Let's Talk About the Future: Newcomer Youths' Underexplored College-Career Aspirations

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session 5
  In Roundtable Session: Reenvisioning Classification, Pathways, and Possibilities for Newcomers and Long-Term English Learners (Table 5)

Abstract

There is a growing interest in the K-16 trajectories of students labeled English learners. While this focus is warranted, less is known about the experiences of high school immigrant youth labeled English learners who must navigate a new culture, curriculum, and acquire a new language. This paper focuses on the experiences of 25 newcomer youth seniors attending a comprehensive high school in Los Angeles as they prepared for their transition from high school to postsecondary education and/or work. Utilizing interviews, participant observations, and document analysis, this paper examines how school practices create differential high-school-to-college trajectories for newcomer youth of diverse backgrounds across age, race, social class, gender, and legal status.

Author

• Sophia L Angeles, Pennsylvania State University