Contexts of Reception for Newcomer Students From Governor Abbott’s Migrant Bussing Program Into Denver Public Schools (Poster 19)

• In Event: AERA Poster Session Sunday 11:40 a.m.
  In Poster Session: Language, Literacies, and Representations

Abstract

Anti-immigrant policies implemented in border states have reshaped patterns of migration and the immigration debate in the US. Denver received the highest portion of families bussed from Texas’s migrant bussing program, including over 5000 newcomer students enrolling in Denver Public Schools. By comparing characteristics of schools that did and did-not receive significant numbers of newcomers, this paper uses a contexts of reception framework to show that newcomer students were more likely to be placed in schools that were already segregated by race, socio-economic status, and language. These findings are considered through a critical policy lens to identify potential forces influencing unequal enrollment patterns and offer suggestions to improve newcomer placement policies in ways that reduce systemic inequality.

Author

• Anna L. Noble, University of Colorado - Denver