ABSTRACT
Access to postsecondary and tertiary education is one of the key factors for integration and upward social mobility of immigrant youth in the host society. In Japan, however, the enrolment rates of immigrant youth have been significantly lower than the national average, while their dropout rates are higher. Their underachievement and underrepresentation in higher education have been typically portrayed from a deficit viewpoint, suggesting the causes lie within minority families and communities. Using the Community Cultural Wealth model, we examine first-generation immigrant students’ experiences in high schools, and their academic and career trajectories. Findings suggest that high schools with special admission quotas for minority students have functioned as part of a formal system to promote access to education and as a place for minority students to utilize and accumulate the cultural and social capital required to navigate their academic and career pathways. We also highlight tensions between social-justice-oriented approaches in schools and the current trends of neoliberal educational reform.
