"I'll Get Through It": Perspectives and Insights From Homeless and Highly Mobile Students of Color

• In Event: Millennium Hotel Roundtable Session 4
  In Roundtable Session: Perspectives on Culture and Bias in Out-of-School Time

Abstract

Despite calls for research that profiles the perspectives of homeless and highly-mobile (HHM) students, limited work captures student voice. Garnering organizational insights from Yosso (2005) and drawing on youth interviews and focus groups in addition to observation and artifacts, the purpose of this paper is to give voice to high school HHM students of color who attend a unique after school program. Despite numerous barriers, findings suggest that the HHM students were remarkably strong—they remained engaged in their educational journeys and contributed to their school and community in many ways. Three main themes emerged from their stories: their varied social networks; assets and dreams; and resistance and civic concerns. Implications for public schools and after school programs are discussed.

Author

• Alexandra E. Pavlakis, Southern Methodist University