Where the Streets Cross the Classroom: A Study of Latino Students’ Perspectives on Cultural Identity in City Schools and Neighborhood Gangs

Abstract This study is an ethnography of eight middle school students, all immigrants from Central America and Mexico with siblings or close friends active in gangs. The investigation attempts to solve the puzzle of why these teenagers from marginalized ethnic communities were increasingly involved in neighborhood gangs and how schooling potentially contributed to that involvement. Though the students were seeking a positive cultural identity as Latinos, they felt thwarted at school by negative stereotypes. Suggestions are made that assist educators in maximizing opportunities for youth to achieve a positive sense of identity and minimize their chances of engaging in selfdestructive behavior.