Latino Immigrant Parents' Views of Bilingual Education as a Vehicle for Heritage Preservation

Abstract

Latino immigrant parents were interviewed in an urban California school district post Proposition 227. Approximately half had placed their English-learner children into bilingual classes. The others had children in English-only classes. Guided by sociohistorical psychology, the study explores the parents' motivations for the goal of preserving the Spanish language and Latino cultural values for their children. The analysis examines how the social context of local communities and parents' experiences with bilingual education may have influenced their attitudes toward heritage preservation. Policy implications are suggested.

Key words:

• Latino parents
• bilingual education
• heritage
• immigrant education
• native language maintenance
• Proposition 227