Is Equitable Integrated Schooling Possible?: Envisioning a Politics of Care in Two-Way Bilingual Education

Two-way bilingual education (TWBE) is a model of integrated language education with demonstrated success in supporting the academic achievement of minoritized students. Yet, there are growing critiques that TWBE programs fail to meaningfully change the structures and logics that contribute to inequitable schooling, particularly when programs also serve White students and families. With the aim of exploring how an equitable integrated language education might be possible, this article presents a case study of one equity-oriented TWBE school. Drawing upon politics of care to theorize equity work in schools, I explore how teachers, staff, and leaders at the focal school conceptualize, operationalize, and navigate issues of equity. Findings reveal five central tenets that comprise a politics of care in this TWBE school: care as (1) relational, (2) intersectional, (3) material, (4) political, and (5) dynamic. Examples of practices corresponding to each tenet are presented, alongside discussion of some tensions and challenges that arise in equity work. Ultimately, this case study reveals that integrated language education can play an important role in addressing structural inequities and promoting more equitable schooling.