Síntesis y caracterización de los complejos [Cu( i Pr-pybox)

School Stories: Latina/o Students (Re)claiming Their Education

The stories I have gathered speak to the educational inequalities Latina/o students have experienced in an educational system that has failed them on many levels. Each of their stories illustrates the complicated feelings and negotiations that students experience living in two worlds: the world of their family and home community and that of school. From a young age, participants took initiative and control of their education. These students shared stories about overcoming challenges in their schooling such as attending over-crowded, under-funded, and racially segregated schools. Students talked about the contradictory ways in which schools would simultaneously encourage and marginalize them. Some shared that their teachers did not care about them and that their expectations of them were low. At the same time, participants shared stories about how their teachers and guidance counselors helped them transfer into better schools outside of their district and got them on track with college planning. They were all the first ones in their family to attend college (although some had older siblings who were in college). Despite their parent’s unfamiliarity and lack of information to help their children navigate their way into college, they always emphasized to their children the importance of pursuing a college

education. It was within the family context that these students developed and retain high educational aspirations, despites facing numerous obstacles.

Many of them recounted how having older siblings, high school teachers, and mentors in pre-college programs55 inspired and helped them to achieve their dreams of going to college. Several of them benefited tremendously from participating in pre-college programs, acquiring the tools and strategies necessary to better navigate the college application process. They also                                                                                                                

relied on the Internet to gain access to information about the college application process. Although their families lacked knowledge about how to guide and assist them with college, parents were encouraging and supportive throughout the process.

These stories provide firsthand accounts of the remarkable resiliency, optimism, and initiative that first-generation Latina/o students possess. Participants talked extensively about the added pressures and stress they experienced as a result of having to figure out how to get into college. They discussed the realities of living in two worlds: the world of their family and home community and that of school, thus, making the Latina/o college experience different from that of mainstream college experiences. On one hand, Latina/o students’ family role in their

education served as a strong source of support. On the other hand, families, at times, can trap students with excessive obligations, expectations, and contradictory messages. Many of the participants in this study grew up with limited financial resources at home and grew up in neighborhoods with high levels of poverty and crime. Facing severe economic hardships or living in mixed status households created a stressful home environment. As a result, students were forced to negotiate their expectations as both students and daughters/sons while still trying to survive the stressful conditions and demands of two environments.

K-12 Educational Experiences

Despite federal pressures to desegregate the nation’s school system, most low-income minority students continue to attend under-funded schools, are taught by less qualified teachers, have limited and unequal access to high-level classes and challenging curriculum, and face tougher disciplinary consequences (Gándara & Contrears, 2009; Kimura-Walsh, Yamamura, Griffin, & Allen, 2009; Valencia, 2011; Valverde & Associates; 2008). Nine of the participants

attended segregated elementary schools, where the majority of the students came from low- income and mixed-status Latino households. Participants described their schools as being overcrowded, under-resourced, classes were not challenging, and teachers had low expectations of them. They recalled using low-expectations from teachers, counselors, and/or extended family as motivation to academically succeed. The following students started out at predominantly Latina/o schools: Araceli, Cassandra, and Antonio, but later found ways to attend either private or highly selective public high schools outside their district of residence. All of the participants mentioned the importance of staying optimistic, taking initiative, having a strong work ethic, as qualities they felt allowed them to get into college. Participants also mentioned the importance of having access to individuals (i.e., teachers) who posses information about college and taking advantage of different learning opportunities throughout their education.

Applying to Highly Selective Schools Outside Their Neighborhood

The competition to get into college has never been tougher, especially for Latinas/os who attend low-performing high schools that are failing to prepare them for college level work and provide them with post-secondary information on college admission requirements (Gándara & Contreras, 2009). Many of the participants in this study recounted how they or their parents managed to get into schools that would provide them with better learning opportunities and safer schools free of gang activity and drugs. Teachers were critical in helping students transfer to more academically competitive high schools by guiding them through the application process and by writing them letters of recommendation. Araceli, for example, always knew that she wanted to go to college, but felt that if she attended the public high school in her neighborhood, she was not going to receive the same level of academic preparation for college. By the end of

eighth grade year, Araceli decided that she was not going to attend the high school in her neighborhood. She explained:

I didn’t feel like I was learning much just because of the area I was in and I knew that if I stayed in the public school system I was gonna go to a high school where a lot of the people didn’t graduate. 56

Araceli turned to her sixth grade teacher for advice and guidance about how to apply to a private high school. With her teacher’s assistance, Araceli got into one of Chicago’s most prestigious private high schools. Her mother was supportive of her decision to attend a private high school; however, many of her extended family members expressed their lack of support by criticizing her mother for spending money for a private school education.

