Persistent Inequality

The children of undocumented migrants in the U.S. are trapped at the intersection of two systems in crisis: the public education system and the immigration law system. Based on a long tradition of scholarship in Latino education and on newer critical race theory ideas, Persistent Inequality answers burning questions about how educational policy has to rise to meet the unique challenges of undocumented students’ lives as well as those which face nearly all Latinos in the U.S. educational system. How solid is the Supreme Court precedent, Plyler v. Doe, that allows undocumented children the opportunity to attend public school K-12 free of charge? What would happen if the Supreme Court overruled it? What is the DREAM Act and how would this proposed federal law affect the lives of undocumented students? How have immigration raids affected public school children and school administrators? To shed some light on these vital questions, the authors provide a critical analysis of the various legal and policy aspects of the U.S. educational system, asserting that both the legal and educational systems in this country need to address the living and working conditions of undocumented Latino students and remove the obstacles to educational achievement which these students struggle with daily.

"This is a book that deserves to be read by everyone interested in immigrant education, but especially legislators....Recommended."--CHOICE"López and López forcefully demonstrate how existing law and policy regimes are ensconced in a politics of race and racial privilege that both create a permanent underclass and diminish democracy for all. While offering strategic guideposts for action regarding the interests of noncitizen youth and their families, this text is an unequivocal call to action and reform."--Angela Valenzuela, Professor, College of Education, University of Texas at Austin"Cutting through the inflammatory anti-immigrant rhetoric, Persistent Inequality explains the origins and consequences of excluding undocumented students from educational opportunities. This book is essential reading not only for those invested in racial justice but also for those attempting to understand the contemporary immigration issues."--Mary Romero, Professor of Justice Studies and Social Inquiry, Arizona State University"Persistent Inequality is at the forefront of a small but growing body of research that re-frames undocumented immigrant issues from a Critical Race Framework. By weaving the legal and public policy story with student and community experiences, the authors show the vast array of cultural wealth that undocumented students bring to the world."-- Daniel G. Solorzano, Professor of Social Science and Comparative Education, University of California, Los Angeles

María Pabón López is a Professor of Law at Indiana University School of Law, Indianapolis.Gerardo R. López is an Associate Professor of Education in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at Indiana University, Bloomington.