EDUCATION (PRE-K TO 12)
Educational success is a vital goal for the children of immigrants, whether born in the U.S. or in other countries. Immigrant children now constitute 27% of all children under the age of 18 in the United States. Many do not speak English well, have parents with limited education, live in poverty, and have experienced trauma in their lives. Immigrant children present a special set of challenges to educators, some of whom have acquired the knowledge and skills to address their needs. At the same time, immigrant children possess important bicultural assets that can be leveraged in the educational process. Clearly, the schools are an important setting in the work of immigrant integration. This collection highlights research illuminating ways in which these educational challenges have been addressed.
Arranged in order of publication date with the most recent on top. Scroll down for all entries. Selection does not imply endorsement of research findings by Diversity Dynamics, its partner organizations, or our content contributors. We regret that we may not be able to repair broken links promptly.
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From Safe Zones to Uncertainty: State Responses
to the Federal Rollback of Sensitive Location Protections in Schools, |
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Schools and Immigrant Students Navigate an Era
of Rising Immigration Enforcement, |
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Refining State Accountability Systems for English
Learner Success, |
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Immigration enforcement and US schools: What could
happen and what education leaders can do, |
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Recent Immigrant Children: A Profile of New Arrivals
to U.S. Schools, Migration Policy Institute,
October 2023, 19 pp. |
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ESSER: Moving the Needle on Equitable and Adequate
Education Funding for English Learners, |
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Unlocking Opportunities: Supporting English Learners’
Equitable Access to Career and Technical Education, |
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Dual Language Learners: Key Characteristics and
Considerations for Early Childhood Programs |
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Overlooked but Essential: Language Access in Early
Childhood Programs, |
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English Learner Testing during the Pandemic: An
Early Readout and Look Ahead |
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Advancing Digital Equity among Immigrant-Origin
Youth |
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Migration Policy Institute, May 2021, 12 pp. |
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Immigrant and U.S.-Born Parents of Young and Elementary-School-Age
Children: Key Sociodemographic Characteristics, |
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Funding English Learner Education: Making the Most
of Policy and Budget Levers, |
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Diversity in Schools: Immigrants and the Educational
Performance of U.S. Born Students, |
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Educating English Learners during the COVID-19
Pandemic: Policy Ideas for States and School Districts, |
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Supporting Immigrant and Refugee Families through
Home Visiting: Innovative State and Local Approaches, |
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COVID-19 Spotlights the Inequities Facing English Learner Students, as Nonprofit Organizations Seek
to Mitigate Challenges, |
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The Patchy Landscape of State English Learner Policies under ESSA, |
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Determinants of Health and Well-Being for Children of Immigrants: Moving From Evidence to Action, |
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Dos Métodos: Two Classroom Language Models in Head Start, |
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Preparing the Future Workforce: Early Care and Education Participation among Children
of Immigrants, |
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Leveraging the Potential of Home Visiting Programs to Serve Immigrant and Dual Language Learner
Families, |
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The Unintended Consequences for English learners of Using the Four-Year Graduation Rate for
School Accountability, |
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Mitigating the Effects of Trauma among Young Children of Immigrants and Refugees: The Role of
Early Childhood Programs, |
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Legal Protections for K-12 English Learner and Immigrant-Background Students, |
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Our Children’s Fears: Immigration Policy’s Effects on Young Children, |
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Minnesota’s Superdiverse and Growing Dual Language Learner Child Population, |
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The Resilience of Students with an Immigrant Background: Factors that Shape Well-being, |
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Responding to the ECEC Needs of Children of Refugees and Asylum Seekers in Europe and North
America, |
