The Refugee Resettlement Policy's Implications for Education: A Critical Policy Analysis

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session 15
  In Roundtable Session: Centering Equity and Social Justice in Policy Design and Implementation

Abstract

There has been an increase in number of displaced persons and refugees. Recently, more than half the refugees admitted by the US are under the age of 17, drawing attention to the important role that education will play in their integration. Research shows that the Refugee Act (1980) has systematically devalued the educational attainment and viable career trajectories for resettled refugees in favor of quick and precarious employment. I use CPA as a tool to examine and interrogate how the Refugee Act (1980), the one comprehensive policy that caters to all rehabilitation and resettlement needs of refugees, shapes the educational attainment and socioeconomic reality of refugees in the United States. I conclude with suggestions for reforming the US refugee policy.

Author

• Fiza Mairaj, University of Houston