The Social Power of Speaking: Supporting Recently Arrived Immigrant Youth Through a Culture of Speaking Chandler Patton Miranda & Hua-Yu Sebastian Cherng (2025)
Leadership and Policy in Schools (2024) A peer-reviewed journal publishing research on leadership, policy, and resource use in K-12 education. It focuses on how school leaders and policies drive change and effectiveness in diverse primary and secondary school settings worldwide.
Miranda, C. P. (2024). Justice-oriented assessment in immigrant serving schools: a critical ethnographic case study of the elements of performance assessment. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, 38(1), 162–179. https://doi.org/10.1080/09518398.2024.2365188 The study examines how replacing standardized tests with performance‑based assessments (PBATs) affects schools serving immigrant students. It finds that PBATs shift school routines, teacher roles, and student engagement, but only if schools invest early in training and mentoring. Teachers move from lecturing to guiding, students become more active learners, and the use of oral presentations boosts multilingual skills. While implementation isn’t easy, PBATs hold promise as more just ways to assess and empower marginalized learners.
Villavicencio, A., Klevan, S., Chandler Patton Miranda, Jaffe-Walter, R., & Cherng, H.-S. (2024). “The Freedom to Teach”: The Role of (Re)Professionalization in Cultivating Responsive Schooling for Immigrant Students. Educational Studies :/Educational Studies, 1–21. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131946.2024.2315981 The article argues that when teachers in immigrant‑serving schools are given more autonomy and a voice in decision-making, they reconnect with their professional purpose and better address their students’ needs. It shows autonomy works best when school structures support shared leadership, trust, and space for teachers to make instructional choices.
Actions Speak Louder Than Words: Examining School Practices That Support Immigrant Students’ Feelings of Belonging Kristina F. Brezicha & Chandler Patton Miranda (January, 2022) This study explores how school practices influence immigrant-origin students' sense of belonging, highlighting the importance of symbols, subtle acts, and overt actions in fostering inclusive environments. Findings suggest that belonging operates on multiple levels, with significant implications for school leaders, educators, and policymakers.
“What’s Going to Happen to Us?” Cultivating Partnerships with Immigrant Families in an Adverse Political Climate Adriana Villavicencio, Chandler Patton Miranda, Jia-Lin Liu, Hua-Yu Sebastian Cherng (Fall , 2021) This article explores strategies for building strong partnerships between schools and immigrant families amid challenging political environments, emphasizing trust, communication, and community support.
The Ethos of School Leadership: Exploring Ethical Dimensions in Educational Leadership Practice Chandler Patton Miranda (November, 2019) An exploration of how ethical considerations shape decisions, relationships, and culture within school leadership.
From Protest To Protection: Navigating Politics with Immigrant Students in Uncertain Times JAFFE-WALTER, R., MIRANDA, C. P., & LEE, S. J. (2019). From Protest to Protection: Navigating Politics with Immigrant Students in Uncertain Times. Harvard Educational Review, 89(2) The authors look at how teachers in schools with many immigrant students handle lessons about immigration amid changing national politics. They show that the broader political climate, whether one of activism or restriction, shapes how freely teachers bring these issues into class. At the same time, teachers must juggle institutional constraints and concern for vulnerable students. The authors argue that truly meaningful civic education must stay mindful of students’ identities, experiences, and the risks they face.
Accountability Reform and Responsive Assessment for Immigrant Youth Chandler Patton Miranda & Hua-Yu Sebastian Cherng (June, 2018) This article examines how accountability reforms impact assessment practices for immigrant youth, advocating for responsive approaches that consider their unique educational experiences and needs.
Capturing Complexity: Ethnography, Policy, and the Politics of Schooling Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot (December, 2017) A reflection on the role of ethnography in shaping education policy and understanding school life beyond standardized narratives.