Antonio also shared a similar experience where he felt that the schools in his neighborhood were not preparing him for college. He attended a predominantly Latina/o

elementary and middle school in The Missions District in San Francisco. He remembered school being boring and not challenging. He explained:

I had teachers where they would show up, but they were more focused on discipline than actually teaching, like making sure kids weren’t acting fools. Honestly, the class was a joke. A couple of us who stayed calm and showed up to class and turned in our papers here and there, we got passing grades.

For high school, Antonio and his parents decided to apply to a high school outside his district, a school whose reputation he knew was better. Antonio recounted how his eighth-grade teacher’s influence and support helped him get accepted into one of the most prestigious preparatory high schools in San Francisco. He explained, “The high school was on the other side of the city and it’s mostly where white kids and Asian kids go, and it’s like one of the better public schools in all of California supposedly.” He described the application process being rigorous and highly                                                                                                                

56 _{In seven out of 10 Chicago public schools, minorities make up more than 90% of all students. Chicago’s public}

competitive. He recalled completing the application, taking an entrance exam, and an interview as part of the admission process. Although the process of applying to the high school was demanding, Antonio recounted how he enjoyed the challenge of applying and attending one of the most competitive college preparatory public high schools in the San Francisco area. He explained:

It was like a challenge to myself cuz honestly throughout elementary and middle school I didn’t have to study, I mean I did the homework, but it was pretty easy to me. I wanted push myself to see how far I could go by applying to the school. I would hear all the good things about the school like how 80% of their students go on to college and they were getting into all these really good colleges. Back then I didn’t know what I wanted to do but I always knew that I wanted to go to college since my parents kept pushing me and I would hear all these good things about college. So by going to this high school I thought that basically as long as I did what I was supposed to do I would get into college.

His first 2 years at the college preparatory high school were academically challenging and socially isolating. The learning environment at the high school was highly competitive and he did not feel academically prepared. He recalled receiving support from one of his middle school teachers, who had transferred to his current high school during his eighth-grade year. She saw that he was struggling and reached out to him. He explained,

She just kept pushing me and telling me that I could do it and to not give up. Without her, I probably could have not done it. I think I would have still done it but, she just added an extra push that helped get through it.

By the end of his sophomore year in high school, he was able to adjust academically and was also able to make friends. He described how he had to work harder and knew that if he stayed focused on his schoolwork, it would increase his chances of attending more selective 4-year colleges and universities.

Many of the participants lived in poor and working class neighborhoods with schools known for having higher rates of dropouts and gang activity. Participants discussed how they and

always informed about the quality of schools, they would ask relatives, friends, and co-workers about their experiences with the schools. Often parents would hear that certain schools had a reputation for having gang problems and not graduating their students. Cassandra, for example, recounted how she attended elementary school a few blocks away from her home, but for middle school and high school her parents decided to enroll her at a performing arts high school. She explained, “Both of the ones I was supposed to go to were known as not too good. The high school I was supposed to attend has a lot of gangs and it was famous and popular for that.” Cassandra’s parents were aware of the fact that there were better schools outside their neighborhood with better reputations that would eventually prepare her for college.

Pushing the Boundaries of High School Tracking

Many of the participants recalled not being aware of the implications of being tracked into low-level classes or knowing how to talk with their high school counselor about moving up into higher-level courses. Valenzuela (1999) found that schools in Texas tracked many Latina/o students based on “cultural tracking” as way to divide students who posses dominant culture skills from those who lack them. As a result, since schools often devalue Latina/o students’ culture, home knowledge, language, histories, and experiences, they are more likely to be placed in lower-level tracks. Educational research has shown that Latina/o and African American students have far less access to Advance Placement (AP) and honors classes because courses do not exist at their school, are less likely to be referred by teachers, or may be reluctant to be the only minority student in the classroom (Solorzano & Armida, 2004). Out of all 10 participants, Ana was the only student that fought to be placed in honors and AP classes. Ana attended a

predominantly Latino high school in Aurora, a suburb of Chicago; she recounted how she had to fight her way into honors classes. She explained:

My friends and I were planning on taking the same classes, but I was like, “I wanna go into honors” and at first my counselor was like “are you sure you wanna do this? It might be too hard.” And I was like, “no, I wanna do this.” I though maybe I should listen to him. Maybe I shouldn’t be in honors. But I went into honors and I didn’t know anyone. All my friends were taking regular classes so I didn’t know anyone anymore, I was by myself. . . . In high school it was the same thing. I was the only person in my AP classes, I was very shy and I didn’t talk to anyone.

