Tellme.”SoIgotinareallybigargumentwithherandIdecidedtoquit.

ForHierraandotherSpanish‐dominantparents,theybelievethatmeetingsattheschoolshouldbeusefultothem.ButaslongasCLTmeetingscontinuetoignoretheneedsofhalfofthefamiliesatADLC,themessagetoSpanish‐dominantparentsisclear,accordingtoYoloHierra:“IfeellikeIcan’tfitthere.”



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“TheHopeofOurSchool”:OrganizingLatinoParentsSpanish‐dominantfamiliesareengagedinADLC,persistingwiththeirownavenuesofinvolvementandcontestingthedeficit‐orientednarrativeoftheirparticipation.However,separateisnotequalatADLC.ThevoicesofSpanish‐dominantfamiliesareexcludedonissuesthatareimportanttothembyvirtueoftheirexclusionfromofficialgovernanceavenues.Forexample,Hierraexplainstheschool’shotlydebatedhomeworkpolicy:

[W]ehadanargumentaboutthehomeworkafewyearsago.WeusedtohaveaParents/Padresmeeting.90%ofus—White.Wewere,like,threeHispanics—finally,Iamjustme.Andeverybodywascomplainingabouttherewashugehomeworkthefirstyear…Iusedtolikewhentheybringbigpackagesofhomeworkforoneweek,andwewereworking…TheWhiteparents,theydidn’tlikeit.Itwastoomuch.Andtheydidn’twanttospendanhoureverysingledaysittingforthehomework.Soeverybodyvoteweshouldnotgetanyhomework.AndtheyaskedmeandIsay,“No,I’mhappy.AmIpushingmykidstodoalot?Idon’tthinkso;I’mhappywiththehomework.”ButIwastheonlyone.Ican’tdoanything.Whentheydecidenottohavehomework,alltheLatinoparentscallmeandsay,“Whydon’twehavehomework?”AndIsay,“Becausewhenwehaveameetingtodecide,nobodyshowedup.”

EventhoughHierraisoneoftheprimaryorganizersofalternativeavenuesforLatinoparentparticipation,sherecognizesthelimitsofsegregatedandindividualaction.Thevoicesthatareheardarethevoicesthatspeakinanofficialandcollectivecapacity;theparentswithpowerarethosewhocollaborateonschool‐sanctionedefforts.Giventhisinequality,HierraandotherleaderscommittedtoequalizingpowerrelationsseektoorganizetheLatinoandSpanish‐dominantfamilieswithinADLC. Indeed,lookingacrossinterviewsandfieldnotes,thereisanimplicitcallfororganizingwithintheADLCcommunity,particularlyamongitsSpanishspeakers.Hierra,forexample,seestheneedforcollectiveactioninordertohavepowerandimpactwithintheschoolcommunity,asherhomeworkstoryillustrates.Infact,multipleLatinoparentstalkabouttheneedtobuildacommunityofSpanish‐speaking,DLIparentsdistrict‐wideinordertoadvocatefortheirchildrenandequitabledistrictpolicyandpractice—suchasbuildingaDLIschoolonSpringfield’ssouthside,wheremostofthecity’sLatinosliveandwherenopublicschoolislocated.ThereisalsoarepeatedcallforeducationofLatinoparents—educationabouttheirrightsasparents,abouthowtoconductmeetings,andabouthowtosupporttheirchildren’seducationalprogress.BoardmemberMariaPuentes,infact,initiatedherpláticasessionsbecausesheobservedthatADLC’sSpanish‐speakingcommunitylackedtheculturalcapitalrelatedtoleadershipinmainstreamcapacities.Multipleparentsandadvocatesalsoseeaconnectionbetweenschool‐basedissuesandbroaderissuesofsocialjusticewithinSpringfield—inequitiesbasedongeography,language,race,andsocioeconomicstatusthatresultindramaticallydifferentaccesstoresourcesandpower.Finally,communitymembersharkenbacktotheschool’searliestdaysasanexampleofsuccessfullyengagingSpanish‐dominantfamilies.TheymentiontheworkoffirstprincipalHenryGundlachandfounderMikeDonigertoconnectwiththeschool’sSpanish‐speakingfamiliesbybuildingrelationshipsandpersonallyinvitingthemtoschoolmeetings,identifyinganddevelopingleaderswithinthisconstituency,andorganizingparenteducationsessionsrelatedtoDLI,charterschools,anddistrictpolicy.In



