ABSTRACT

More than a quarter century ago, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that the children of persons who are unlawfully present in this country should be allowed to attend public schools. This case, Plyler v. Doe, marks the point of departure of this book. In this book, we highlight the current situation of Latino undocumented students-their social, legal, and political realities-while identifying the structures that disempower them. Using census and other available government data, we calculate the number of undocumented Latino students currently in U.S. schools and set forth a picture of their educational status and attainment. We will also review the challenges that stand in the way of educational achievement for Latino undocumented students, and paint a portrait of their life in schools.