Language Policy in Schools: A Resource for Teachers and Administrators

Citation

Bodycott, P. (1999), "Language Policy in Schools: A Resource for Teachers and Administrators", Journal of Educational Administration, Vol. 37 No. 4, pp. 227-229. https://doi.org/10.1108/jea.1999.37.4.227.4

This carefully crafted text provides an extensive examination of language policy in schools. The book raises important issues and practical considerations related to the development of a school language policy and the role of language in learning and subject curriculum planning. Issues such as: catering for linguistically and culturally diverse language users; critical policy making; language planning, organisation and management; and language awareness and approaches to language use within the school and community.

The strength of the book lies in its versatility of application and appeal. As a text, it provides graduate students and principals undergoing professional development with a rich store of up‐to‐date synopses and discussion of related cross‐cultural literature. These background readings followed by guidelines of considerations will be of interest to the contemporary administrator or classroom teacher who is seeking to explore the practicalities of development, implementation and assessment of school language policy. Teacher education researchers and administrators will find the questions at the end of each chapter and samples of school language policies extremely useful as starting points for discussion by students and or staff.

Throughout the book, Corson argues convincingly for a more critical view of school policy making that is organised around the shared concerns of language, literacy and social justice. “Whenever schools set out to plan their response to the language problems that they [inevitably] face, matters of language variety, race, culture, and class always affect the planning process, and an effective language policy process will always look critically at the impact of these and other aspects of human diversity” (p. 6). The appeal of Corson′s argument is that a school′s language policy is more than a reflection of teaching approach, but it is a powerful heuristic that can give a school legitimacy in the eyes of the communities it serves. To achieve this, the policy must be “rooted in the discourses of power” (p. 25) as expressed by those within the school and the dominant and non‐dominant stakeholders who have interests in the school. This knowledge and awareness are foundation elements that scaffold a critical approach to policy making, language planning, curriculum pedagogy and effective school administration. Corson explores the promotion of social and language awareness and its effect on these elements and other areas in specific chapters.

All readers will find the chapter on fact gathering informative and useful in drawing up policy guidelines and possible directions worthy of research exploration. The chapter begins with a discussion of the complexities and considerations for conducting large‐scale policy research and fact gathering about students′ language. Methods such as: ethnography; transcript evidence; interviews; discourse analysis; ethnography of communication; comparisons of home and school language and triangulation. While these will be of interest, Corson points out that in reality “practicing teachers and administrators are more likely to do small‐scale research, and also find it more appealing and directly relevant to the immediate situation that they are dealing with” (p. 28). In the section on small‐scale fact gathering Corson touches on methods and issues ranging from soliciting staff opinions, research by teacher‐practitioners, and student′s language diversity to a policy (with example) for community fact gathering and staff development. While too short to be a comprehensive review for the serious researcher, this chapter may well stimulate the interested to pursue further, more focused, reading from some of the many references cited.

Corson′s concern with the needs of his readership is something that permeates the text. His readable writing style and the inclusion of practical suggestions and advice to readers, while no doubt appealing to many, are used sparingly and should not interfere with those looking for a more scholarly read.

While thoroughly researched and coherently and logically structured, the book does not provide the myriad case studies and examples as suggested in the testimony/review on the back cover. For this reviewer, a certain frustration grew throughout the reading at the lack of examples or sample cases. While appreciating the need for contextual relevance and the dynamic nature of language policy development in practice, the repetitive lists of strategies, questions and suggested areas to be covered did little to provide a clear picture of what a critical approach to language policy development may result in. The final chapter is a good example of this, containing little more than a checklist of questions derived from the previous chapters.

However, this frustration aside, Language Policy in Schools is possibly one of the most comprehensive resources available on the subject. It is reassuring to note the sustained focus on the shared role of teachers, school administrators and community and what they can do to improve language in schools. The result is awareness raising about the nature of language development, diversity and achievement, and the critical role of language as a basis for what actually happens in schools. There is also the recognition of and respect for the critical and pivotal role of administrators in the process of critical school policy development.

Finally, let me say that the book is extremely well referenced with a much‐appreciated subject and author index. The chapters follow a well‐structured format with clear introductory outlines and conclusions in six of the eight chapters. Each chapter is divided into short, readable sections and subsections. Students, and those readers seeking specific information, will appreciate the beautifully crafted paragraphs with clear and concise topic sentences at the beginning of each. The up‐to‐date references will prove a substantial starting point for those wishing to explore further the substantive concepts and related issues raised in the book.