Redefiniendo trayectorias escolares. Las «aulas de enlace» en la Comunidad de Madrid

In a moment in which the bases of our economic system are being questioned and in spite “Linking Classrooms” were created in February 2003 as a program to address diversity by the Board of Education of the Community of Madrid. They aim at ease integration of immigrant students into the regular school system. The paper we present is the product of an ethnographic study carried out by the authors in several “Linking Classrooms”. Our aim is to analyze whether this policy facilitates participation of teenagers in schools. Specifically, we would like to address the following questions: What kind of needs are being addressed by “Linking Classrooms”? Are they contributing to innovate in Education? What are the consequences of the program for pupils’ school trajectories, their relationships with classmates, and the school at large?, and finally what are the effects of the program when these students are recruited by the work market?