Exploring the Commodification of Language and Space: The Relationship between Dual Language Programs and Neighborhood Gentrification

Abstract

Dual language (DL) programs have become increasingly popular in the US over the last decade, particularly among higher-income, predominantly English-speaking populations. While there is concern that this increased demand for DL limits access for students who are learning English or otherwise predominantly speak a language other than English, little is known about the state of DL education at a nation-wide level. This dissertation illuminates the state of DL education via a snapshot of programs extant during the 2019-20 school year and investigates the relationship between gentrification and districts that offer DLE through series of logarithmic regression models. Specifically, I find that 1) 1,034 districts and 4,395 schools had a DL program with an online footprint in the 2019-20 school year; 2) the information about DL programs available online skewed heavily in favor of English-dominant populations; 3) having at least one DL program is a statistically significant predictor of whether or not a school district neighborhood underwent gentrification; 4) the strength of this relationship changes when considering different thresholds of gentrification and degrees of access to DL programs; and 5) it is likely that the relationship between gentrification and access to DL education is different for districts with charter schools within their catchment areas. Given these findings, I discuss the theoretical and practical implications of the relationship between neighborhood demographic change and access to DL programs.