Capturing the Complexity of Alternative Schools: Narratives of Latino Males in an Overlooked Educational Space

Accessing Possible Selves With Limited College Knowledge: Case Studies of Latino Boys in Two Urban Continuation Schools

“…As the needs and resources of school districts shifted over the last 50 years, so have the educational models and types of support available to students and educators in continuation schools. In the last 20 years, in particular, continuation schools transformed from supportive and adaptive learning environments to “last chances” or “dumping grounds” for students whose academic records reflect social and behavior challenges in regular schools (Brown, 2007; Huerta & Hernandez, 2021; Kelly, 1993; Kim & Taylor, 2008). As financial resources gradually depleted from continuation schools, so did the educational expectations and attitudes towards the most vulnerable students in these educational spaces (Ruiz de Velasco & McLaughlin, 2010).…”

“…These schools primarily serve “behavioral” students who have accumulated multiple disciplinary infractions. These often lead to the automatic removal or institutionally sanctioned transfer of students to a continuation school to better “control” those who violate the cultural and social norms of traditional school settings (Annamma, 2016; Brown, 2007; Huerta, 2018; Huerta & Hernandez, 2021; Muñoz, 2005). 1 To contextualize this study’s importance, in 2011–2012 almost 5,000 of the 11,000 total suspended secondary school boys in Rock County School District were Latino.…”

“…The criminalization of Latino boys and their subsequent marked status as “justice-involved” is not a new phenomenon in the educational system. 2 There has been a steady increase of school suspensions and expulsions of boys of color from elementary to high school (Basile et al, 2019; Huerta, 2018; Huerta, 2020; Huerta & Hernandez, 2021; Rios, 2017). Given the steady growth of school district zero-tolerance policies and increased enrollment in continuation schools (Brown, 2007; Losen, 2014), it is not surprising that Latino boys accounted for 91,757, or 35%, of the 264,600 male students based in continuation schools across the country in 2012 (National Center for Education Statistics, 2012).…”

“…In empirical scholarship, there remains an absence in understanding of how students who have been suspended or expelled and then sent to continuation school consider their future educational opportunities related to higher education. The academic literature on urban continuation schools often centers on learning loss, dysfunctional school culture, lowered teacher expectations, and the racialization of students of color (Annamma, 2016; Brown, 2007; Huerta & Hernandez, 2021; Kelly, 1993; Malagón, 2010; Muñoz, 2005). There are limited discussions on if and when college information and knowledge is shared between students and educators.…”

Building homes and hopes: the transformative service of YouthBuild Las Vegas

“…Disconnected youth, especially from impoverished backgrounds, may lack strong role models and social networks that provide assistance in the form of mentoring, social capital, awareness of the higher education system, as well as employment connections and other supports such as housing and financial assistance (Rendon, 2013;Fernandez-Alcantara, 2015). A dropout crisis is prevalent in the USA as young people leave or are "pushed out" of high school before completion at an alarming rate especially for students who are racial, ethnic and/or linguistic minorities (Huerta and Hernandez, 2021;Swanson, 2010). The national average of students who withdraw from school each year hovers around 5% (National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), 2017), but the rates in some areas of the country are as high as 30% of high school students who withdraw from school each year (Snyder and Dillow, 2009;Stillwell, 2010).…”