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ADLC’searliestdays,notonlyweremoreSpanish‐speakingparentsinvolved,buttherewasalsomoredevelopmentofcross‐culturalpartnershipswithintheschool.ThisisamodelthatADLC’sEnglish‐andSpanish‐speakingcommunitiespointtoassuccessful. Inalloftheseproposedsolutions,models,andactions,whattheADLCcommunityisimplicitlycallingforisorganizing.Withoutit,ADLCparentparticipationhaseasilyslippedbackintoamainstreammodelthatprivilegesdominantcultureandthatignorestheresources,voices,andneedsofmanyofitsmembers.YetLatinoandSpanish‐dominantparentsatADLChavecapitaltospend.Theybring,forexample,theculturalcapitalthatprivilegedparentsdesperatelywanttoacquirefortheirownchildren—theSpanishlanguage,abiculturalperspective,theabilitytoexistinamulticulturalcommunityandworld.Theyalsobringanddeploysocialcapital.LatinoparentslikeHierraareabletoactivateanetworkofparentsatthedropofahatandmobilizelargegroupsofparentstobringeventstolife—incontrasttotheCLT,whichwasneverattractedmorethantenparentstoamonthlymeetingandhadtocancelitsoneannualevent(SpringCarnival)duetoalackofparentparticipationinitsplanning.Infact,itisHierraandher¡Adelante!networkthattheCLTturnstowhenitwantstoensureactionistaken.ButSpanish‐dominantparentslackpoliticalcapital,withoutwhichtheireffortsremaininvisible.ThisresonateswithMediratta,Shah,andMcAlister’s(2000)argumentthat,“Fromacommunityorganizingperspective,thecentralproblemisnotthelackofsocialcapitalinpoorcommunitiesandcommunitiesofcolor,butratherthelackofdemocraticcontroloverhoweconomicandculturalresources(whichenrichthebenefitscommunitiesgainfromsocialcapital)aredistributedanddeployed”(p.4).

Communityorganizingisonemeansofacquiringmorepowerandpoliticalcloutinmarginalizedcommunities.InthenarrativeofADLC’sfounding,leadersdescribetheirworkascommunityorganizing,andtheyseeADLCasanexampleofsuccessfulcommunityorganizing.Butwhiletheschoolwasfoundedasaresultofgrassrootsorganizingandcommunityprotest,thisworkremainedissue‐based,singularlyfocusedonthecreationofaDLIcharterschool.FounderslikeDonigerimaginedADLCbecomingthespringboardforalargersocialjusticemovementwithinSpringfield,buttherealityhasbeenthat,sinceharnessingcommunityprotestforasingle‘win,’thecommunityhasnotbeenorganized.

AsWarren,Mapp,etal(2011)argue,communityorganizingistheprocessofbuildingrelationshipsandbuildingpowerwithinmarginalizedcommunitiesinordertotransformindividuals,institutions,andcommunities.Itisaprocessofandforsocialjustice.ADLCtemporarilyharnessedLatinocommunityoutragetobuildtherelationshipsandpowertowinaDLIschool.Butwhiletheschoolwasenvisionedasaninstantiationofsocialjustice,ithassincebecomeaninstitutionandcommunityrecreatingsystem‐widehierarchiesofprivilegeandpoweramongitsfamilies.Thus,thereisnowaneedtoorganizewithintheADLCcommunity.Tothisend,severalLatinoandbiculturalparentleadershaveintroducedanorganizingapproachwiththeimplementationoftheMexicanAmericanLegalDefenseandEducationFund’sParentSchoolPartnership(PSP)program.A23‐year‐oldparenteducationprogram,itisdesignedto“empowerparentsandcommunityleadersthroughoutthenationtobecomechangeagentsintheircommunities.ThePSPprogramprovidesthemwiththetoolsnecessarytobecomeeffectiveadvocatesinimprovingtheirchildren’seducationalattainment”(MALDEF,2009). Throughoutthefallsemesterofthe2011‐2012schoolyear,acohortofsixteenSpanish‐dominantparentsmeteveryotherSaturdayatasouthsidecommunitycenterto



