Learning to “Do School”: Cultural Wealth, Capital, and Curriculum

• In Event: Roundtable Session 66
  In Roundtable Session: Learning in Schools: From Racial Literacy to Cultural Capital to Women’s Leadership

Abstract

This study examines the educational trajectories, critical life events, variations and commonalities of four Dominican women who, despite being non- English speakers and immigrants, were successful in attending college, earning advanced degrees in education and becoming successful educators. The themes which emerge are related to various types of capital and include aspirational, linguistic, familial, social, navigational, and resistant. Findings suggest that the women’s own high academic expectations, coupled with high levels of academic and emotional support were key factors in their educational and career success. This study extends an existing body of research literature on the persistent underachievement of immigrant and English Learners through an expanded understanding and application of the concepts of cultural capital and cultural responsiveness in education.

Authors

• Maria Montalvo-Balbed, Kennesaw State University

• Bernadette Bridget Musetti, Loyola Marymount University