In the Era of Bans and Walls: The Intersection of Education and Immigration Policy and the Success of Refugee Students

• In Event: Legally Statused Realities in the Racialized World: Educational Implications for Refugee Children

Abstract

Background. Refugee students’ school success is shaped by the intersection of education and immigration policies (Skattebol, 2016). Existing educational practices tend to emphasize rapid assimilation into majority culture and treat refugee students’ experiences as problems (McBrien, 2005). The recent threat of raids in schools targeting refugee, immigrant, and migrant students (American Federation of Teachers, 2016) has potential to further isolate refugee students. A small, rural town of Postville, Iowa, offers a bounded case with which to explore how school policies help and/or hinder resettled students’ progress. In May 2008, Postville experienced the “most notorious” (Krogstad, 2013) immigration raid in US history. Almost a decade later, a new wave of refugees are moving into and adding to the diversity of Postville.
Objective. The objective of this study was to investigate: 1) demographic and achievement trends of refugee students in Postville; and, 2) how administrators in Postville make decisions about how to best serve refugee students within the context of state and federal education and immigration policies.
Methods. A case study (Merriam, 2009) was used to examine district- and school-level policies affecting refugee students’ academic outcomes in Postville from 2007 to 2017. Student achievement and school and district financial data were collected from state and federal databases. Interviews with Postville educators and document analysis were also conducted.
Results. Emerging findings from our study reveal that official data and documents around refugee students’ achievement veils the local efforts being undertaken to support these students’ success. Between 2007 and 2017, there was a statistically significant, t(8) = 6.46, p < .001, decline in the number of students identified as refugees/immigrants in the years preceding and following the raid. In 2016, Postville’s elementary/middle school was classified as ‘Needs Improvement’ by the State Report Card, while its high school was rated Priority. Although the school district as a whole is over 60% non-White, White students outperformed all racial and socioeconomic subgroups of students (Iowa Department of Education, 2017).
Qualitative findings indicated that written school policies do not specifically address the unique needs of the refugee populations. The district’s equity policy and mission statement lacked references to diversity, immigrant/migrant and refugee students, and appears to have been intended to prevent White flight, rather than to create a sense of belonging for refugee and immigrant students. An administrator, however, revealed that the district was purposeful in their efforts to include the refugee community in making decisions on how to best support refugee students. They consider the refugee families as partners, and ensure that students’ needs are met, despite the limited resources provided by the state.
Significance. Our findings provide an example of how schools can partner with refugee students and families to create a culture of inclusion and mutual respect. Further analyses of the data can benefit from the use of Refugee Critical Theory as a theoretical lens to better understand Postville’s approach to educating their refugee student population.

Authors

• Asih Asikin-Garmager, University of Iowa

• Duhita Mahatmya, University of Iowa

• Leslie Ann Locke, University of Iowa

• Ain A. Grooms, The University of Iowa