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participateintheMALDEFtrainingprogram.Topicsincludedparentalrightsandresponsibilities,howtheschoolboardworks,localeducationalresources,howtorunandplanameeting,andnetworkingwithlocaleducationalleaders.Parentstookafieldtriptoauniversity,plannedindividualactionevents,andspokeataschoolboardmeetingabouttheeducationalissuesfacingtheircommunity.WhileMALDEFwashappening,CLTmeetingstookatemporaryhiatus.DuringthespringsemesterandundertheleadershipofMALDEFparticipantsandfacilitators,theCLTwasreinvented:meetingswerescheduledforSaturdaymorningsatthesouthsidecommunitycenter,andtheywereplannedasorganizingmeetings—withNCIboardleaders,communityleaders,andschoolleadersattendinginordertocollaboratewithandhearfromADLCparents.

ThisreinventedCLTisnoticeablychanged.Itslogisticsfostermoreequitableparticipation:themonthlymeetingsoccurclosertotheneighborhoodwhereADLC’sSpanish‐speakingcommunitylivesandatatimemoreamenabletoworkingfamilies;childcareandsnacksareprovidedsothatentirefamiliescanattend;thereismorepersonaloutreachtotheSpanish‐speakingcommunityinvitingmemberstoattend;andmeetingsareconductedinSpanishwithEnglishtranslationprovided.TheresultoftheselogisticalchangesisthatthemajorityofattendeesarenowSpanish‐dominant—atthefirstmeeting,inFebruary,17ofthe21attendeeswereSpanish‐dominant,andattheMarchmeeting,oer30ofthe40+attendeeswereSpanish‐dominant.ParticipationamongEnglish‐dominantparentsremainsthesame,butSpanish‐speakingparticipationisgreatlyimproved.

ItisnotsimplythedetailsofthereinventedCLTthatfosterthischangedparticipation.ItscontentandpurposehavealsobeenreimaginedasanextensionofMALDEF,withafocusonparenteducationandaction.Meetingsarefirstfocusedoneducatingparentsaboutissuesofconcern—detailsaboutanewschoolsite,theupcomingschoolboardelection,extendingDLIprogramming,howtheschool’sfundingworks—andopeningupspaceforparentstodiscussanddebatetheirownconcerns.Then,CLT/MALDEFleadershelpthegrouptoorganizeconcreteaction—aletterwritingcampaignaboutthenewschoolsite,organizingafter‐schooltutoringinSpringfield’sLatinoneighborhood,givingfeedbacktotheSCSDboardaboutdistrictpolicy,orlobbyingthedistricttobuildanewschoolonSpringfield’ssouthside.Atthesemeetings,Spanish‐dominantparentsarenotmerelysilentparticipants,asthefewthatattendedCLTmeetingspriortendedtobe.Instead,theyareactiveandvocal,questioningschoolanddistrictleaders,proposingaction,andassumingleadershipfordiscreteissues.

TheMALDEFcurriculumisintendedtoeducateandorganizeLatinoparentsaroundpublicschooling.Itis‘basictraining,’ifyouwill,forfullerparticipationintheCLT.Byvirtueoforganizingtheschool’sSpanish‐dominantparents,however,MALDEFisalsointheprocessoftransformingtheCLT.ItwastheMALDEFparticipantswhoproposedtheselogisticalandcontentchangestotheCLTandwhotookthereignsinbringingthemtolife.TheCLT’sworknowisnotsimplyfocusedonplanningeventsoraddressingclassroomissues;rather,itcontinuestheorganizingworkthatMALDEFbeganofeducatingparentsandhelpingthemdesignandtakeactionaroundeducationalequityissuesthatmattertothem.Whileitremainsissue‐focused,thereishopethatthisreimaginedparentcommunitywillbecomeapoliticalforce,particularlyaroundissuesofequityforLatinostudentsandEnglishlanguagelearners.Thisisalreadyhappening:thereimaginedCLTistheonlyparentgroupinthedistricttohostitsowncandidateforumforupcomingschoolboardelections.



