Tracing the Specter of Semilingualism in Bilingual Educational Policy

Raciolinguistic ideologies co-construct language and race in ways that frame the language practices of racialized communities as inherently deficient. Latinx students, in particular, are often categorized as semilinguals who have failed to fully master either English or Spanish. Guest speaker Nelson Flores (Graduate School of Education, University of Pennsylvania) traces the specter of semilingualism from the Bilingual Education Act to contemporary standards-based reform. He discusses the ways that teachers interpret Latinx students’ language practices, and explores the implications of his research findings for new conceptualizations that resist raciolinguistic ideologies.