Capitalizing on Cultural Assets: Community Cultural Wealth and Immigrant-Origin Students

Abstract

Nearly one of four students enrolled in public school in the United States is of immigrant origin. School counselors are poised to support immigrant-origin students with academic, college and career, and social/emotional needs. This article introduces how community cultural wealth (CCW), a social capital concept focusing on the strengths of immigrant-origin students, brings a culturally responsive lens to multitiered system of supports interventions identified in the school counseling literature. We present case studies highlighting the implementation of CCW and discuss implications and future directions for school counseling practice.

Betwixt and Between Justice and Inaction: Full-Service Community School Principals and Community Equity Literacy

“…Both aspiring and practicing school leaders need opportunities to critically reflect on what they value in terms of the information they seek, the persons they connect with, and whom they hire (Young & Crow, 2017). To help leaders understand why it is important to seek out employes and partners with deep knowledge of the local community, aspiring and practicing school leaders should read case studies and literature that exemplify how community cultural capital can be leveraged to support students (e.g., Jayakumar et al, 2013; Purgason et al, 2020). Principals and coordinators should be also presented opportunities to become experienced with community asset mapping or community-based equity audits (Green, 2017a).…”

Facilitators and barriers in the college pathways of working-class immigrant-origin youth of color in New York City.

“…Further, immigrant students may experience discrimination due to their minoritized cultural identities, leading to less engagement in school with their peers (Göbel & Preusche, 2019). In tandem, students from working-class families may face unique discrimination and barriers due to their socioeconomic status (Gibbons et al, 2016; Purgason et al, 2020). Combined, immigrant youth of color from working-class families may be exposed to more systemic barriers that make them vulnerable to alienation from the school system based on their cultural, racial, and socioeconomic backgrounds.…”

“…For instance, teacher support and peer support independently predicted higher emotional school engagement among ethnic minority students after accounting for other constructs (Göbel & Preusche, 2019). Community programs are also found to further provide support for immigrant-origin students to succeed (Abo-Zena & Barry, 2013; Purgason et al, 2020; Zhou & Lee, 2017). In tandem with messages immigrant youth of color receive from various worlds, we also examined notable contextual factors, such as undocumented status and work, that could further help or harm their college pathways.…”