Author: Jaime A. Usma Wilches

Publisher: Deep University Press

Published: 2015-08-31

Total Pages: 158

ISBN-13: 9781939755209

Dr. Maria Alfredo Moreira, Professor, University of Minho, Portugal: Drawing on the example of Medellin, Colombia, Jaime Usma's book does a magnificent work at dismantling one of the most pervasive grand narratives in globalized transnational foreign language policies: proficiency in English as one of the strongest pillars of a vibrant modern knowledge society, associated with higher economic gains for all. The author cogently demonstrates how apparently neutral and technically sound transnational and national policymaking fails to properly address structural inequality and social and economic injustice, while being creatively reenacted by local schools and actors that appropriate them according to their own goals, needs, and desires towards a more just and humane society. Dr. Doris Correa, Associate Professor, Universidad de Antioquia, Medellin, Colombia: Usma's book is muchmore than a nice rendition of how transnational language policies are being appropriated by government officials and other educational actors in Colombia. It is an enjoyable journey into Colombia's most recent political, socio-economic and educational reforms, anda compelling critical analysis of how those reforms are influencing school and classroom practices in Medellin. ABSTRACT: Embracing a critical and sociocultural perspective for the study of policy, this vertical case study investigates foreign language education policies being adopted by the national government in Colombia, and how they are reinterpreted and appropriated by local official and public school teachers in the city of Medellin. Based on a systematic analysis of policy documents, semi-structured interviews, participant observations and field notes, the author elaborates on how English is being emphasized as synonym of education quality and competitiveness in the country, how these language and education reforms are being adopted for the whole country, in which manner these models of reform are connected to transnational policymaking, what role is being played by different educational actors and organizations at the macro and micro level, and how, according to the multiple contextual factors that interplay in the continuous reinterpretation and final enactment of policy, teachers reinterpret these discourses and agendas by adopting a nurturing or an academic approach in their final appropriation of the initial policy texts. Additionally, this study highlights the unpredictable nature of policymaking processes, even when transnational organizations such as the British Council act as policy lenders and guarantors of success and credibility, and policy mandates are accompanied by standards, tests, frameworks, and timelines that do not necessarily respond to the local needs and expectations of local educational actors and communities. Finally, the author illustrates the multiple difficulties experienced by different schools communities across the city of Medellin, and how a breach between public and private institutions is created and fed as a consequence of the uneven conditions in which English as a foreign language is taught in Colombia and Medellin, which ends up creating a gap between the official discourse of innovation, competitiveness, education and bilingualism, and actual reality. In this manner, the study alerts about the multiple challenges faced by countries such as Colombia and cities like Medellin adopting imported discourse around education quality, competitiveness and bilingualism, and how these policy discourses may become simple slogans as educational communities lack the required conditions to successfully achieve the expected goals."