| This dissertation presents an ethnographic case study of a migrant education program within a larger community response to changing demographics in a rural Nebraska community. The overarching question is: how do school and community workers respond to changing demands in their work brought about by demographic changes? I interviewed administrators, school faculty and staff and other community leaders and representatives to gain a sense of the overall responses to changes.; A rapidly growing Hispanic population has placed new demands on schools and community services whose leaders have responded with creative and innovative approaches; developing migrant education programming that has been lauded by the National Office of Migrant Education in the U.S. Department of Education.; In examining these school and community efforts I found that the programming, policies, and practices in this community shared many of the characteristics of schools that have been described in the literature as "high performing" schools for Hispanic students.; Collaborative, humanistic leadership, and governance are necessary if a vision for success is to be communicated to all members of the learning community. Strong links between schools, families and other agents and agencies in the community are also necessary in creating innovative solutions and supporting success. Teachers, school staff, administrators and community workers who shared an advocacy orientation were also found to be a necessary component in the development of capacity within the migrant program, the community schools and beyond. Insights gained from this study of what was described as a "model" migrant program provide key considerations that should be taken into account in efforts to create effective schools for the most educationally vulnerable students. |
