ABSTRACT
This case study takes place in a rural Midwestern community where an increasing number of immigrants hailing from Mexico and Central America have settled in the past two decades. Calhoun High School serves Hispanic students who are newly arrived, first-generation, and second-generation (i.e., U.S. citizens) immigrants. These related yet distinct populations have varying degrees of English proficiency; their families’ legal status also varies. The school district believes it welcomes all students and families. The superintendent recently received secondhand reports that the educational and legal needs of Hispanic students and families are going unmet in the current heightened political climate around immigration. When the superintendent raises the issue at a principals’ meeting, they do not confirm her perspective. Trying to resolve contradictory information, she determines to seek out information “gatekeepers” from the Hispanic community whom the district employs to facilitate school–community relations. This case examines how critical information is understood and passed between gatekeepers and educational leaders, and how leaders navigate getting confidential information from gatekeepers without compromising the trust the community places in gatekeepers.
