Immigration Policy in the Rural South: New Destinations and Education Responses

• In Event: 35.023 - The Effects of Trump-Era Immigration Policies on Four School Districts Across the United States

Abstract

Objectives
In this paper, we present the case of Farmland Public Schools (FPS), a K-12 district enrolling almost 1,900 students from heterogenous backgrounds. A small rural community, FPS has 4 schools, all of which have undergone rapid growth in their Spanish-speaking students over the last decade. Located in a WIDA state, FPS receives some state level support for language learners. We seek to answer the following research question, “In what ways does the local context of reception shape the educational experiences of immigrant youth given current anti-immigrant discourses and policies at the federal level?”

Theoretical frameworks
Drawing on theories of immigrant acculturation, our research seeks to understand how the context of reception informs the immigrant experience. Contexts of reception have been described as the opportunity structure, degree of openness versus hostility, and acceptance in the local community (Schwartz et al., 2013). Immigrants in positive contexts of reception can find jobs, are welcomed, and develop social networks. In negative contexts, immigrants have trouble getting financially and socially established and experience multiple forms of discrimination, which can hinder upward mobility (Portes & Rumbaut, 2006). This theoretical framework has lead us to focus on aspects of school contexts which inform the experience of immigrant students.

Data sources and methods
The case of FPS draws on data from a survey administered during the spring of 2018 to all staff across the district with a 57% response rate measuring school climate, the impact of immigration policies, response to policies, and resources needed by the educators. We generated descriptive and inferential statistics to identify patterns in the quantitative data. Because of the exploratory nature of the survey, we also examined open-ended textboxes for emergent themes (Strauss & Corbin, 1990). This provided further detail and allowed us to illustrate the nuances of our quantitative findings and better understand outliers (Tashakkori & Teddlie, 1998). In addition, we collected district information from the Department of Education’s Common Core of Data.

Findings and Significance
Our findings revealed the importance of district size as a key feature of the context of reception. As a relatively new immigration destination, FPS has sought ways to support changing demographics, but have little infrastructure in place to respond to rapidly shifting immigration policies. The small size of the district seemed crucial to district-level (as opposed to school level) support for immigrant communities. While the survey results demonstrated the need to build a sense of efficacy around serving immigrant students, participants reported a strong districtwide commitment to creating a nurturing climate. Although this was not conveyed through public statements and/or symbols, survey participants reported a focus on relationships that spanned across schools within the district and also to services and supports outside the district. Many participants reported that this emphasis was focused on all students, but did not identify particular responses to immigration. The focus was on inclusivity, rather than responding directly to shifts in immigration policies.

Author

• Rebecca Jane Lowenhaupt, Boston College