| Abstract |
In the United States, students of color and low-income students have historically been denied access to high-quality educational opportunities in public schools. As a result, I was moved to initiate and direct Escuela Luz del Mundo (ELM), a progressive Christian middle school that served a high poverty, Mexican immigrant community in Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA. ELM had a unique mission; to glorify God by providing a culturally relevant and affirming, college-preparatory education for the children of first-generation Mexican immigrants. In this chapter, the research literature is reviewed that illustrates the historic legacy in the United States of low-income students and students of color being denied access to high-quality educational opportunities. Qualitative research methodologies, both self-study and narrative inquiry, are used to demonstrate some of the distinguishing features that made ELM a unique school for the first-generation Mexican immigrants that it served. An extended discussion is provided about lessons learned at ELM, such as the vital role that compassion should play in making schools places where every student is valued. |
