Drawing on participatory action research conducted with students, families, and school staff in a Southwest community in the United States, this volume contests the achievement gap for students of Mexican-descent in the American education system, and highlights asset-based approaches to facilitating students' academic success.

Part 1: What do students, parents, teachers, counselors, administrators and community leaders feel is necessary for excellent education for all children in their community? 1. Children and Communities with Promise: A Place-based Approach to an Asset Based Bicultural Continuum Model 2. Promesa Vision, Needs, and Strengths: Voices of Children, Youth, and Parents 3. We Have a Vision of a Healthy College-Going School: Principals, Administrators and Counselors 4. Coalition Building for an Asset-based Bicultural Continuum: Breaking Down Silos in La Zona de Promesa 5. Asset-based Bicultural Continuum Model for Educational Equity of Low-Income and Mexican Descent Students Part 2: How one community engaged with education to create an asset-based bicultural continuum 6. Early Childhood Communities as Bilingual and Bicultural Assets 7. Creating College Going Culture in Middle School Through Youth Participatory Action Research: Unity for Change, Believe in Us! 8. From Community Mapping to Community Action: Youth Participatory Action Research on the Educational Pipeline 9. Social Workers Developing Relationships and Linking Students Families and Teachers to Local Resources 10. Final Reflections: La Zona de Promesa and The ABC Continuum Model