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

• Published in: Language policy 2023-09, Vol.22 (3), p.315-341
• Main Authors: Kangas, Sara E. N., Cook, Megan
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Applied Linguistics; Attitudes toward Disabilities; Case studies; Delivery Systems; Disability studies; Education policy; Educational Environment; Educational Policy; English as a second language learning; English language; English Language Learners; Equal Education; Intersectionality; Language Education; Language instruction; Learning; Learning environment; Linguistics; Middle School Students; Middle schools; Oppression; Original Paper; People with disabilities; Political Science; Schools; Social Bias; Social Sciences; Sociolinguistics; Special Education; Students with Disabilities
• ISSN: 1568-4555; 1573-1863
• DOI: 10.1007/s10993-023-09653-8

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.