Supporting State-Based Community Organizations' Education Advocacy Efforts for English Learners and Immigrant Students

• In Event: 21.032 - How Immigration and Education Policy Collide in a "Post-Truth" Era

Abstract

Objectives
The purpose of this project was to support state and community-based immigrant serving organizations in their education advocacy efforts. The project had four objectives. First, we provided three state-based partners in priority geographies with five strategic and technical tools (e.g., policy briefs, toolkits, templates) to inform issues related to state education policy and practice for English learners (ELs) and immigrant students. Second, support staff of the three partner organizations worked with three other state-based organizations to advocate for a collaboratively-selected EL/immigrant education policy or practice. Third, immigrant and EL perspectives and community voice were brought into state policy and practice decisions via policy statements, letters to policymakers, testimony before policy bodies, community meetings around a specific policy topics, and media appearances among others. Fourth, we ensured that at least one policy was adopted in California, New York, and Tennessee.

Framework
Community-based organizations have spearheaded significant education advocacy efforts (see Baldridge, Beck, Medina, & Reeves, 2017; Petrone, 2016). Their efforts have resulted in major changes, including compulsory attendance laws, school finance reforms, and higher academic standards, that have benefitted all children. Their advocacy efforts have also resulted in EL/immigrant-specific changes to education practices, including programs that address students’ linguistic and cultural needs and increased access to educational decision-making for immigrant parents. However, due to the breadth of issues and lack of resources and dedicated staff, these state-based community groups have not had a consistent voice or presence in education policy and advocacy. Additionally, mainstream education organizations and policymakers do not usually reach out to these community-based groups for their input. The rationale for this work was to provide state and community-based organizations with the support needed to engage in education policy development, resulting in engagement of immigrant communities.

Methods
We employed a combination of strategies that allowed the organization to systematically evaluate its progress. Documentation of activities allowed the partner organizations to analyze strategies that yielded immediate results and strategies that required adjustment to yield desired results. We were also able to document how state context shaped choice of strategies.

Results
This effort resulted in the inclusion of thousands of immigrant parents providing input that reflected their values and desires for their children into state plans, and importantly, the creation of policies that reflected best practices for ELs and immigrant students.

Significance
As ELs and immigrant students becomes a greater proportion of the overall school population, schools must become more responsive to their academic needs and learn to involve their parents in the civic process that shapes schooling. By implementing this project, we expanded the capacity of immigrant-serving community-based organizations to have an impact on federal, state, and local education policy, giving immigrant parents a voice in the policies and practices that shape their children's education.

Author

• Delia Pompa, Migration Policy Institute