A case study on the challenges and opportunities for school leaders implementing a dual language immersion strand program

The purpose of this case study was to identify the challenges and opportunities that school principals face when leading the implementation of dual language immersion programs as instructional strands. This case study also sought to determine what skills and strategies principals utilized to facilitate the change process for all the stakeholders involved. As the population of students who are growing up with a language other than English at home continues to increase, school districts are searching for additive models of bilingualism to serve these students' needs. In addition, the demand for dual language education programs is growing rapidly among families who are monolingual English speaking, and who desire to prepare their children with the linguistic and cross-cultural competencies needed for global citizenship in the 21st Century. The participants in this case study were principals and staff from three elementary schools in a n urban school district in the Midwest. These three elementary schools were in the first and second year of DLI program implementation. The main research questions guided this study: (1) What are the challenges in the implementation of a dual language immersion program as an instructional strand for school principals? (2) What are the opportunities in the implementation of a dual language immersion program as an instructional strand for school principals? This qualitative case study used the triangulation of three data sources: principal and staff interviews, observations, and the researcher's field notes. Two basic findings were that many of the challenges became opportunities as the school community understood the change process, and that principal unwavering belief that DLI can bring greater levels of equity for the entire school community matters. The main conclusion was that principal leadership skills are essential in facilitating the interplay between the stages of change and the change process when implementing DLI programs.