Theses and Dissertations Collection

In this qualitative study, I aim to understand and document how Latinx im/migrant students and families participate and negotiate access to school success in rural Idaho. I employ autoethnographic and ethnographic tools and strategies to study the educational experience of Latinx students and families in rural areas as part of the New Latinx Diaspora (NLD). Using a Community Cultural Wealth (Yosso, 2005) and Gutierrez and Rogoff’s (2003) Repertoire’s of Practice framework, I highlight the rich and nuanced ways Latinx students and families participate and experience educational spaces. I draw from Chicana Feminist Epistemologies (Delgado Bernal, 1998; Anzaldua, 1987) in all stages of the research process and ground my cultural intuition. Participants in this study are members of my community- families and students I have known and been in relation with for many years. Findings in this study illuminate how parents and students of Spanish-speaking im/migrant Mexican-heritage backgrounds employ Community Cultural Wealth (Yosso, 2005), practice intent community participation (Rogoff et al., 2003; Urrieta, 2013; López et al., 2005), and other forms of knowledge to participate, and negotiate access to school success in K-12 schools in rural Idaho. This study documents the complexity and nuances of the Latinx im/migrant experience, highlighting complex barriers im/migrant students and families confront as they negotiate school success, including limited opportunities to employ linguistic capital and instances of racialized aggression. Insights gained from this analysis have important implications for local, state, and national education policies, including culturally responsive curriculum, teacher training, and language services to improve educational outcomes for nondominant students.