Leading for Learning, Wellbeing and Belonging: Synthesizing Practices from 110 Educators Supporting Refugee and Asylum-Seeking Communities Across Five Countries

• In Event: Leadership for Multilingual and Immigrant Students and Communities

Abstract

Millions of children and families with refugee and asylum-seeker experiences are navigating new countries, languages, cultures, and forms of schooling. This presents a daunting challenge for educational leaders tasked with supporting newly arrived students and their families, who often cope with trauma and loss. This presentation synthesizes findings from three major qualitative studies conducted over five years, involving 110 educational leaders in five English-speaking Western countries (Australia, New Zealand, England, Northern Ireland, and the United States). Our findings offer contextually appropriate practices to create places of learning, wellbeing and belonging. Strategies, including challenging existing school policies, prioritizing human-centered approaches, and fostering community partnerships are shared. The findings offer guidance for school leaders and university faculty preparing future generations of professionals.

Authors

• Scott R. Imig, University of Newcastle

• Maura Sellars, University of Newcastle, NSW

• Doug Rowley Imig, Friends of the Future