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ByorganizingSpanish‐dominantparentsandbyengaginginpoliticaleducationandissue‐basedwork,MALDEFandtheCLTarehelpingtomakevisiblethepreviouslyinvisibleengagementoftheSpanish‐speakingcommunitywithinADLC.Moreover,byorganizingthiscommunitywithintheschool,MALDEFandthereimaginedCLTarehelpingtoaccruepoliticalcapitalfortheschool’sSpanish‐speakingcommunity,whichisessentialnotonlyforempoweringthiscommunitybutalsoforkeepingthefoundingvisionofADLCandeducationaljusticealive.AsoneCLTleadernoted,“MALDEFisthehopeofourschool.”

DiscussionCommunityorganizingis,atleastinpart,thecreationofacommunity.Warren,Mapp,etal(2011)explainthat,incommunityorganizing,relationshipsarecultivatednotonlyamongindividualswithsharedhistoriesandidentities(bondingsocialcapital)butalsobetweengroupswhomayseethemselvesasmoredifferentthansimilar(bridgingsocialcapital).Bridgingsocialcapital,inparticular,requiresthecultivationoftrustandrespectaswellasthedevelopmentofsharedgoalsandideals.Buildingwithin‐groupandoutside‐of‐grouprelationshipsispartandparcelofbuildingpowerinacommunity.Communityorganizing,afterall,isaboutbuildingthecollectivepowertotransformindividuals,communities,andinstitutionsthroughaction.Andinacyclicalmanner,itisthroughactionthatindividualsbuildnewrelationshipsandexpandtheboundariesoftheircommunity.YetwithinADLC,itiswidelyrecognizedthatrelationshipshavebrokendownbetweenlinguisticcommunities. TheMALDEFtrainingprogramandthereinventedCLTarefirststepstowardreorganizingtheADLCcommunity.Theyarefocusedspecificallyonparenteducation,politicalconsciousness‐raising,andthecultivationofbondingsocialcapitalwithintheschool’sSpanish‐speakingcommunity.ButADLCwasneverintendedtobeasegregatedcommunity.Whilethecommunity’sfocushasalwaysbeenoneducationalequityforLatinostudents,foundershopedtoaccomplishthisworkwithinanintentionallyintegratedcommunity.Thus,whatstillseemstobemissingintheseinitialorganizingoverturesisthebuildingofrelationshipsacrossdifference,orthecultivationofbridgingsocialcapital.Organizingeffortsarefocusedonwhatareseenastwodistinctcommunities.However,successfulorganizingrequiresthatbothbondsandbridgesarebuilt.Althoughthecritiquesofsegregatedparentinvolvementarecomplicatedbyprivilegeandpower,bothEnglish‐andSpanish‐dominantparentsrecognizethattheparentcommunitywillfunctionmostequitablyandwiththemostpowerwhenbridgesarebuilt.AsHierrarepeatedlyofferedtoschoolleaders,“Soifyouwant,usemeasabridge.I’llbehappytohelp.” Inadditiontothebuildingofbridgesacrossdiversegroups,communityorganizingrequiresthecultivationofleadership,helpingindividualstomovefrom“privatepersontoapublicactorasacommunityleader”(Warren,Mapp,etal,2011,p.236).Again,alackofleadershipiswidelyrecognizedasoneofthecoreproblemswithintheADLCcommunity.Whenaskedtonamewhatwassodifferentbetweentheearlydaysoftheschoolwhenparentswereenergizedandunitedasaforceforchangewithinthedistrict,oneparentsaid,“Igobacktotheleadershippart.”Intheearlydays,founderMikeDonigerandprincipalHenryGundlachactedasorganizersofthecommunity;theydidthisinadditiontotheirworkasteacherandprincipal.Donigerexplained,“Youhavetobeateacherandacommunityorganizer.Andyouhavetobeanadministratorofaschoolandyouhavetobeacommunityleader,”buthealsorecognizedthelimitationsofthismodel:“That’salottoaskfrompeople.”Indeed,itis.ADLC’ssecondprincipal,AlessandroChavez,resignedinMayof



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the2010‐2011schoolyearformedicalreasons—asuddenheartconditionthathisdoctorattributedtostress,stressthatChavezchalkeduptohisunclearroleandtheseeminglyendlessdemandsonhimfromADLC’smanyconstituencies.

