The Challenges and Possibilities for Improving Refugee Education in the United States: Insights From the Experiences of Southeast Asian American Students

• In Event: Sheraton Roundtable Session 20
  In Roundtable Session: Educating Refugees Around the World: Theoretical and Practical Considerations

Abstract

Since 1975 over three million refugees have entered the U.S. with the largest group being Southeast Asian Americans as a result of conflicts in Southeast Asia. This scholarly paper provides a review of the literature on SEAA refugee education in the U.S. Guided by a critical refugee lens (Nguyen, 2012) and the aims of providing additional insight into stratification and coutnerstratification forces that shape education opportunity (Stanton-Salazar, 2001) the paper identifies three interrelated challenges: War and trauma, racializaiton and class, and acculturation and culture of power. Implications for each challenge are discussed as well as areas for research development. Improving refugee education has broader relevance in a context of global migrations due to conflicts that inflict mass violence.

Author

• Rican Vue, Oregon State University