During the fall of 2014, for the first time, more than half of the students across U.S. public schools were Latin@ and African American. In the largest urban public school districts (New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago,... [ view full abstract ]
During the fall of 2014, for the first time, more than half of the students across U.S. public schools were Latin@ and African American. In the largest urban public school districts (New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston), Latin@s are more than half of the total student enrollment (Gandara and Contreras, 2009). Chicago is an important city to examine the educational context, as it highlights the growing community of Latin@s outside of the Southwest, and contributes to the scholarship that aims to extend the traditional Black/White racial framework used in the United States (Fernandez, 2012).
Our panel is composed of five papers examining the educational experience of Latin@ students in Chicago, beginning with historical work. Using Critical Race Theory (CRT) and LatCrit, Rivera explores the oral histories of twenty Mexican American women who attended Chicago schools in the 1950s. Their oral histories reveal that in the absence of bilingual education programs, Mexican American students were often placed in classes for the “mentally educable retarded,” resulting in profound implications on students’ self-esteem and long-term quality of life.
Next, Aviles and Pulido discuss their edited volume on Latin@ Schooling in Chicago. Their work examines the historical context of segregated and inferior schooling for Latin@s in Chicago, the effects of contemporary neoliberal educational reforms, and the transformative possibilities of community activism. Their work speaks to the ways that Latin@s have contested and redefined the purposes of education through the current moment.
Cortez discusses the recent trend of the growing Latin@ population in Chicago’s suburban public school districts, due to gentrification in the city and the consequent displacement of communities of color. Since the early 2000s, many suburban school districts have experienced exponential growth of Latin@ students. School leadership and staff have not been sufficiently equipped to effectively engage with the growing numbers of English language learners, low-income students, or immigrant families.
Luna-Duarte outlines the importance of the Illinois DREAM Act for undocumented students in the state of Illinois. This bill requires high school college counselors to be trained to work with undocumented students and the children of undocumented parents, which has been supported by the Chicago Public School district.
Finally, Morales, Meza, and Maravilla-Cano use a CRT and LatCrit lens to examine the current opportunities and disparities within Chicago Public Schools in relation to three areas: access to different types of schools/program offerings for Latin@ students (e.g., charter, military, gifted schools, etc.), the stagnant number of Latin@ teachers in comparison with increasing number of Latin@ students, and the overwhelmingly assimilationist language programs in place, rather than heritage language and maintenance programs.
Although Illinois is home to the fifth largest population of Latin@s in the U.S. and the catalyst for nationwide urban educational reforms (Lipman, 2011), there have been few studies of the educational experiences of Latin@s in the Midwest. Situated in the Chicagoland area, this panel broadens the understanding of the diverse regional experiences of Latin@s and provides an opportunity to draw connections to the national Latin@ population.
