The Cultural and Political Context of Schooling at Jefferson High School

This chapter provides an ethnographic context for the community, school, and participants studied as part of the “asthma project”. It demonstrates that there are both significant challenges and opportunities for learning in this multicultural, linguistically diverse urban high school. The students at Jefferson High also face a number of challenges that may impinge on their learning and achievement. More than 75" of the students qualify for the free and reduced lunch program. The chapter focuses on the microlevel context of schooling at Jefferson High to see how it is affected by the broader cultural and political concerns. Jefferson High School has an extensive administrative and support staff responsible for the coordination of academic and guidance programs at the school. The organization of the academic programs at Jefferson High revolves around the five School to Work (STW) families-Allied Health, Arts, Cyber Academy, Engineering, and Urban Planning.