High School

As I walked into Lake View High School, I felt like I stepped back in time 10 years ago when I roamed the halls as a high school student. However, instead of being the student this time, I am now observing the student's experiences at Lake View. Currently, I am a student observer in the special education program. My role as a student observer versus that of a social work intern has its benefits and limitations. As a student observer, I am able to gather data and reflect on student experiences. However, the limitations include, that I am not able to obtain the experiences of a school social worker at this point.
Lake View High School is located in the city of Chicago under district 299. The school district has a total enrollment of 426,273 students and 23,258 teachers. The racial/ethnic composition of Lake View High School's student body is 12.7% White, 21.2% Black, 60% Hispanic, 5.4% Asian/Pacific Islander, and 0.6% Native American (Illinois School Report Card, 2002). The...