Culturally Responsive Schooling for Indigenous Mexican Students
This book uncovers the social and educational experiences of an increasing yet understudied population of young immigrants in the US, focusing on multilingual students who speak one of three Indigenous languages: Zapotec, Mixtec and P’urhépecha. It explores students’ ethnoracial identities, Indigenous language use and transnational practices and the influence of these factors on school adjustment, academic achievement and educational pathways. This three-year mixed-methods study in semi-urban, urban and rural contexts assesses student interviews, teacher interviews and survey data to provide an account of how Indigenous students develop their social identities and examines the influence of their non-Indigenous Mexican peers and teachers. It highlights new developments in Latinx cultural and linguistic heterogeneity and intragroup race/ethnic relations, informing policymakers and educators about Indigenous immigrant students and how to effectively support their multilingualism, ethnic identity development and educational success. It will be of interest to researchers working in related fields such as education, Latin American studies and immigration studies.
William Perez is Professor in the School of Education at Loyola Marymount University, USA. His research is centered in multilingualism and Indigenous studies and he is particularly interested in the experience of undocumented students, Latinx undocumented youth civic engagement and Latinx higher education access.
Rafael Vásquez is Chief Behavioral Scientist at the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health and Vice President of the Board of Directors for the Mixteco Indígena Community Organizing Project. He conducts research on academic persistence, community engagement and development, diversity and social justice and youth identity development.