Buscando Adonde No Hay: Immigrant-Origin Families Narratives of Navigating Public Systems

• In Event: Intersecting Immigration and Education: Immigrant-Origin Students, Families, and Educators in New York State

Abstract

Objectives: The United States has a history of marginalizing immigrant communities through education, employment, housing, public service, and medical care (Menjívar et al., 2016). Issues of immigration, racism, and education are viewed in silo rather than intrinsically linked struggles (Author & Author, 2019). This paper aims to explicate how this qualitative research project has created un espacio de confianza for immigrant-origin families across New York State to describe their awareness as racialized beings seeking basic services. There is an urgency for schools to examine how to best meet the needs of immigrant-origin students (Crawford, 2017) by centering it on this diversity of perspectives.

Theoretical framework: Too often, educational institutions engage in deficit ideologies toward immigrant-origin students and families, including xenophobic and anti-Black ideologies (Author & Author, 2021), and are unprepared to fully understand, provide appropriate education and resources needed (Turner, 2015). Schools can engage in a journey of becoming espacios de confianza so that the voices of educators, families, and students act as full participants in the decision-making. It matters that we center the realities of their experiences with a focus on security and well-being; they are most affected by these power structures. As accomplices, we need to resist systems of silencing and oppression while acting to create policies of change (Author et al., 2017). It is with these theoretical frameworks that ten grounding principles bound the research project goals. This paper will engage with two of these grounding principles: the immigration experience is complicated, and xenophobia is systemic that speaks to the school’s commitment to listening to the immigrant-origin families’ experiences navigating multiple institutions, including their child’s school, housing, and healthcare services.

The data from this paper will be drawn from the university-affiliated project that engages with community stakeholders on issues related to immigration and education. The project includes five sectors: Undocu-Edu, Immigrant Liaison, Continuing Teacher and Leader Education (CTLE), Policy Development, and Partner Schools. This paper focuses on Partner Schools.

Methods: This paper presents data gathered over a three-year collaboration with one public school in the four-year project. We utilized qualitative methodologies to analyze data collected from years 3 and 4. The researchers' focus is on building relaciones de confianza or meaningful relationships (Alvarez, 2019). Data collection comprises survey questionnaires, school-wide projects, school fairs, and focus groups with students, educators, and families. This paper will focus on the ways families’ experiences as racialized beings inform policies concerning the intersection of education and immigration.

Results: The results will offer new perspectives on racialized immigrant experiences that will inform education and policies surrounding issues of immigration and immigrant-origin communities across New York State and beyond that go beyond.

Scholarly Significance: Existing literature on immigrant issues, racism, and education has been presented in silos; however, this study contributes to the field by offering a unique perspective: the intersection of immigration and education through qualitative methodologies, including PAR-adjacent methods. Such research converges the interests and participation of all stakeholders, more importantly, emphasizes the complexities and interconnectedness of immigration, education, and policy.

Authors

• Rosa Angela Calosso, Graduate Center - CUNY

• Cecilia M. Espinosa, Lehman College - CUNY