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The Changing Family Structure of American Children with Unauthorized Parents, IZA Institute of Labor Economics, November 2017, 46 pp. Authors: Catalina Amuedo-Dorantes & Esther Arenas-Arroyo During the period from 2009 to 2013 alone, the U.S. carried out 1.8 million deportations, most of them involving fathers and heads of households. This paper examines the impact of these deportations on U.S.-born children, specifically the likelihood that they are now living in single-parent households or with friends or other family members. The authors cite literature showing that the absence of a parent increases school drop-out rates, raises teen pregnancy rates, and limits future earnings. Thus, they write, "gaining a better understanding of the impacts of intensified immigration enforcement on the families in which they grow up is well warranted." The researchers use a control group of foreign-born families with similar demographic characteristics but without the burden of undocumented status. They find "that a one standard deviation in the enforcement index (equal to the average level of immigration enforcement for the period under consideration) raises the children's propensity to reside without their parents in a household headed by naturalized relatives or friends by 18.8 percent." The same set of circumstances increases the likelihood of living with their remaining undocumented parent (most often mothers) with absentee spouses by 20 percent. These findings, according to the authors, are important to consider as the nation responds to the intensified immigration enforcement under the Trump administration. Supporting Dual Language Learner Success in Superdiverse PreK-3 Classrooms: The Sobrato Early
Academic Language Model, Migration Policy Institute, March 2018, 30 pp. Anya Hurwitz & Laurie Olsen While the characteristics of monolingual, bilingual, or dual language classrooms for young children are widely understood and well covered in the educational literature, there appears to be an information void regarding the "superdiverse" classroom, defined by this study as one "with at least five language groups represented, and without a critical mass of any one language group in a classroom that would make dual-language/bilingual instruction feasible." Too often in these settings, the importance of primary language skills to English language development is overlooked or discounted. As a result, children who are English language learners often fall behind their English native peers. To overcome this neglect, the Sobrato Early Academic Language (SEAL) model, originally designed for PreK-3 classrooms in Spanish-speaking Hispanic communities, is being piloted in more than 100 schools across 20 districts in California. The SEAL model is not a curriculum or a program, but rather a model of comprehensive teacher development and school change resting on four pillars: the development of academic language, the creation of language-rich and affirming environments, alignment of preschool and K-3 systems, and strong partnerships between families and schools. The study reports positive results, at least through the medium of teacher surveys, and suggests that the "superdiverse" classroom should be considered "a specific type of setting with specific practice and policy implications." Language of the Classroom: Dual Language Learners in Head Start, Public
Pre-K, and Private Preschool Programs, Migration Policy Institute (MPI), March 2018, 31 pp. Megina Baker & Mariela Páez This report is one in a series of three reports produced by MPI examining the implications of "superdiverse" communities for early childhood education and care programs and systems. As of 2013, more than one in three children in the U.S. spoke a language other than English at home. Increasing levels of linguistic and cultural diversity among students in early childhood education and care (ECEC) require educators, even if they are not fluent in the home languages of their students, to know when and how to use home languages to facilitate English acquisition and promote appreciation of diversity. This report identifies best practices for promoting the learning and development of Dual Language Learner (DLL) students in linguistically diverse ECEC programs. The authors studied public, private and Head Start preschool programs in Boston, MA, where nearly half of four-year-olds were DLL children in 2014. Through interviews, surveys, focus groups with school personnel and parents and classroom observation, the authors found that teachers incorporated home languages into instruction in a variety of ways, including inviting family members into the classroom to read stories in home language, greeting routines in multiple languages, allowing other children to share their home language expertise, and using other staff members with bilingual expertise. The authors recommend training and professional development opportunities for educators to utilize home languages in creative ways in ECEC settings, and developing national and state policies that explicitly support this educational approach. (Sam Jones for The Immigrant Learning Center's Public Education Institute) Growing Superdiversity among Young U.S. Dual Language Learners and Its Implications, Migration Policy Institute, February 2018, 47 pp. Authors: Maki Park et al The United States is quickly becoming a more diverse nation, thanks in part to the increasing number of children born with at least one parent who speaks a language other than English. This report finds that these children, often referred to as Dual Language Learners (or DLLs), now account for almost one-third of all children in the United States between the ages of 0 and 8. Using