Engaging Immigrant and Refugee
Families in the Schools
Lyn Morland, MSW, MA
Bank Street College of Education
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Agenda
BRYCS/ Claudia Gilmore
1. To relate the national PTA Standards for family,
school, and community engagement to immigrants
and refugees.
2. To provide participants with ideas and resources to
facilitate refugee and immigrant parent, family and
community engagement with the schools.
Immigrant and Refugee Families
•
1 in 4 children in the US today is the child of an immigrant
(18.7M, 16M US-born citizens)
•
41.3M immigrants in the U.S. today total; the majority enter
on visa to join family or to work
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Of these, 70,000 are refugees (enter the U.S. on humanitarian
grounds, fleeing persecution); 11.7M are undocumented, most
from Mexico, some from Central America and other countries.
•
55% are from Latin America (vast majority from Mexico) and
17% from Asia (India, Philippines, China)
•
From over 130 countries; refugees alone represent about
70 different countries and speak 288 different languages
Immigrant and Refugee Families
•
All immigrants bring tremendous strengths (family, value
education, optimism) – overall “immigrant paradox” in
education. But this trend masks many differences.
•
Immigrants from Mexico and Central America, and many
refugees, have risk factors for school success:
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–
–
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Parents have low levels of education, low literacy; many children
are Students with Interrupted Formal Education (SIFE)
Families live in high-poverty communities, children attend underresourced schools
Majority are English Language Learners (ELL)
May have experienced traumatic stress, undergo acculturative
stress, migration can result in family separation, reunification
•
Education backgrounds - incomplete
secondary schooling, low literacy, LEP,
negative experiences with school
•
Lack of knowledge of the U.S. school
system
•
Logistical barriers - inflexible work
hours, lack of transportation, etc.
•
Cultural differences regarding school
involvement
©iStockphoto.com/daniel-rodriguez
Immigrant and Refugee Families:
Barriers to School Engagement
Parent Involvement:
Varies by Culture
In our culture, you send the kids
to school and they are the school’s
responsibility … Sometimes the
teachers have a problem
understanding the mothers, I help
them translating for them. The
first thing the mother will ask is,
“What is she complaining for?
Isn’t that her job? Isn’t she the
one who is supposed to fix the
child? Why is she telling me?”
BRYCS/ Claudia Gilmore
Nderu, E.N. (2005). Parental Involvement in Education: A Qualitative Study
of Somali Immigrants in the Twin Cities Area.”
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National PTA Standards
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PTA Standard 1: Welcoming all
families into the school community
Families are active
participants in the life
of the school, and feel
welcomed, valued,
and connected to each
other, to school staff,
and to what students
are learning and doing
in class.
Welcoming Refugee and
Immigrant Families
 Are trained interpreters and translated notices available?
 Do staff establish personal connections with parents?
 Are multilingual, multicultural posters, etc. on display?
 Does the school have an effective link with ethnic
communities, cultural and religious organizations?
 Does the school recognize the trauma and stress
experienced by some immigrant and refugee families?
 Are all staff trained to understand immigrant/refugee
backgrounds and to help everyone feel welcomed?
Welcoming Refugee and
Immigrant Families
 School systems and parents’ roles with them are very
different around the world – ask parents about their views.
 Use existing Web-based multilingual materials (curricula,
print, video, etc.) to share information about U.S. schools.
Remember that not all families may be literate.
 Use a range of communication methods: ethnic media,
cultural events and welcome dinners at the school, etc.
 Provide clear information, but create a dialog, listen to
parents about their expectations, questions, etc.
Use or Build On Existing Materials
BRYCS - http://www.brycs.org/modules.cfm
Families and school
staff engage in
regular, two-way,
meaningful
communication
about student
learning.
BRYCS Photo / Courtesy of CSS Anchorage
PTA Standard 2:
Communicating Effectively
Interpretation/Translation
• Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act prohibits
national origin discrimination in federally
funded programs.
