This issue seeks to deepen understanding of the major social influences that shape immigrant youths' paths in their transition to the United States, as well as of the complex interconnections among those influences. The authors delve into a number of social worlds that can contribute to the postivie development of immigrant youth. They also provide insight into sources of information about indentity pathway options available to those youth. The chapters offer new data regarding the developmental opportunities and challenges that family roles and responsibilities, school contexts, community organizations, religious involvement and beliefs, gendered expectations, and media influences present. Contributors provide a fresh perspective on the research, practice and policy implications of the social worlds of immigrant youth. This is the 100th issue of the Jossey-Bass journal New Directions for Youth Development.

Author Biography

CAROLA SAUREZ-OROZCO is codirector of the Harvard Immigration Project at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and Scholar in Residence at the Ross Institute in East Hampton, New York. IRINA G. TODOROVA is a postdoctoral fellow with the Harvard Immigration Project at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.