(Foreign) Language Education and Its Impact on Equal Opportunity and Sustainability. Lessons Learned from A Bilingual German-Turkish Program at An Urban Elementary School in Germany

This article presents the results of an ethnographic case study in which the socio-cultural effects of a bilingual German-Turkish language program at an unusual elementary school in urban Hanover were examined. Not only children from families with a history of immigration from Turkey can learn Turkish in this school, but all children can. Findings indicate that valorizing a stigmatized migrant language and using it as an educational resource for all learners can lead to greater equity and social cohesion, as well as better academic performance. Based on the findings of the study, it is discussed what contribution a reorientation of (foreign) language education in the selective German school system could make to overcoming the dividing line between “belonging” and “foreign” and as a contribution to sustainable learning. The findings will furthermore be reanalyzed against the backdrop of the COV-19 pandemic.