Why?

Why This Topic:

The United States is experiencing two phenomena:

1.) A rising Latino population

2.) Panic over the educational "achievement gap" threatening students of color

Because of this, we must start supporting Latino families and integrating them into school communities in order to foster the academic success of all students.

Models estimate that by 2050, 29% of the U.S. population will be Latino. Data also reveals that of all states, North Carolina has the fastest growing Latino population (an increase of 394% from 1990 to 2000). In response, the state has introduced a number of dual immersion and English as a second language programs to foster the success of these students and families in schools.

I present a critical look at schools with these programs and how the approaches to serving Latino families, while well intentioned, further alienate them. By focusing on the school structure, I hope to emphasize the centrality of institutions in shaping the experiences of inhabitants. In other words, I argue that institutional structures shape individual practices as much as individual practices shape institutions.

The ways that school structures impact family participation is often overlooked, with much of the research focusing on how Latino families are and are not involved, rather than how school structures shape their access and participation.

Situating this work within the frameworks of interculturality and epistemic control, I hope to contribute to discourses on how U.S. institutions maintain hegemonic systems of domination that marginalize non-white populations. This is the work necessary to create a truly intercultural society reflective of our demographic makeup.