2007 Campus-Community Partnerships

In the Majority: Challenges, Resources, and Strategies
for Educating Immigrant Students

Awardee: Southeast Asian Community Alliance (SEACA)
Partner: Kris Gutierrez
Graduate School of Education & Information Studies

Abstract:

We will explore issues impacting the quality of educational opportunities of K-12 public schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD). Specifically, we will focus on key working class communities encircling downtown Los Angeles (Boyle Heights, Chinatown, Echo Park, Lincoln Heights and parts of Pico-Union). These neighborhoods feature large, low-income limited English proficient populations and the stakes in education for these families are especially high.

We will examine the resources in these neighborhoods to positively impact education, including:

  1. Social justice education (i.e. multicultural and critical pedagogy, leadership development)
  2. Linguistic diversity
  3. Community organizing (i.e. parent involvement, youth organizing)

We will also explore trends exerting a strong influence on the area as they relate to education, including, LAUSD policies, economic trends, and funding for public education and youth-based programs.
The project seeks to create a more equitable educational system for low-income, immigrant and communities of color by: 1) informing public debate among education stakeholders (policy-makers, community-based organizations, teacher preparation programs, and charter/small learning community educators) on issues impacting these communities; 2) developing strategies and policy recommendations for LAUSD to engage with these communities; and 3) creating organizing strategies for SEACA to engage parents and students.

 

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