Chasing the Florida Dream: Examining the Schooling Experienceses of Puerto Rican youth in a Large Comprehensive High School

In the last two decades, Puerto Ricans have been moving rapidly in large numbers to the Central Florida region. Research suggests that this migration is partially due to a search for better economic and educational opportunities (Duany and Matos-Rodriguez, 2006). This study explores the schooling experiences of a group of Puerto Rican students in a Central Florida high school. Observations and interviews indicate that for many of these students, an overcrowded, often culturally irrelevant, and linguistically racist school environment has tainted the promise of greater educational opportunities in Central Florida. Moreover, a high stakes test known as the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) is making receiving a high school diploma an overwhelmingly daunting task. Finally, implications for Latina/o sociology of education are discussed.