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 study explores questions of identity and culture in an urban high school in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It draws on personal observations, conversations with teachers and students, experimental work in drama, use of video, and student writings to show how race and identity are negotiated among the diverse students of a high school that…

In this anthology, which ranges from essays through poetry, young African Americans express their understandings of their generation's shared experiences with racism, the educational system, and society as a whole, while affirming what it is to be Black in America. Many of the 57 selections are grounded in a moment of self-recognition, as the…

Project EXCEL, developed from a 2-year pilot study, provided college enrichment in reading, writing, and foreign languages for rising sophomores and sophomores in two inner-city high schools. One school had a predominantly black student body; the other had a student body that was 40% black. This study focused on the sources of equality and…

Concepts in this book are presented to help parents and teachers help students create a positive vision of themselves and their abilities. The first section explores the idea of institutional racism and how it affects the mind sets of people charged with educating young people, specifically African American youth. Instrumental methods designed to…

This book is reissued as part of the Innovators in Education Series, which brings back into print books that are both historically significant and that speak to today's educational concerns. Originally released in 1971, the book presents lessons that still apply to what doesn't work and what could work in the schools. The study of five inner-city…

How ethnic identity and gender figure in building the embedded identities of youth in different contexts is examined, focusing on the self-concepts of inner-city youth. The voices of urban youth argue that their embedded identities, or multilayered self-conceptions, represent far more than simple labels of ethnic or racial membership. After an…

"Discovering Successful Pathways in Children's Development" provides a new perspective on the study of childhood and family life. Successful development is enhanced when communities provide meaningful life pathways that children can seek out and engage. Successful pathways include both a culturally valued direction for development and competence…

This book examines the maligned students who populate urban schools and finds a talented group of resilient young people who deserve the support of the larger society. The editors and authors explore the ways such students are undermined, in the process developing new ways of teaching based on an understanding and appreciation of them.…