Perceptions of access to dual language education programs: the complexities of equity

ABSTRACT This study explores access to Spanish dual-language education (DLE) programs via the perceptions of various stakeholders, including district personnel, school administrators, and parents at two public DLE elementary schools in a large mid-Atlantic metropolitan district in the United States. Through a lens of equity, this comparative case study relied on semi-structured interviews to demonstrate how equity is interpreted differently by stakeholders and why parents may not have access to an academic resource that was originally intended as a service-delivery model for Spanish-speaking students acquiring English. This study divides the findings into four main themes: equitable access versus equity of access, systemic equity, unregulated systemic equity, and choice and access to show how systems and policies created to promote equity may be the same ones that hinder its ability to advance.