Bilingual literacies, social identification, and educational trajectories

In this article, I examine how transnational students’ educational trajectories are shaped by social relations and identity formation as developed in part through the medium of school-based bilingual literacy practices. By examining the educational trajectory of one young woman at an unusual, bilingual high school, I demonstrate that, in critical social interactions across classroom contexts, the student drew upon the locally defined model of school success to position herself – and be positioned – as a successful student through bilingual literacy practices. As her identity as a good student “thickened” over time, it shaped her opportunities for learning spoken and written English as well as other elements of the curriculum.