EdD-Activism
Two Journeys Converge to Support Long-Term English Learners
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5195/ie.2025.580Keywords:
activism, action research, English learnersAbstract
The story of any activist educator has its own twists and turns, yet their goals of equity and social justice hold strong. This article will reflect on the vastly different journeys of a newly emerging EdD-activist teacher and a life-long activist administrator whose visions converge in a relatively large midwestern majority-minority school district, and a building where 49% of the students are Hispanic/Latino, 14% are Pacific Islander, and 33% are labeled English learners. The problem tackled here is two-fold: a culturally irrelevant boxed English language development curriculum that promises linguistic and academic success for long-term English learners, but only brings them success in assimilation, and a dearth of educators who look like these students that so desperately need voice and representation. Here, we illustrate how action research and intentional administrative efforts bring attention and possible solutions to these issues.
References
Banks, J. A. (2014). An introduction to multicultural education. Pearson.
Bradley, K. (2024, May 24). The socioeconomic achievement gap in US public schools. Ballard Brief. https://ballardbrief.byu.edu/issue-briefs/the-socioeconomic-achievement-gap-in-the-us-public-schools
Coney, L. (2016). The first step toward social justice: Teacher reflection. In L. Jacob & C. Hastings (Eds.), Social justice in English language teaching (pp. 11–23). TESOL Press.
Darder, A. (2012). Culture and power in the classroom: Educational foundations for the schooling of bicultural students. Routledge.
Denevi, E., & Cohen, L. (n.d.). White antiracist activists. Teaching While White. https://www.teachingwhilewhite.org/resources/white-antiracist-activists
Delpit, L. (1995). Other people’s children: Cultural conflict in the classroom. The New Press.
Evans, R. (2001). The human side of school changes: Reform, resistance, and the real-life problems of innovation. Jossey-Bass.
Flanigan, W. J. (2014). Differences in mathematics and literacy achievement between African American males and other 11th-grade students [Doctoral dissertation, Harding University]. Scholar Works. https://scholarworks.harding.edu/hu-etd/37
Gershenson, S., & Papageorge, N. (2022, February 4). The power of teacher expectations. Education Next. https://www.educationnext.org/power-of-teacher-expectations-racial-bias-hinders-student-attainment
Grajeda, A., & Field, H. (2023, February 21). Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ sweeping education plan filed in 144-page bill. Arkansas Advocate. https://arkansasadvocate.com/2023/02/20/arkansas-gov-sarah-huckabee-sanders-sweeping-education-plan-filed-in-144-page-bill/
Hall, C. (2016). A short introduction to social justice and ELT. In L. Jacob & C. Hastings (Eds.), Social justice in English language teaching (pp. 3-10). TESOL Press.
Herr, K., & Anderson, G. L. (2015). The action research dissertation: A guide for students and faculty. SAGE.
History and Social Justice. (2022, February 23). Sundown towns by state. https://justice.tougaloo.edu/sundown-towns/using-the-sundown-towns-database/state-ma p/
Kubota, R., & Lin, A. (Eds.). (2006). Race and TESOL: Introduction to concepts and theories. TESOL Quarterly, 40(3), 471–493.
Ladson-Billings, G. (1995). Toward a theory of culturally relevant pedagogy. American Educational Research Journal, 32(3), 465–491. https://doi.org/10.3102/00028312032003465
Luke, A., & Dooley, K. (2009). Critical literacy and second language learning. In E. Hinkel (Ed.), Handbook of research on second language teaching and learning (Vol. 2, pp. 1–12). Routledge.
New King James Bible. (2024). Luke 12:48. YouVersion. https://www.bible.com/bible/114/LUK.12.48.NKJV
Oettinger, C. (2023, September 12). Ending the “soft bigotry of low expectations” and cyclical ignorance and forgetfulness. Special Education Action. https://specialeducationaction.com/ending-the-soft-bigotry-of-low-expectations-and-cyclical-ignorance-and-forgetfulness/
Olsen, L. N. (2014). Meeting the needs of long-term English language learners. National Education Association.
