Disrupting Oppression: A Case Study of Equity-Centered Collaboration for Emergent Multilinguals

This single-case case study explores the experiences of eight public school educators in the St. Louis area who support English Learners (ELs) and participate in Professional Learning Communities (PLCs). The public school system was not designed to support the diversity it is currently experiencing, and educators want to be able to support students. Participants revealed a clear understanding of equity, a desire to collaborate with other educators, and a lack of confidence in their ability to effectively meet the needs of ELs in their classrooms. While educators collaborate with others, it is reported here that the collaboration is not always productive and rarely focuses on equity. The results of the study show that collaboration is valuable, but time is a barrier. The people that participate in collaboration and the relationships between those people matter more than the structure of the collaboration. While the PLC process can provide a framework for educators to share ideas, the rigid structure can sometimes be a hindrance to responsive teaching. Educators feel like they have to meet the expectations of the structure, rather than responding to what students currently need. Equity-centered collaboration means working in trusting professional relationships to share ideas, problem-solve, and support Othered populations. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]