Ogbu, J.U., and Simons, H.D. (Jun., 1998). Voluntary and Involuntary Minorities: A Cultural- Ecological Theory of School Performance with Some Implications for Education. Anthropology & Education Quarterly, 29(2), 155-188.

This article seeks to provide more detail and perhaps clarify three key issues that Ogbu has presented in past studies. The authors begin by describing Ogbu’s cultural-ecological theory of minority school performance. They then break down minorities into the following categories: autonomous, voluntary (immigrant), and involuntary (nonimmigrant). These classifications are used to explore the differences in school performance among these groups. The final issue they address is the pedagogical implications that can be derived from the theory. They note that an understanding of the nature of the problem will offer better insight when creating strategies to improve learning.

White, M.J. and Glick, J.E. (Dec., 2000). Generation Status, Social Capital, and the Routes out of High School. Sociological Forum, 15(4), 671-691.

The study described in this article examines the participation differences in “human capital enhancing activities” among immigrants and those born in the United States. This longitudinal study focused on collecting data that measured the influence of generation status, human capital and social capital on high school sophomores. It then uses this data to study whether these characteristics have an influence on the routes taken by adolescents that have dropped out after two years of high school.

Trueba, H.T. (Sep., 1988). Culturally Based Explanations of Minority Students’ Academic Achievement. Anthropology & Education Quarterly, 19(3), 270-287.

This article reveals the need to acknowledge and incorporate the role of culture into the learning environment. Trueba examines past macro- versus micro-, and explanatory versus applied ethnographic research to make the point that differences in achievement within and between minority groups cannot be attributed solely to societal forces. He also discusses the stereotyping taxonomy of minority groups and argues that the minority categories created do not explain the different responses found between individuals of a same group that have been affected by the same social and economical circumstances. Finally, he stresses the importance of a socioculturally based theory of achievement.

Montero-Sieburth, M. and LaCelle-Peterson, M. (Dec., 1991). Immigration and Schooling: An Ethnohistorical Account of Policy and Family Perspectives in an Urban Community. Anthropology & Education Quarterly, 22(4), 300-325.

This article addresses the misconceptions that developed through the years that have suggested that in the past immigrants that came to United States somehow learned English without the help of special programs. The study focuses in on reviewing the historical documentation of urban communities during 1890 to 1920 and 1970 to 1990, particularly “the historical and contemporary schooling policies that were used to integrate immigrants in a local urban community”. The authors then examine the reconsideration of “commonsense” notions that have dominated views about immigration and language acquisition.

Gitlin, A., Buendía, E., Crosland, K. & Doumbia, F. (Spring, 2003). The Production of Margin and Center: Welcoming-Unwelcoming of Immigrant Students. American Educational Research Journal, 40(1), 91-122.

The study discussed in this article focuses on Kousanar Middle School and examines how immigrant students are caught in contradictory circumstances which welcome them, while at the same time unwelcome them into the school system. The authors of this article focus in on exploring various elements outside the classroom to better understand the impact they have on the students’ place within the school. The study begins by researching the history of the school, and its English as a second language (ESL) programs in which these students are enrolled. This revealed that a foundation of marginalization was already in place before this study began. The study then looked into the roles of the school system, the teachers, the community and even the students’ parents in enforcing these policies and practices. Keys factors found included breaking the racial barriers of a historically all white school, the lack of ESL curriculum materials, large class size, and the parents’ role in enforcing the assimilationist policies and practices imposed on the students. It was concluded that the placement of these students into ESL programs while including these students into the school system, they also excluded them by not allowing them to become an equal part of the school. This shows how these programs actually place these students at the margins, not allowing them to be viewed and, consequently, fully integrated into the school system with all of its benefits. This article is very insightful in that it highlights factors outside of the classroom that often get overlooked, but prove to be crucial in the way these students develop within the school.