Abstract
Educational inclusion remains one of the most pressing global challenges, particularly for immigrant and at-risk youth who experience overlapping layers of socio-economic, linguistic, and emotional exclusion. This paper examines the interconnected issues of inclusivity and juvenile delinquency among marginalized children in both India and the United States. In the U.S., immigrant and refugee students often struggle with missing documentation, unstable housing, limited English proficiency, and fragmented family structures—especially in single-parent or estranged households. These conditions, compounded by poverty, discrimination, and exposure to drugs or gang activity, frequently push such youth toward academic disengagement and delinquent behavior. In India, parallel challenges manifest in the form of child labor, urban slum migration, and the neglect of out-of-school children from marginalized castes, tribal, and refugee backgrounds. Despite initiatives like the Right to Education (RTE) Act and Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, systemic barriers—including stigma, inadequate counseling, and poor teacher training—continue to exclude vulnerable learners. Through a comparative analysis of both contexts, this paper investigates how trauma-informed pedagogy, bilingual and bridge-language education, and restorative justice programs can reduce delinquency and promote educational inclusion. It calls for a holistic model that integrates social-emotional learning (SEL), parental outreach, and community mentorship—treating at-risk children not as disciplinary problems but as resilient learners seeking belonging, stability, and hope.