Countless reforms and interventions have sought to improve academic outcomes for immigrant-origin students, with labels like "at-risk" rushing forth to solve the "dropout crisis." And yet, even in culturally and linguistically affirmative environments, youth still fall to the margins. Using research from a newcomer school…

This groundbreaking volume is the first to concentrate specifically on the experiences, challenges, and triumphs of immigrant-origin community college students. Drawing on data from the Research on Immigrants in Community College Study (RICC), chapters highlight the unique needs of these students, the role of classrooms and campus settings,…

From 1996-2000, thirty minority teenagers (African American, Chinese American, Puerto Rican American, and Dominican American) were interviewed every year for four years to investigate how their experiences in high school shaped their social relationships. Contents of this book include: (1) Rethinking High School as a Relational Journey; (2)…

This anthology contains autobiographical and fictional short stories and excerpts from longer works by Hispanic-American authors about coming of age. Selections include reflections on Hispanic immigrant life in the United States, family life and relationships, school experiences, sexuality, Catholicism, identity formation, first experiences with…

This book examines the interactions of Mexican and Chinese immigrant students with other students from the same country (co-nationals) and their exchanges of information about experiences in U.S. schools. Research focused on 74 Chinese and 78 Mexican immigrant students, aged 11-17, in Boston and the San Francisco Bay Area, who received…

Examining the learning experiences of four Laotian students at a mainstream secondary school, this book describes and interprets the students' learning situations and reveals their perspectives along with those of their teachers. The book introduces readers to the Savang family, refugees who left Laos. The book also shows how open journal writing…

This book reports on a 3-year ethnographic study of academic achievement and schooling orientations among immigrant Mexican and Mexican American students at a Houston (Texas) high school. The study included a survey of the entire student body (2,281 students), participant observation in the school and community from 1992 to 1995, 25 open-ended…

The U.S.-Mexican border is an extensive geographical region that is socially and economically distinct from either the United States or Mexico. It has always been a multilingual and multicultural place. This book examines the social and cultural complexities of life in one small rural border town and its high school. Chapter 1 describes Havens,…

In December 1996, a peace accord ended 30 years of civil war in Guatemala, during which an estimated 200,000 people were killed and over 1 million were displaced. Most of the war's victims have been indigenous (Maya) Guatemalans--who make up about 65 percent of the population--and other supporters of economic and political reforms. In this book,…

In this book written for young people, six young Mexican immigrants tell about their immigration experiences and adaptation to life in the United States. These immigrant youths are 16-20 years old and include both legal and illegal immigrants, high school students and dropouts, and permanent immigrants and those planning to return to Mexico. An…

This monograph consists of 13 chapters featuring a diverse range of perspectives centralizing student standpoints about their experiences in higher education and access programs. Chapter 1, "Student Perspectives on College Readiness" (Jeanne L. Higbee), provides the results of a survey of developmental education students regarding college…

A handbook designed to facilitate effective instruction of Korean immigrant students in California has five parts. The first gives an overview of the language group, outlining their socioeconomic experience in California and the United States, reasons for immigrating, the Korean educational system, and attitudes toward schooling and involvement…