Educating refugees: the role of non-profit organizations in the midwestern United States

• In Event: Roundtable Session (Wednesday V)
  In Refereed Round-Table Session: Removing barriers to quality education for refugee students

Proposal

Purpose
Unlike other migrants, refugees face unique challenges that prevent them from realizing their full potential in schools. Refugees, unlike other migrants, are forced to leave their country because of violent circumstances and poor living conditions. Rather than migrating with a goal of improving their lives, they migrate to save their lives. Moreover, post-migration experiences can be a negative experience (Dijkshoorn, 2016). In spite of the enormous challenges that refugees face, the responsibility to help the refugee students succeed most of the times is left to the individual schools. It’s hard for a school to effectively address these issues on its own; this is where the community support becomes the bridge in helping refugee students overcome barriers to the full realization of their schooling potential. Refugee support initiatives may provide educational reinforcement and valuable support to help refugees foster positive education outcomes. Much of the work in the United States has been done to examine the challenges for immigrant and refugee youth in formal school programs (Morse, 2005; Rotich, 2011) and how schools can address the needs of immigrant and refugees (Birman, Tricket & Bacchuss, 2001). This study examined how programs offered by non-profit organizations that support refugees in one of the Midwestern states in the U.S reduce barriers to refugee students’ high education outcomes. It sought to answer the following questions:
i. What kind of support do non-profit organizations provide to refugee students?
ii. What do program staff belief helps improve students’ education outcomes?
iii. To what extent are refugee students’ parents and guardians involved?
iv. What challenges do the organizations face in providing these services?

Theoretical framework
The study borrows partly Bronfenbrenner’s ecological system theory, which explains how someone’s inherent qualities are influenced by the environment they interact with (Ettekal & Mahoney, 2017). Bronfenbrenner’s theory defines complex nested systems of family, community, and society, each having an effect on a child’s development. When resources within the system are compromised, the risk of poor developmental outcomes increases. Conversely, when resources are available, children can achieve more positive outcomes even in the face of extreme hardship (Betancourt, Meyers-Ohki, Charrow, & Tol, 2013). Through Bronfenbrenner’s ecological system theory, the researcher examined how support provided by non-profit agencies improves refugee students’ education outcome by exposing them to resources not available in everyday setting of their lives.

Methods
Through a case study of two non-profit organizations in one of the states in U.S. Midwestern states, the research sought to understand the nature of support programs that each organization provides to refugee students and program staff perceptions on how such influence education outcomes of refugee children. The organizations were purposely selected since the study was only limited to non-profit organizations that provide support to refugee students. The organizations had to be providing education support to refugee students such as enrollment to schools, English classes, tutoring, orientation, and summer programs. The researcher conducted face-to-face interviews, transcribed all the interviews, and read through the data to identify themes and patterns.

Data sources
Before embarking on the study, I sought and received an exempt status IRB through the University Institutional Review Board. I collected the data in March/April 2018. I interviewed two members of staff from each organization and another member of staff who works with the agency that provides a collaboration platform among all organizations that provide refugee support services with the region. I also used the information provided in the organizations’ websites such as the description of services, videos, mission statements, and brochures.

Preliminary results
The results indicate that, through collaboration and partnerships, the non-profit organizations provide a wide range of refugee support services such as enrolling kids in school, support to students with disabilities, and a variety of after-school and summer programs. These services help refugee students manage their traumatic experiences, integrate into schools, to be self-sufficient, and provide a safe learning space thereby cushioning them against barriers that limit their success in school. Although the law requires parents and guardians to be actively involved in these programs some don’t participate due to problems with transportation to get them to different places, language barrier if an interpreter is not available, and the fact that parents are still dealing with trauma and/or are just busy working or looking for jobs. The organizations face challenges due to policy changes in the refugee resettlement program in the United States, language barrier, and the program requirements.

Significance of the study
This study is significant in three ways. First, it provides an understanding of the nature of programs provided to refugee students by non-profit organizations in the Midwestern U.S and how they help improve the student’s educational outcomes. Second, there are different agencies that support refugee students around the world and this study may provide a case for comparison with other researchers. Third, in line with CIES 2019 conference these, it provides voices of stakeholders who support refugee students with the hope that policymakers take the necessary measures to address needs of refugee students so as to achieve an inclusive sustainable education.


References:
Betancourt, T. S., Meyers-Ohki, S. E., Charrow, A. P., & Tol,W. A. (2013). Interventions for children affected by war: An ecological perspective on psychosocial support and mental health care. Harvard Review of Psychiatry, 21(2), 70–91.

Birnman, D., Tircket, E., & Bacchus, N. (2001). Somali refugee youth in Maryland: Needs assessment. Denver, CO: Spring Institute for Intercultural Learning

Dijkshoorn, A. (2016). Inclusive Education for Refugee and Asylum Seeking Children: A Systematic Literature Review. A Masters Thesis Jonkoping University

Ettekal, A. V & Mahoney, J. L. (2017). Ecological systems theory. In Peppler, K.(Ed.). The SAGE encyclopedia of out-of-school learning. Thousand Oaks: Sage publications

Morse, A. (2005). A look in immigrant youth: Prospects and promising practices. Washington DC: National Conference of Legislatures

Rotich, J. (2011). “Mentoring as a springboard to acculturation of immigrant students into American schools.” Journal of Case Studies in education, 1(3) 1-8

Author

• Pauline M. Wambua, Michigan State University