Whileindividualsperiodicallysteppedintofillthevoidinleadership—suchasHierraworkingastheunofficialleaderoftheSpanish‐speakingcommunity—itwaswidelyrecognizedthat“weneedmorehelp.”Someofthisisaboutsheermanpower.AlmosteverycommunitymemberwithwhomIspokesawaclearneedforafull‐time,biculturalandbilingualstaffmemberdevotedtoparentorganizingandleadership.Whereasothercommunityorganizingeffortsineducationmaybeaffiliatedwithalocalornationalorganizinggroup,alltheworkofADLCisschool‐based.TherearenoofficialcommunityorganizersatADLC.Thus,theschoolneedsastaffmemberwhocanfulfillthatroleintheschool.Beyondthat,though,thereisnotacultureofindividualsbecomingleaderswithinthecommunity.Theinitialzestaftertheschool’sfoundinghasdissipated,withitappearingasifmostcommunitymembersarecontenttoletothersdothehardworkofleadingandorganizingtheschoolcommunity.DonigerseesthisasafundamentalneededatADLC:

Ithinkwe’reunderstandingthat,tokeeppeopleinvolved,it’salmostlikeyouhavetohaveawholecommunityinvested,thewholecommunityunderstandingandthatinvestmentkindofaprocess,sowhenpeoplecomeintotheschool,therearecertainculturalexpectationsthatyou’regoingtobeinvolvedinthisandthat,andyou’regoingtobealeader,andtherearethingsthatyoucando.AndIdon’tthinkthat’sthere.Itmightbeintheheadsofsomeofthepeoplethatwerewiththeschool[atthebeginning],andsomeofthecommunitypeoplewhosupportit,butIdon’tthinkit’ssharedacrossthewholeschoolculture,soIthinkthat’ssomethingtoworkon.That’sleadership...

TheMALDEFparenttrainingprogramisafirststepinsystematicallycultivatingleaderswithinthecommunity,butmoreneedstobedonetoidentifyandtrainleadersandtotransformcommunityculturetooneofsharedleadershipandaction.

Ofcourse,thenotionofcommunityorganizingwithinADLCiscomplicatedbythefactthatADLCisaschool.ADLCwasfoundedoutofcommunityorganizingefforts,andwhiletheleadersofthatorganizingsawtheschoolasaspringboardforcontinuedmobilizingaroundeducationaljusticeinSpringfield,itseemsthatsomewithintheschoolcommunitylookatthe‘win’ofADLCandnolongerseeaneedforaction.ADLCisnotpartofamulti‐issueorganizationorcampaign;itwasitselftheissueandcampaignthatinspiredorganizing.However,teachers,boardmembers,schoolfounders,andLatinoparentstalkaboutADLCaspartofamovementforsocialjusticeinSpringfield.Noticeablysilentonthissocialjusticeworkaretheschool’smostprivileged—andmostpowerful—parents:White,English‐speaking,and/ormiddle‐andupper‐classparents.ThereisacomplicateddynamicwithintheparentworkofADLC.Parentparticipationintheschool’sdemocraticgovernancewasintendedtokeeptheflameoforganizingandbroadersocialjusticeworkalive.Yettheparentswhohavegottenmostinvolvedarethosewhohaveaccesstothemostsocial,cultural,political,andphysicalcapital—andtheyhaveusedthatcapital,perhapsinadvertently,tosilenceandexcludeothercommunitymembers.Thissilenceandexclusionhasenabledparentparticipationtobecomenarrowlyfocusedontheday‐to‐dayrunningoftheschoolratherthanonbroaderconnectionstoeducationalequity.Ithasalsoallowedtheparentcommunitytofocusonissuesthatwillcontinuetobenefittheirownchildren—



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extendingDLIprogrammingthroughmiddleschoolandhighschool,institutingasiblingpreferenceintheschoollottery,institutinga‘nohomework’policy.Noneoftheseissuessubstantivelyorpositivelyimpactsocialjusticeoreducationalequity. LatinoandSpanish‐speakingparentsfeelinequitywithinADLC—andtheyareawareofbroaderinequitieswithinSpringfield’spublicschools.TheyintuitivelyknowthatorganizingamongthemselvesandwithotherLatinoparentsaroundthedistrictistheonlywaytofightbackagainsteducationalinequities.Withoutnamingitassuch,theLatinoandSpanish‐speakingparentsatADLCarecallingforcommunityorganizing.Evenwithintheir‘reformed’school,powerandprivilegearebeingreproducedratherthanchallenged.Yetschoolfounders,boardmembers,teachers,andLatinoandSpanish‐speakingparentsseektransformationofpubliceducationinSpringfield.Thistransformation,however,canonlyhappenwhentheyareableto“changethepowerdynamicinconventionalrelationshipsbetweenpublicinstitutionsandlow‐incomecommunities”(Mediratta,Shah,&McAlister,2009,p.24).Theyfirstmustchangethatpowerdynamicwithintheirownpublicinstitution,andthen—ideally—bycultivatinga“broadersenseofsharedfate”(Warren,Mapp,etal,2011,p.231)withthediverseconstituenciesoftheADLCcommunity.

