Latino Student Experiences in Catholic School: How Teacher Deficit Thinking Disrupts Students' Sense of Belonging

• In Event: Diversity in Catholic Education

Abstract

Declining Catholic school enrollment rates coupled with increasing numbers of Latino Catholics (in the US) have prompted Catholic leaders to interrogate how they can best engage and meet the needs of the Latino community (Hosffman, 2014). But this research need also examine the Latino Catholic school student experience within a historical, economic and sociopolitical context. This paper interrogates the experiences of Latino students at an all male Catholic high school that has historically served a working-class Latino community. The project draws its data from a one-year ethnographic study that examined Divinity High School’s school culture. Findings demonstrate how religious programs supported Latino student engagement, while teacher deficit thinking contrasted with the beliefs and values of the school.

Author

• Ursula S. Aldana, University of San Francisco