Development of Language Policy in a Refugee Newcomer Program

• In Event: Moscone Center West Roundtable Session 6
  In Roundtable Session: Learning From and Working With Refugee Communities: Policies and Practices

Abstract

School districts and communities respond differently to changing demographics. In South Texas, a growing refugee population led the to the development of a newcomer program on an elementary school campus. This program started as an attempt to provide a transitional space for refugee-background students. The language policies this program implemented affected the integration of newcomers into the larger school system. This study explores how the development of one newcomer program and how it slowly formalized its language policy and practices, becoming a model for other programs in the district.

Author

• Anna Kirsten Saulsbury-Molina, The University of Texas - San Antonio