Thus,afundamentalpartoftheorganizingworkofLatinoandSpanish‐speakingfamilieswithinADLCmustbefocusedonthird‐orderchange.Again,third‐orderchangewithinschoolreformfocusesnotonthedailyoperationsofaschool,oraso‐called‘schoolimprovement’strategy;rather,itisfocusedonchangingtheunderlyingbeliefsthatdistractfromworkingtowardeducationalequity—theunderlyingracism,classismdeficit‐thinking,languagebias,andhegemonicideologythatmaintainprivilegeattheexpenseofjusticeandequity(Renee,Welner,&Oakes,2009).Atthispointinitshistory,ADLCseemsmoreastoryabouthowthird‐orderchangedidn’thappen:Schoolstructureswerechanged,butnotattitudesandbeliefs.ThehardworkthatliesbeforetheADLCcommunitynowischangingnotschooloperationsbutratherbeliefsandideology.

ConclusionThecaseofADLCspeakstothechallengeofworkingforsocialjusticewithinadiversecommunity.Whatweseeinthiscase,asotherresearchhasfound(e.g.,Reayetal.,2007),areprivilegedparentsmultiplyingprivilegewhileprofessingacommitmenttoequity.ThisisakintowhatPosey(2012)hasidentifiedasthecommodificationofdiversity,wherediversityisanexperienceandskillthatcanaddtoalreadyprivilegedchildren’sculturalandsocialcapital.AmongthemostprivilegedparentsatADLC,theloveandappreciationfortheschool’sdiversityisacommonrefrain.Yetwhenlookingatwherethatdiversityandthecross‐culturalrelationshipswithwhichitshouldgohand‐in‐handbreakdown—whenlookingattheinequalitiesinparentparticipationandpower—privilegedparentslargelyfallbackonadeficitviewoftheirLatinoandSpanish‐speakingcommunitymembers.

WhileinvolvingmoreLatinoparentsinschoolgovernanceisafrequenttopicamongADLC’sparentleaders,mostoftheirexplanationsandsolutionsignorethepowerstructuresthatmarginalizeandexcludetheirparticipation.Infact,theirconversationsarereminiscentofJoyceKing’s(1991)theoryofdysconsciousracism:

Dysconsciousnessisanuncriticalhabitofmind(includingperceptions,attitudes,assumptions,andbeliefs)thatjustifiesinequityandexploitationbyacceptingtheexistingorderofthingsasgiven…DysconsciousracismisaformofracismthattacitlyacceptsdominantWhitenormsandprivileges.Itis



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nottheabsenseofconsciousness(thatis,notunconsciousness)butanimpairedconsciousnessordistortedwayofthinkingaboutraceascomparedto,forexample,criticalconsciousness.Uncriticalwaysofthinkingaboutracialinequityacceptcertainculturallysanctionedassumptions,myths,andbeliefsthatjustifythesocialandeconomicadvantagesWhitepeoplehaveasaresultofsubordinatingdiverseothers.(p.135)

ThisdysconsciousracismisaseriousbarrierinrealizingtheculturallyrelevantandsocialjusticeeducationthattheschoolwascreatedtobringtolifeforSpringfield’sLatinostudents.Theseareeducationalframeworksbuiltonquestioningthestatusquoandchallenginghegemony(e.g.,Chapman&Hobbel,2010;Ladson‐Billings,1995).ForADLCtokeepitsvisionofsocialjusticealive,thosewhocaremustfindwaystochallengehegemonywithintheschool.Communityorganizingoffersapowerfulpossibilityforthiswork. Organizingwithintheschool’sLatinocommunityisafirststepinchallengingthisintra‐communityhegemony.TheMALDEFparenttrainingprogramisalreadyworkingtotransformwithin‐schoolstructures.Nowwhat’sneededistheconsciouscultivationofrelationshipsandconnectionsbetweentheschool’slinguisticcommunities,notonlytopromoteequitywithintheschoolbutalsotorevitalizeADLCasahubforcommunityorganizingaroundeducationaljusticeinSpringfield.



