Learning from success stories: leadership structures that support dual language programs over time in New York City

Abstract

This research considers the role of the principal and teachers in promoting and supporting dual language bilingual education in three established elementary school programs in New York City. Through a comparative case study in different dual language programs that have each been in existence from more than 10 years, data were collected to consider how the principal works with her staff to negotiate, envision, and support the goals of the dual language program. By examining three different programs in depth, this research identifies elements of leadership in a dual language program that transcend context while exposing the various ways that these leaders react and adapt to the individual community of their particular school. A strong mission, collaboration and shared leadership, trust, and flexibility among administration and teachers are identified as crucial factors in creating a community that is transformative and sustainable over time. In each school, a commitment to the opportunities that bilingualism and multicultural understandings bring to students is universally understood.

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