Newcomer Identity as Organizing Principle for Schools: Case Studies About Refugees and Alternative Education Environments

• In Event: Roundtable Session 110
  In Roundtable Session: The Complex Reality of Marginality in K-12 Schools

Abstract

This session highlights two ethnographic case studies situated within a multi-year study of the academic experiences of teenage refugee students living in metro-Atlanta. For a school year, the researchers followed six students who attend alternative schools designed to address the students’ needs as non-native English speakers with newcomer status. Data collection included interviews with the students, their teachers, families, and mentors; classroom observations; review of video footage of interactions with teachers and peers; and examination of learning artifacts. Analyses of the data— framed by the researchers’ identities as critical pedagogues—reveal the significant role these schools play in developing academic confidence, increased understanding of cultural agency, and evidence of an uncommon engagement with school.

Authors

• Lesley K. Coia, Agnes Scott College

• Toby Emert, Agnes Scott College