Document Type
Article
Publication Date
10-13-2026
Abstract
This qualitative study examines how educators in California public schools conceptualize and respond to the needs of Central American unaccompanied minors. Using a sociohistorical trauma-reducing framework, we analyze interviews with 29 teachers, counselors, social workers, and afterschool providers. Findings highlight structural barriers to resources and identification, academic and linguistic challenges shaped by interrupted schooling, unmet mental health and socioemotional needs, and the burden educators assume as advocates within trauma-producing systems. Despite employing relational, justice-oriented practices, educators work within conditions that undermine sustainability, underscoring the need for trauma-reducing, equity-driven reforms.
Recommended Citation
Cuevas, S., & Franco, M. C. (2026). Navigating Systemic Neglect: Educator Perspectives on Supporting Central American Unaccompanied Minors in California Public Schools. Urban Education, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/00420859261497351
Peer Reviewed
1
Copyright
The authors
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License
Included in
Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education Commons, Curriculum and Social Inquiry Commons, Disability and Equity in Education Commons, Educational Administration and Supervision Commons, Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research Commons, Educational Sociology Commons
Comments
This article was originally published in Urban Education in 2026.
https://doi.org/10.1177/00420859261497351