Developing a Culture of Resilience for Low-Income Immigrant Youth

• In Event: Roundtable Session 124
  In Roundtable Session: Supporting Youth Through Family, School, and Community Involvement

Abstract

This study explores a story of success at a school where low-income, English Language Learners (ELLs) comprise a significant portion of its students. In this paper, we describe core elements of Bay Academy that make it a place where youth feel they belong and can succeed. Central to this description is its culture of college, support from community- and family-involvement, and structural components including the leadership team and innovative programming. We approach this research from an ecological perspective of learning, and focus our analysis on the Academy’s success in creating opportunities for students to develop academic resilience. We present our findings in an attempt to share the successes of this school as a model for educating students from similar backgrounds.

Authors

• Diane Sookyoung Lee, Stanford University

• Noah Borrero, University of San Francisco

• Amado M. Padilla, Stanford University