In her ethnographic study of Lao American students at an urban, public high school, Bic Ngo shows how simplistic accounts of these students smooth over unfinished, precarious identities and contested social relations. Exploring the ways that immigrant youth identities are shaped by dominant discourses that simplify and confine their experiences…

This collection offers reports on groups of children and young people largely unseen or unheard in society and its schools: homeless children, homosexual youth, immigrants, and other marginalized groups of students who are not having their needs met in today's schools. The following selections are included: (1) "Homeless Children and Their…

This collection explores the struggles of the varied Latino peoples for identity, recognition, and legitimacy in the United States. Issues such as what it means to be Latino/a, what a just immigration policy should be, relations between Latinos and other cultural groups, and whether being Latino is a race or an ethnicity are explored. The 94…

The New Americans Series is designed for high school and general readers who want to know more about immigrant groups. This volume provides an in-depth look at Filipino Americans, who have been projected to be the largest group of Asian Americans by the year 2000. The emphasis is on those who arrived in the United States after 1965. The chapters…

The New American Series is designed for high school and general readers who want to know more about immigrant groups. This volume explores the history of Vietnamese immigration and analyzes the struggles of Vietnamese Americans to make a better future. Both minor economic success and serious problems are detailed. The chapters are: (1)…

Through naturalistic inquiry, the study reported in this book sought to determine the inner qualities that compel some black males to persist and overcome adversity, while others of their socioeconomic class quit and fail. The research was designed to identify the factors that led to the successful achievement of African American male students at…

This autobiographical narrative describes the early life of Luis J. Rodriguez, a journalist and poet who was immersed in the youth gang culture of Los Angeles (California). Framed by the story of the pull of the gang life for the poet's son, it recounts his experiences from his childhood on the United States-Mexico border through his family's…

The 12 chapters of this volume offer a comprehensive portrait of today's children and their challenging urban environments. The opportunities and obstacles that confront children are examined in detail, and key social problems are discussed in the following contributions: (1) "Growing Up in the Urban Environment: Opportunities and Obstacles for…

The shortcomings and assets of existing knowledge about educating immigrant students and their implications for serving immigrant populations traditionally underserved in U.S. public schools are addressed. How immigration interacts with race, ethnicity, nationality, gender, social class, and residential location is explored through current…

Essays in this volume address the neglect of Asian Pacific Americans in the United States, of their struggles for liberation, hopes, troubles, and personal identities. This collection reviews Asian Pacific American history and explores attitudes about the welfare of Asian Pacific American families. The first section provides general background…

Thirteen papers explore the African American experience of poverty and ghetto formation; forces shaping contemporary urban poverty; and mobility and family strategies among groups differentiated by ethnicity, race, and labor market position. The introduction, "The Urban 'Underclass' as a Metaphor of Social Transformation" (M. B. Katz),…

This study is the first effort to produce a systematic description and analysis of the experience and performance of immigrant children and youths in the U.S. educational system. Data from the High School and Beyond (HSB) study initiated in 1980 were complemented by 1970, 1980, and 1990 U.S. Census figures to compare the performance of immigrant…

The goal of this text is to help educators recognize and reduce ethnic, socioeconomic, gender, contextual, and communicative disparities and inequalities in school. It is designed for preservice educators and attempts to help them understand the influence of diversity factors on the educational careers of their students. Chapter 1 describes the…

Books in the New Americans Series are designed for high school students and general readers who want to learn more about the immigrants who have become their new neighbors. This volume deals with the experience of Dominican Americans, a settled community in its North American abode. The book begins with a brief historical background that traces…

This cultural heritage resource guide has been prepared as a tool for teachers to help them understand the cultural heritage of their Haitian students, their families, and their communities in order to serve them better. Although Haiti became an independent country in 1804, the struggle of its people for justice and freedom has never ended. Many…