Opening Doors: Community Centers Connecting Working-Class Immigrant Families and Schools

Description

In 2014―for the first time―over 50% of those in U.S. public schools are students of color. Furthermore, children of immigrants, the majority of whom are of Asian and Latinx origin, are the fastest-growing population in the U.S. Addressing their needs has become an important issue facing educators, researchers, and policy makers nationwide. More importantly, working-poor and low-income immigrant families of color need support and resources to negotiate and navigate between their home/community and their school/dominant society. Opening Doors: Community Centers Connecting Working-Class Immigrant Families and Schools examines the role and impact of a community-based organization (the Harborview Chinatown Community Center) and its youth program (the Community Youth Center), which is located in an East Coast city. Framed by the "Community Cultural Wealth" framework (Yosso, 2005) and Youth (Comm)Unity, Opening Doors argues that the Harborview Chinatown Community Center helps low-income Chinese immigrant families negotiate and navigate their multiple worlds. Specifically, this book examines the services and support for low-income and working-poor Chinese American immigrant families during out-of-school hours. Cover Table of contents Acknowledgments Foreword (Wayne AU) Works cited Abbreviations Chapter One: Community-Based Organizations Centering Family-Community School Partnerships Youth (comm)unity Youth (comm)unity as multiple worlds Youth (comm)unity as authentic caring Youth (comm)unity as culturally relevant understanding Community cultural wealth Out-of-school time Post-1965 children of immigrants Methodology and framework The CYC staff members The youth and parents The activist scholar Organization of the book Note Works cited Chapter Two: Portraits of Chinatown, Harborview, and HCCC Competing images of Chinatown A portrait of Harborview’s Chinatown Urban renewal and gentrification Hope Elementary School Harborview Chinatown Community Center HCCC’s programs “You’re fighting a garage”: HCCC’s struggles in finding a “home” Community Youth Center CYC’s academic programs “Completely volunteer-run”: The tutoring program and test preparation classes The significance of the “one-on-one relationship”: The ESL classes Notes Works cited Chapter Three: Parents’ Relationship with Children and U.S. Schools Family separation: The impact of immigration “Paycheck to paycheck”: The need to always work The dilemma: Restaurant work in ethnic communities “Trying to learn English”: Adult English classes “I don’t feel Welcome”: Immigrant parents and the U.S. school system Schools with bilingual teachers and staffs Notes Works cited Chapter Four: Youths’ Relationship with Family and School Always at work: The impact of long workdays on parent–child relationships “They don’t even care”: Relationships with schools and school personnel “We are invisible”: Asian American youth in U.S. schools Works cited Chapter Five: Accessing Information, Opportunities, and Advocacy Parents obtaining information and resources “The staffs are like stars”: Youth accessing information, skills, and opportunities CYC’s clubs serving as opportunities Providing access to higher education: Serving as counselors and mentors Negotiating with schools: Serving as advocates Conclusion Note Works cited Chapter Six: The Importance of Youth (Comm)unity “Cuz they care about those who goes there”: Providing a sense of family “I want to give back”: The Youth Leadership program “Asian Pride”: Providing a sense of ethnic self and identity “All they see is the pressure”: Providing a sense of being a teenager Conclusion Notes Works cited Chapter Seven: Revisiting and reflecting with the CYC youth “Knowing you have someone”: Familial and linguistic capitals “The staffs broaden my views”: Social and navigational capitals College access initiative Monumental enrichment memories “I have a voice to do something positive for the community”: Aspirational and resistant capitals Conclusion Works cited Chapter Eight: Implication for policy and practice For policy makers For education advocates and school personnel For researchers and scholars Considerations for future research Works cited Index