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AppendixTable1:District&SchoolDemographics,2011‐2012

DemographicBreakdown(%)

TotalStudentPop. White Black Hispanic Asian

NativeAm.

Multi‐Racial

Low‐Income ELL SPED

SpringfieldCitySchoolDistrict

24,861 46.0% 20.0% 18.0% 9.0% 1.0% 7.0% 49.0% 18.0% 15.0%

AcademiadelaComunidad

269 24.0% 11.0% 61.0% 1.0% 0.0% 2.0% 65.0% 25.0% 10.0%

Springfield(city)

233,209 75.7% 7.3% 6.8% 7.4% 0.4% 3.1% 16.3% 14.8% N/A

DatafromSpringfieldCitySchoolDistrictWebsite,"DistrictStatistics:OfficialThirdFridayinSeptemberEnrollmentFigures,"andfromUSCensus2010.

NOTE:WithinSpringfield(city),low‐incomereferstothepercentofthepopulationundertheageof18livingbelowthepovertyline.Additionally,themedianhouseholdincomeinSpringfieldis$52,550.ELLreferstothepercentofthepopulationwherealanguageotherthanEnglishisspokenathome.Additionally,10.2%oftheSpringfieldpopulationisforeign‐born.



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Table2:School&DistrictAchievementData,2011‐2012 PERCENTOFSTUDENTSSCORINGPROFICIENTORADVANCEDONSTATEACHIEVEMENTTESTS

BYSUBJECT/GRADE/SCHOOLV.DISTRICT

READING MATH

3rdGrade 4thGrade 5thGrade 3rdGrade 4thGrade 5thGrade

ADLC SCSD ADLC SCSD ADLC SCSD ADLC SCSD ADLC SCSD ADLC SCSD

White

N/A 87.2% 90.0% 90.2% 88.9% 90.4% N/A 84.1% 80.0% 89.7% 88.9% 87.6%

Black

N/A 48.3% N/A 49.5% 66.6% 52.1% N/A 38.1% N/A 50.8% 55.5% 45.7%

Hispanic

59.4% 54.6% 54.5% 56.0% 75.0% 59.7% 68.7% 57.0% 54.5% 65.0% 80.0% 61.6%

LimitedEnglishProficiency

50.0% 55.4% 41.2% 52.0% 72.2% 56.7% 61.5% 57.3% 52.9% 63.9% 72.3% 57.9%

NotLimitedEnglishProficiency

90.5% 76.3% 87.3% 78.2% 80.0% 79.8% 85.7% 71.4% 72.7% 77.6% 80.0% 76.4%

EconomicallyDisadvantaged

47.6% 53.3% 41.7% 52.5% 66.7% 57.9% 60.6% 48.5% 50.0% 57.3% 70.8% 55.4%STUDEN

TDEM

OGRA

PHICCHARA

CTER

ISTICS

NotEconomicallyDisadvantaged

92.8% 88.8% 93.3% 91.8% 92.8% 91.5% 100.0% 85.0% 86.7% 91.4% 85.7% 89.1%

DatafromStateDepartmentofEducationwebsite,"SuccessfulSchoolGuide"

Notes:

(1)NotallracialsubgroupsarereportedinADLC'sdatabecauseNCLBdoesnotmandatedisaggregatingdataforsmallsubgroups.

(2)Fifth‐gradedataishighlightedbecause,inDLI,fifthgradeisthefirstyearthatstudentsreceiveequalinstructioninSpanishandEnglish.WithintheDLImodel,itisexpectedthatstudentswillnotcatchuptooroutperformtheirmonolingualpeersuntilthemiddlegrades.ForADLC'spurposes,administratorslooktofifth‐dradescoresasthecomparisongroup.

Documents

Power, Privilege, and Parental Involvement: Sustaining Justice for Community Involvement in School Reform