Ana also talked about the lack of support from her AP teachers and the anxiety and pressure she constantly felt to perform well. She was afraid to ask for help from her teachers because she did not want them to think that she was not capable of academically succeeding. Being the only Latina in AP classes added an additional layer of pressure because she felt like she had to represent Latinas/os in a positive light. To ensure the academic success of Latina/o and other minority students in more rigorous classes, schools need to provide additional support to avoid and reduce racial, gender, and minority isolation. Ana also recalled how once she got into AP classes, she noticed how her counselor treated her differently from her friends who were in lower-tracks. She explained:

In my high school we were respected cuz we were the honors kids so I didn’t get written up cuz I was like number three in my high school. The counselors loved me cuz like I never did anything bad. But I feel like for example the bilingual kids always got

mistreated. I felt like they didn’t count. Like my cousin she was in bilingual and then in regular class and I feel like they didn’t do much to help her. And I’ve also talked to one of my brother’s friends and he actually got into U of I and we were talking about our experiences dealing with our high school counselors. He shared a story about how his counselor told him that he probably shouldn’t apply to U of I because he probably won’t get in and how he should be more realistic and apply to community colleges. We went to the same high school and we had the same counselors and everything so I’m like he’s an asshole!

The subtext of Ana’s story is that many of her Latina/o peers were not getting the same

one of the few Latinas in AP classes and accepted the challenge, but she was also highly critical about the ways the school placed her cousin and Latina/o friends and peers into lower academic tracks. She referred to them as “the bilingual kids” because many of them were an ESL or had been in bilingual classrooms throughout elementary school. Furthermore, “the bilingual kids” were perceived as slower, less intelligent, and more Mexican because they were excluded from mainstream classrooms. Solorzano and Ornelas (2004) refer to this phenomenon as a “school within a school” where they found that even when Latina/o and African American students attend multiracial high schools, they remain underrepresented in AP classes. The “school within a school” phenomenon demonstrates how school tracking places students at a disadvantage for college because they are not afforded the extra GPA points from AP classes, decreasing their chances of attending more selective colleges and universities. Furthermore, a more rigorous curriculum prepares students for a smoother transition to college-level course work.

One of the biggest challenges participants faced in high school was being the only or one of the few Latina/o students in AP courses within multiracial or predominantly white schools. Daniel described his experience attending a predominantly white high school in Dublin, California. He shared:

I kinda felt at times alienated, isolated. I was the only Chicano trying to pursue a higher education. My friends all got kicked out. They went to a continuation high school, or they moved away. I’m the only one. The only Mexican American that made it to a 4-year college and everybody else is working or having kids, or going in and out of jail. When Daniel was 4 years old his parents decided to move from Oakland, California, to Dublin, California because they wanted their children to grow up in a safer neighborhood and attend better schools.

Participants described feeling unfairly treated, overlooked, and excluded by some of their teachers, staff, and principals. However, it was mostly Latino participants who were constantly

confronted with negative stereotypes about their abilities to succeed in school. For example, although Daniel was placed in a college track he described feeling negatively perceived by many of his teachers because many of his close friends were other Latinas/os who were labeled by the school as the “troubled” students. Daniel expressed feeling unfairly treated, misunderstood, and disconnected from school. Research shows that students who are more susceptible to stereotype threat are those who care the most about their education (Gandara & Contreras, 2009; Steele & Aronson, 1995). As a result of being the only Latino to be college tracked in high school, Daniel and other participants talked about the importance of staying connected with their friends in regular tracks. Daniel described how his friends in regular tracks supported his educational goals and helped him cope with the pressures and discrimination he experienced in advanced courses. Maintaining friendships with Latino peers, and staying connected their community becomes critical to help students deal with the effects of negative stereotypes.

Participants who attended predominantly Latina/o high schools noted the

overrepresentation of Latina/o students in low-level classes (i.e., special education, bilingual and/or ESL classes), vocational training (i.e. Reserve Officer Training Corps program) and the presence of military recruiters. Throughout high school Ana was an AP student and ranked