Community-Based Youth Organizations Negotiating Educational and Social Equity: A Case Study

This case study reveals how one community-based youth development organization in the northeastern United States advocated for social and educational equity for the low-income families it served by challenging the local school district’s practice of referring low-income children of color to special education in disproportionate numbers. Because this community-based organization (CBO) is typical of many such youth-serving organizations, the case study shows how the assets CBOs bring to their communities can help them negotiate with schools to achieve greater social and educational equity for low-income families. The challenges and opportunities of school-CBO collaboration are outlined, with particular attention to the need to appropriate CBOs’ strong, culturally competent relationships with their program participants.