Welcoming Undocumented Immigrants? School Leaders' Role in Shaping School Climate

• In Event: Interrogating the Climate of Diverse, Multilingual Schools: Views From Students, Parents, Teachers, and Administrators

Abstract

The federal appeals court recently sided with Texas to prohibit the Obama administration from extending a version of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) initiative to provide unauthorized immigrant parents relief from deportation (de Vogue, 2015). The case illustrates the struggle between states and the federal government over immigration policy. It exemplifies the tense national climate around a diversifying national population that includes undocumented immigrants.

This tension also affects education. School personnel must educate for a diverse democracy. Providing education entails incorporating undocumented youth into school, who are guaranteed a free, public k-12 education (Plyler v. Doe, 1982). Incorporation includes a school climate where students feel wanted. School leaders are critical to developing a positive school climate: Climate is tied to school effectiveness, student achievement, among other outcomes (Hoy & Hannum, 1997). This paper explores how school administrators shape the climate of reception for undocumented K-12 students in U.S.-Mexico border schools. This paper asks, 1) How do school leaders talk about integrating unauthorized youth into school, and 2) How do school leaders influence the climate of reception for undocumented youth?

I follow Cohen, McCabe, Michelli, and Pickerell’s (2009) definition of school climate, meaning the “quality and character of school life” (p. 182). A positive school climate consists of the “norms, values and expectation that support people feeling socially, emotionally, and physically safe” (p. 182). Feeling welcome and safe is essential for undocumented students. Research has not demonstrated leaders’ work to influence the climate of reception for undocumented students. However, many undocumented students are unlikely to confide in school personnel like teachers and counselors (Enriquez, 2011; Munoz, 2008); school structures can stratify them into less-rigorous tracks (Gonzales, 2010); and they are often segregated, low-performing schools (Orfield & Lee, 2006), and many are vulnerable to and fear deportation (Chaudry, Capps, Pedroza, Castañeda, Santos, & Scott, 2010).

To explore these questions, I use a narrative inquiry approach (Kim, 2016) to analyze data from interviews with school leaders in two school districts in a large, urban city in Texas on the U.S.-Mexico border. Data collection was completed in Spring 2015. The study used a convenience sample (Bodgen & Biklen, 2007), and collection methods included semi-structured interviews with nine administrators (i.e. principals/assistant principals), external/internal school observations, and document collection. Data analysis is ongoing. With narrative inquiry, analysis will privilege participants’ stories of their practice, lived experiences, and perceptions of their actions (Kim, 2016) in shaping school climate.

Preliminary findings show that school leaders actively took steps to create a welcoming climate for students. Some administrators met with students upon student entry to school; they sought to connect students with school alumni associations for support and student integration in school through relationships. Their stories and actions suggested thoughtful leadership that reflected concerns for positive schooling experiences for all students. Yet, some administrators’ narratives revealed how they differentiated among students based on legal status in their talk. These findings carry implications for how undocumented youth are viewed, potentially integrated, and perceive being welcomed in schools.

Author

• Emily R. Crawford, University of Missouri - Columbia