Culturally Responsive Practices to Support Newcomer Students: A Case Study of an Illinois District

• In Event: District Leadership Practices to Support Immigrant-Origin Students: Case Studies From Immigrant-Serving Districts Across the United States

Abstract

Objectives:
After a period of lower rates, immigration patterns have resumed due to a more liberal policy landscape (Chishti & Bolter, 2022), and more people seeking asylum and relocating across the globe. Considering the effect of those “nested contexts of reception” (Golash-Boza and Valdez, 2018; Authors, 2021), we want to understand how school leaders in a highly diverse district are adapting their culturally responsive practices to support newcomer students.

Theoretical Framework:
An environment where students and families can be their authentic selves is key in implementing culturally responsive (CR) pedagogy (Ladson-Billings, 1994.) The successful implementation of CR strategies when working with historically marginalized students has yielded positive academic and social outcomes (Hammond, 2014.) For educators, this often begins by engaging in professional development geared toward meeting the school’s vision as being culturally competent (Leithwood, 2013; Burns, 1978.) Similarly, students often receive a more culturally relevant curriculum, and efforts to increase family engagement take priority (Johnson, 2014.) Our research highlights how schools across the country are working towards implementing CR strategies to welcome their newcomer students.

Methods:
Our data comes from a multi-year study with six immigrant-serving school districts across the U.S. In this study, we focused on a highly diverse school district in Illinois. We conducted interviews in the district in 2019 and 2022 using a semi-structured interview protocol (Rabionet, 2011) developed by the research team. We used thematic analysis to identify emergent themes (Strauss & Corbin, 1990). We identified and categorized CR practices to support newcomer students and their families. Those codes were later refined, systematized, and used to compare the 2019 and 2022 interviews regarding the evolution of CR practices.

Results:
In interviews from 2019, school leaders felt responsible for more than stated in their job descriptions. Teachers and administrators described assisting newcomers with basic needs and anticipating other newcomer families' needs. Thus, an increase in family engagement was necessary to reduce the barriers those students faced. On the academic level, educators adjusted their hiring practices in response to the changing demographics and provided more language support.
In 2022, the district was prepared to receive an influx of newcomer students by enhancing existing CR practices. A newcomer program started in 2022, providing newcomer students and families with help with basic needs, an initiation to social English, and mostly supporting students’ social-emotional needs. The role of Coordinator of Family Services and Engagement was created to improve family engagement. Regarding language support, the district increased the number of ESL endorsed teachers, and one exemplary ESL teacher became the district ESL Specialist to work with newcomers.

Significance:
Our findings contribute to the literature on the reception of newcomer students by connecting the influence of immigration policy and political context as “nested contexts of reception” (Golash-Boza and Valdez, 2018; Authors, 2021) with the CR practices that school districts enact to support their immigrant-origin students and their families. Our findings exemplify how school leaders should anticipate the needs of their communities based on changing demographics.

Authors

• Paulette Andrade Gonzalez, Boston College
  Presenting Author

• Viridiana Villalva Salas, Rauner College Prep
  Presenting Author