This manuscript draws from a 2-year multiple-case ethnography
on the educational experiences of immigrant families with California middle schools. The article explores the influence of the
political landscape and raciolinguistic ideologies surrounding the
nature and implementation of a dual language bilingual program,
and it shares ethnographic snapshots from both a school- and
home-based perspective of (in)equity issues related to the program. Data sources include home and school observations, and
interviews with students, parents, administrators, and teachers.
Findings suggest that though all students are treated as language
learners, educational-reform policies and practices may be undermining the school’s effort to implement an equitable bilingual
program. Implications for practice include the interrogation of
educational policies and practices that can further marginalize
students across race and class in the process of becoming bilingual in the US.