Resources for Educators
of English Language Learners

Culture and Orientation: Grades 9-12

Books

Olsen, L. (1997). Made in America: Immigrant Students in Our Public Schools. New York: The New Press.

This book offers a portrait of life at a public high school. Olsen spent two and a half years attending classes, observing, and interviewing teachers, administrators, students, and parents. Through their stories, Olsen discovered a contemporary version of the Americanization of immigrants. From the challenges of bilingual education to combatting cultural sterotypes, Olsen explores what it looks like and feels like to go to school and to teach in a time of increasingly complex cultural relations.

Jaramillo, A., Olsen, L., Perez, Z. M., & White, J. (1999). Igniting Change for Immigrant Students: Portraits of Three High Schools. Oakland, CA: California Tomorrow.

This volume offers the stories of a school change process in three high schools that partnered with California Tomorrow to demonstrate an equity-centered approach to educational improvement. This book describes California Tomorrow’s process model and nine principles for school change, reflects on lessons learned about what it takes to put equity, access, language, and culture at the heart of school reform, portrays the reality of reform work in two very different school contexts, and evaluates the impact of work on the schools, teachers, administrators and students.

Digest

Promoting Secondary School Transitions for Immigrant Adolescents

Online Resources

California Tomorrow

California Tomorrow works with schools, family-serving institutions, early childhood programs, and communities to respond positively and equitably to diverse populations. California Tomorrow identifies and designs new models of practice for a diverse society and guides and supports the work required to implement these models.

Cultural Orientation Center

The Cultural Orientation Center produces monographs on the people, history, and culture of different refugee groups to help U.S. service providers understand the new refugee populations. Other orientation materials include bilingual phrasebooks, health resources guides, and a website devoted to cultural orientation.