Policies and Practices to Support Recently Arrived Immigrant and Refugee Students With Interrupted Formal Education

• In Event: 44.042 - Developing Responsive Organizational Supports and Accountability for Recently Arrived English Learners: Federal, State, Local Perspectives

Abstract

In the wake of mass migration, displaced children around the world face consequential interruptions in their formal education (Dryden-Peterson, 2011). As U.S. communities work to address the needs of new and growing populations of recently-arrived English learner students with interrupted formal education (RAEL-SIFEs), this presentation will highlight policies and practices in six K-12 districts serving this understudied population. Our aims include: 1) documenting RAEL-SIFE needs and district responses to those needs, and 2) providing an assessment of how district policies and practices meet the needs of RAEL-SIFEs and their families. The study is part of a project on RAELs conducted through a partnership between university researchers, Title III state directors, and the Council of Chief State School Officers.

Anchored in theory on schools as “contexts of reception” (Dabach, 2015), we draw from research highlighting the significance of districts in developing infrastructures to support immigrant inclusion (Hopkins, Lowenhaupt, & Sweet, 2015). We also draw from scholarship on districts as “zones of mediation” that negotiate external pressures as they develop equity-minded policies and programs (Oakes, Welner, Yonezawa, & Allen, 2005). While a few studies explore district infrastructures that support ELs generally, and how districts navigate complex terrain as they develop policies for emergent EL populations (Hopkins & Brezicha, 2016), virtually no research examines district responses to RAEL-SIFEs. RAELs have many needs: linguistic, academic, social, and psychological; when RAELs also have limited or no formal education due to war, poverty, violence, or other factors, their needs are even more acute (McBrien, 2005). It is essential that research explore whether and how districts offer systematic responses to RAEL-SIFEs and their families, and how these responses are integrated with community-based efforts.

Data will be collected through six district case studies. Case study methods are appropriate because delineations between the case and context are not clear, and examining the context is essential for understanding each case and describing our phenomena of interest (Yin, 2012). Based on nominations from Title III directors, districts are being selected based on variation in EL density, urban/rural/suburban locale, and region of the country. Data will be collected in Fall 2016 during week-long district visits, including observations and semi-structured interviews with district and school leaders, community partners, teachers, and small groups of RAEL-SIFE students and parents. All interviews will be transcribed and, along with field notes, coded using Dedoose software. We have developed a template to organize results and facilitate cross-case comparisons.

We will present findings related to: 1) general supports for RAEL-SIFEs, including wrap-around services for families; 2) instructional policies, services, and resources for RAEL-SIFEs at the district, school, and classroom levels; and 3) the extent to which these supports and services appear to be working, and areas of continued need. At a time when the U.S. is expecting increased migration (Castles, 2003), we have yet to understand how, organizationally, districts respond to influxes of RAEL-SIFEs. This presentation will offer information to researchers, practitioners, and policymakers on identifying promising practices that allow districts to better serve these students.

Authors

• Ilana Marice Umansky, University of Oregon

• Megan Hopkins, University of California - San Diego

• Dafney Blanca Dabach, University of Washington - Seattle