Disparities in academic achievement for Latinx youth and the trajectories may be influenced by adversity and trauma experiences that impact mental health. This presentation will include an overview of theories, practice, and research with children, adolescents, and families, and will focus on intersectional factors for minoritized Latinx youth and families that exacerbate trauma-related symptoms that are too often untreated and misinterpreted as misbehaviors and/or temporary and chronic maladjustment. Using the Garcia Coll et al. (1996) Integrative Model, these factors will be discussed as situated in an ecological framework, comprised of promoting and inhibiting environments, with consideration of internal and external/environmental influences that can have direct and indirect effects on academic outcomes. 

Learning Objectives:
• Discuss the educational disparities for Latinx youth and the social determinants of these disparities.
• Discuss the impact of adversity and trauma on cognitive and psychological processes that interfere with learning and achievement.
• Discuss intersecting identity and positionality of Latinx youth that may be affected by a systemic bias that disadvantages opportunities for educational supports and increases the risk of disproportionality.
 

Who should attend? This webinar is designed for counselors and clinicians who work with Latinx youth and are interested in learning about the vulnerabilities and uniqueness of these populations.

About the presenter

Michelle V. Porche, Ed.D.- is an Associate Professor at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. As a developmental psychologist she has studied the impact of adversity on academic achievement for young children and adolescents, primarily using mixed-methods approaches. Her early research studies included investigation of the impact of parent involvement and life circumstances of families on the language and literacy development of children and adolescents. Recent work has included the study of early and ongoing adversity and trauma on risk of high school dropout, school engagement, and retention in grade. Working with interdisciplinary teams she has also studied the association between trauma and substance use for adolescents, related to mental health and academic outcomes, as well as a focus on immigrant children and families, with specific attention to the impact of trauma for resettled refugee youth.