Students with interrupted formal education: Empowerment, positionality, and equity in alternative schools

Abstract

This article reports on the educational experiences of select students with an inconsistent/interrupted formal education (SIFE) currently enrolled at an alternative high school. Interview data were collected during two consecutive academic years during 2018–2020 and analyzed by drawing on positioning theory and the culture of power to address the many inequities these students have faced at the alternative high school as well as at the traditional public high school. Critical race theory provides an important theoretical lens for exploring connections between the experiences of the students and the lack of equitable practices available to the immigrant student population. Thus, the findings were categorized into the themes of positioning, the power of the institution, culture and language, and resilience and empowerment. These findings have implications for educators who work with and advocate on behalf of English language learners, immigrant students, and more specifically SIFE.