Reyes, S. A., & Villone, T. L. (2008). Constructivist strategies for teaching English language learners. Corwin Press.
Ryan, P. (2021, July 26). We must stop the CRT indoctrination of our school children. The Family Foundation. https://www.familyfoundation.org/blog/we-must-stop-the-crt-indoctrination-of-our-school-children
Solórzano, D. G., & Yosso, T. J. (2002). Critical race methodology: Counter-storytelling as an analytical framework for education research. Qualitative Inquiry, 8(1), 23-44.
Staeheli, M. M. (2023). How do the students feel? Long-term English learners and their experience under the ESL label. [Doctoral dissertation, The University of South Carolina]. https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/etd/7543
Stewart, C. W. (2012, March 1). Fayetteville (Washington County). Encyclopedia of Arkansas history and culture. Butler Center for Arkansas Studies at the Central Arkansas Library System. https://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/fayetteville-1006/
University of Arkansas. (2022, October 24). Interdisciplinary projects elevate to increase diversity among bilingual student educators. University of Arkansas News. https://news.uark.edu/articles/62357/interdisciplinary-project-elevate-to-increase-diversity-among-bilingual-student-educators
University of Arkansas. (2023, April 27). College of education and health professions underscores commitment through WE CARE. University of Arkansas News. https://news.uark.edu/articles/64228/college-of-education-and-health-professions-underscores-commitment-through-we-care
Valenzuela, A. (1999). Subtractive schooling: U.S.–Mexican youth and the politics of caring. SUNY Press.
Yeatman, N. W. C. (2024, May 23). What is the soft bigotry of low expectations? Pacific Legal Foundation. https://pacificlegal.org/what-is-the-soft-bigotry-of-low-expectations/
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Molly M. Staeheli, William Jeffrey Flanigan

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- The Author retains copyright in the Work, where the term “Work” shall include all digital objects that may result in subsequent electronic publication or distribution.
- Upon acceptance of the Work, the author shall grant to the Publisher the right of first publication of the Work.
- The Author shall grant to the Publisher and its agents the nonexclusive perpetual right and license to publish, archive, and make accessible the Work in whole or in part in all forms of media now or hereafter known under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License or its equivalent, which, for the avoidance of doubt, allows others to copy, distribute, and transmit the Work under the following conditions:
- Attribution—other users must attribute the Work in the manner specified by the author as indicated on the journal Web site;
- The Author is able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the nonexclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the Work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), as long as there is provided in the document an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post online a prepublication manuscript (but not the Publisher’s final formatted PDF version of the Work) in institutional repositories or on their Websites prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work. Any such posting made before acceptance and publication of the Work shall be updated upon publication to include a reference to the Publisher-assigned DOI (Digital Object Identifier) and a link to the online abstract for the final published Work in the Journal.
- Upon Publisher’s request, the Author agrees to furnish promptly to Publisher, at the Author’s own expense, written evidence of the permissions, licenses, and consents for use of third-party material included within the Work, except as determined by Publisher to be covered by the principles of Fair Use.
- The Author represents and warrants that:
- the Work is the Author’s original work;
- the Author has not transferred, and will not transfer, exclusive rights in the Work to any third party;
- the Work is not pending review or under consideration by another publisher;
- the Work has not previously been published;
- the Work contains no misrepresentation or infringement of the Work or property of other authors or third parties; and
- the Work contains no libel, invasion of privacy, or other unlawful matter.
- The Author agrees to indemnify and hold Publisher harmless from Author’s breach of the representations and warranties contained in Paragraph 6 above, as well as any claim or proceeding relating to Publisher’s use and publication of any content contained in the Work, including third-party content.
Revised 7/16/2018. Revision Description: Removed outdated link.
