Dreams Deferred

A volume in Research for Social Justice: Personal~Passionate~Participatory Inquiry(Sponsored by AERA Qualitative Research SIG and International Studies SIG)Series Editors Ming Fang He Georgia Southern University and JoAnn Phillion Purdue UniversityMission Statement and Scope: In Dreams Deferred a follow-up to OfBorders and Dreams (1996) Chris Carger takes us further into the life ofAlejandro Juarez Jr. and his family. This work envelopes readers in la vidareal real life. Carger followed Alejandro for thirteen years as he moved fromschool to school experienced difficult relationships with his peers dropped outof high school struggled with employment and an early marriage. Thecompelling story of Alejandro's parents obtaining U. S. citizenship parallelsthe border crossing story of Carger's first book and illuminates triumphs andtragedies the family and many other immigrants experience as they negotiatelife in the United States and as they all too often have to forsake their hopes and dreams. There are no easyanswers nor happy endings to the story of Alejandro and his family.Unlike many studies on dropping out Alejandro his family and his community are viewed from a positiveperspective versus deficit at risk models in dropout research. The book fits into a newly evolvingincreasingly important research paradigm that focuses on students'experience in the context of families communities and schools and dealswith issues of language culture and power related to multiculturalism andsocial justice. This book informs pre-service and in-service teacherseducational researchers administrators educational policy makers and thosewho advocate for people are marginalized because of cultural linguisticissues and learning challenges. It is a timely reflection on a problem that is atthe intersection of this nation's immigration controversies and dropout crisis.Series Scope: Research for Social Justice: Personal~Passionate~ParticipatoryInquiry the book series demonstrates a form of educational inquiry that connects thepersonal with the political the theoretical with the practical and research with socialand educational change. The principle aspect of this form of inquiry that distinguishesit from others is that the researcher is not separate from the socio-politicaland cultural phenomena of the inquiry the data collected findings interpretationsor writing. The purpose of the proposed book series is to draw together work whichdemonstrates three distinct qualities: personal~ passionate~ participatory withexplicit research agendas that focus on equity equality and social justice specific research methodologies that illustratethe participatory process of the inquiries and positive social and educational change engendered by the inquiries.