• 1970 OCR Memo: school districts must help
newcomers overcome language barriers
(upheld by 1974 Lau v. Nichols)
• 1982 Plyler v. Doe Supreme Court decision:
all children must attend school, regardless of
immigration status.
Interpretation/Translation
• 1970 Memo: “School districts have the
responsibility to adequately notify national
origin-minority group parents of school activities
which are called to the attention of other
parents. Such notice in order to be adequate
may have to be provided in a language other
than English.”
• ESEA/NCLB: Many items must be provided “to
the extent practicable, in a language parents can
understand.”
Home-School Communication
Tools for Immigrants & Refugees
International Rescue Committee. (2006). Educational Handbook for Refugee Parents.
Refugee/Immigrant
Home-School Liaisons
• Purpose is to bridge the
cultural/linguistic gap between
home and school, ensure
• Usually immigrant background;
sometimes called “cultural brokers”
• Purposes vary – Academics? Family
issues? Case management?
Interpretation?
• Could be hired by a refugee agency
or the school district
BRYCS - http://www.brycs.org/modules.cfm
©iStockphoto.com/Ana Abejon
Parent-Teacher Conferences:
Sample Questions to Ask Families
1. Please describe what schools are like in the country you
come from.
2. What are the big differences between schools in the
country from which you came and schools in [your
community]?
3. How do parents help the teachers? What is their role in
helping a child learn?
4. How can the schools help your children be successful?
5. What are your dreams/expectations for your child?
Iowa Statewide Parent Information Resource Center. (2006).
Sample Questions to Ask Families to Learn about Their Culture and
Their Views on Parent Involvement.
PTA Standard 3:
Support Student Success
Families and school staff
continuously collaborate to
support students’ learning and
healthy development both at
home and at school, and have
regular opportunities to
strengthen their knowledge
and skills to do so effectively.
BRYCS Photo/Courtesy of Catholic Charities of Atlanta
School to Families
• Workshops
• Family literacy
programs
• English classes for
parents
BRYCS Photo/Youth Arts & Voices
BRYCS - http://www.brycs.org/modules.cfm
Families to School
•
Professional development
trainings that incorporate
parents as speakers
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Language courses taught by
parents to the teachers
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Home-school liaisons
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Students’ work
•
Parent panels
BRYCS - http://www.brycs.org/modules.cfm
©iStockphoto.com/eduardo-jose-bernardino
PTA Standard 6:
Collaborating with the Community
Families and school staff
collaborate with
community members to
connect students,
families, and staff to
expanded learning
opportunities,
community services,
and civic participation.
Spotlight on Engaging Refugees in Head Start
• Goal: To increase refugee engagement in EHS/HS (2 counties,
AZ & NY)
• Actions: Refugee resettlement and EHS/HS programs worked
as equal partners, collaboratively
• Met regularly, discussed mutual goals, barriers to refugee
EHS/HS enrollment.
• Developed and implemented collaborative strategies to
address barriers
• Refugee leadership and ethnic community-based
organizations held key roles
• Result: 200% - 500% increase in refugee enrollment
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iStockphoto.com /theboone
Resources on Immigrant Family, School,
& Community Partnerships
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Office of Head Start’s National Center on Cultural and
Linguistic Responsiveness: Refugee Families
http://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/hslc/tta-system/culturallinguistic/refugee-families/main-refugee-families.html
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BRYCS Spotlight on Parent Engagement; On-line Training on
Family and Community Engagement; Schools Toolkit;
Resource Lists: http://www.brycs.org/schools.cfm
Resources
Cultural Backgrounders
Bhutanese Refugee Families
Refugees from Burma
Refugee Families from Iraq
Refugee Families from Somalia
Illustrated Parent Handbook
Questions?
Contact Us!
Lyn Morland, MSW, MA
Bank Street College of
Education
LynMorland@gmail.com
301-310-2910
©iStockphoto.com/daniel-rodriguez
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