Insights into SHL program direction: student and program advocacy challenges in the face of ideological inequity

As Spanish heritage language (SHL) programs grow nationwide, SHL program directors (PD) are tasked with negotiating the intricacies of either building an SHL program from scratch or carving space for a program that, unlike second language (L2) programs, are not institutionalised. Considering the evidence of deeply embedded dominant language ideologies in language departments, it is crucial to gain further insights into the challenges that SHL PDs are facing. To this end, this qualitative study explores the difficulties a group of SHL PDs confront as they fulfil their duties to design, promote, assess, and advocate for their programs and students. It also describes how they navigate the goals and interests of their department’s and institution’s stakeholders, which may or may not align with the goals of SHL education. The results show that SHL LPs face challenges at the individual, departmental, and institutional levels. At the same time, they learn to become resilient against these challenges as they focus on the success of their students and programs.