Article Experiences of Arab heritage youth in US schools and impact on identity development Khadeja Najjar Cleveland State University, USA Shereen C. Naser Cleveland State University, USA Katie Clonan-Roy Cleveland State University, USA Abstract To fulfill the promise of inclusive school environments that support all students, it is necessary to understand the mechanisms by which discrimination and support occur in the school setting and how these mechanisms impact student development. The current study explored ways schools facilitate supportive or marginalizing experiences for first generation Arab heritage youth in the United States and investigated how these experi- ences impact acculturative experiences and identity negotiation for these students. Focus groups were conducted with 21 Arab American early college students and com- munity dwellers. Qualitative analyses revealed three mechanisms by which the school setting uniquely impacts Arab heritage student’s identity negotiation in high school: 1) peer and teacher discrimination; 2) school curriculum treatment of Arab history and culture; 3) and broader school structures that allow for student cultural expression. Implications and suggestions for School Psychologists are discussed. Keywords acculturation, Arab American youth, identity development, school support Acculturative experiences of Arab heritage youth in US schools When immigrant youth feel supported by their school system that sense of sup- port can facilitate positive acculturative processes and emotional well-being School Psychology International 2019, Vol. 40(3) 251–274 ! The Author(s) 2019 Article reuse guidelines: sagepub.com/journals-permissions DOI: 10.1177/0143034319831057 journals.sagepub.com/home/spi Corresponding author: Shereen C. Naser, PhD, Cleveland State University 2121 Euclid Ave. UN 245 Cleveland, OH 44115, USA. Email: s.naser@csuohio.edu