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Navigating competing policy demands: Dual service provision for English learners with disabilities in middle school

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Abstract

Research has documented that service provision for English learners (ELs) with disabilities is a complicated endeavor in K–12 schools. Recent studies have examined how English language development and special education services are often in tension with one another, as logistical and ideological barriers hinder efforts in schools to provide these dual services. Despite these findings, studies to date have solely investigated elementary contexts, leaving scarce understanding of service provision in secondary grades. This qualitative embedded case study examined dual service provision for 12 ELs with disabilities across two middle schools. Utilizing intersectionality for its theoretical framework, the analysis revealed that dual service provision policies and academic tracking structures melded in ways that resulted in interrelated social, linguistic, and academic oppression for ELs with disabilities. The findings highlight the importance of examining schools’ de facto language education policies and learning environments to ensure equitable opportunities for the academic and linguistic development of ELs with disabilities.

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Figure 1
Figure 2

Note. Shaded boxes represent a class where the EL with a disability had special education support through a cotaught model. In period, Amar had Health/Fitness on days 1, 2, and 3, and ELD on days 4, 5, and 6 of his six-day cycle.

Figure 3

Note. There were no ELs with disabilities in Grades 7 and 8 in Parker School.

Figure 4

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Notes

  1. Pseudonyms are used for the names of sites and participants. Potentially identifying information has been made ambiguous.

  2. Prior to 2014, Pennsylvania state education policy did not require ELD instructional training in general education teacher certifications programs.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to express our sincere thanks to Yasuko Kanno, Theresa Schinkowitch, and the three reviewers whose feedback enhanced this article.

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  1. Department of Education and Human Services, College of Education, Lehigh University, Iacocca Hall A307, 111 Research Drive, Bethlehem, PA, 18015, USA

    Sara E. N. Kangas

  2. Department of Education and Human Services, College of Education, Lehigh University, Iacocca Hall A121, 111 Research Drive, Bethlehem, PA, 18015, USA

    Megan Cook

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Kangas, S.E.N., Cook, M. Navigating competing policy demands: Dual service provision for English learners with disabilities in middle school. Lang Policy 22, 315–341 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10993-023-09653-8

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