Leadership takes on a tone of urgency when we are struggling for justice. At the same time, the right to lead — the agency to embrace a leadership identity — can also feel more distant when we are marginalized by the dominant society. For bilingual education teachers working with immigrant communities, the development of critical consciousness, pride in the cultural and linguistic resources of the bilingual community, the vocabulary to name and face marginalization, and a strong professional network are fundamental to their development of professional identities as leaders and advocates. Based on the experiences of 53 Spanish-English bilingual teachers in Central Texas, this book aims to explore, define, and understand bilingual teacher leadership. It merges the themes of leadership, teacher preparation and bilingual education and is essential reading for bilingual or ESL teachers, teacher educators and researchers serving an increasingly transnational/translingual student body.