data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2011-15 American Community Survey and the 2000 census, the authors find that the number of DLL children rose dramatically between 2000 and 2015. Additionally, the make-up of DLL children and their families is changing, with a wider variety of ethnic and racial identities, countries of origin, and languages spoken than in the past– a situation the authors refer to as “superdiversity.” The study also analyzes the great variations in DLLs backgrounds at the state and local levels. For example, 78 percent of DLLs in Texas speak Spanish as opposed to only 16 percent in Vermont. Because of the growing number of cultural and linguistic backgrounds in the DLL population, the authors outline some of the challenges that early childhood education and care facilities and K-12 schools face. The study also calls for further research into effective pedagogical approaches, as well as strategies to increase family engagement in the educational process (Deb D’Anastasio for The Immigrant Learning Center’s Public Education Institute). Rethinking English Learner Data: Illinois' Plans Under the Every Student Succeeds Act, New America, January, 2018, 16 pp. Author: Janie Tankard Carnock This report provides an analysis of Illinois' innovative approach to producing and analyzing data on English language learners (ELLs). The federal Office of Education approved Illinois' plan under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), including its approach to managing data, in August of 2017. Unlike other states, which combine current and former ELLs into one group, Illinois will keep the two groups separate and distinct and collect data on "former ELs" through grade 12. By way of contrast, other states with large ELL populations, such as California, New York, and Texas, amalgamate the two populations, taking advantage of ESSA regulations, which allow former ELLs to be combined with current ELLs for a period of four years after exit from the program. This approach can "mask" the performance of current ELLs, while failure to track former ELLs beyond four years can hide student academic achievement in later years. The report goes on to commend Illinois state officials for recognizing that a "one-size-fits-all" approach has serious limitations. Although the state has adopted a rigorous, 5-year time frame for ELLs to achieve English language proficiency, Illinois plans to use a "growth to proficiency" model that uses a series of interim annual targets for each student to achieve based on initial entry level performance data. The report concludes with some recommendations as to how data about ELL academic attainment can be reported and visualized, so as to provide both summative and granular data. New Opportunities? ESSA and Its Implications for Dual Language Learners and
ECEC Workforce Development, Migration Policy Institute, December, 2017, 16 pp. Authors: Delia Pompa, Maki Park, & Michael Fix The passage of the Every Student Succeeds Act in 2015, the successor legislation to the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, provides new opportunities to integrate early childhood education and care (ECEC) with K-12 education. This has special importance for dual language learners who now represent 32 percent of all children under the age of 5. This report details all of the mechanisms available under the Act to strengthen ECEC for immigrant children. One of the most important tasks is to promote the professional development of immigrants and refugees in the ECEC field, who now constitute about 20 percent of total employment in the field, but who are largely employed in low-wage jobs in home or family care. The authors believe that “new and unprecedented levels of diversity among the U.S. young child population call for an ECEC workforce that is responsive to a wider range of linguistic, cultural, and educational needs.” The report makes five recommendations to achieve this goal, including integrated skill training and English as a Second Language education for ECEC workers. A program currently in place at Miami Dade College provides a model for such an approach. Beyond Teaching English: Supporting High School Completion by Immigrant and Refugee Students, When More Means Less: Mapping the Gaps between Expert and Public Understandings of Dual Language
Learners, Child Care Choices of Low-Income, Immigrant Families with Young Children: Findings from the National
Survey of Early Care and Education,
Diversifying the Classroom: Examining the Teacher Pipeline, Facts about English Learners and the NCLB/ESSA Transition in Select States, The Learner's Own Language Dual Language Learners in Head Start: The Promises and Pitfalls of New Reforms, Young Children of Refugees in the United States: Integration Successes and Challenges, Providing a Head Start: Improving Access to Early Childhood Education for Refugees,
Fulfilling the Promise of Preschool in Silicon Valley: Examining Participation Patterns
and Barriers to Access among Low-Income Children and Low-Income Children of Immigrants, Transatlantic Symposium Report: Improving Instruction for Immigrant and Refugee Students in Secondary
Schools, Resource Guide: Supporting Undocumented Youth, A Guide for Success in Secondary and Postsecondary Settings The Educational, Psychological, and Social Impact of Discrimination on the Immigrant Child, From Parent to Child? Transmission of Educational Attainment Within Immigrant Families: Methodological
Considerations, Implications of Immigration Enforcement Activities for the Well-Being of Children in Immigrant
Families: A Review of the Literature, Migrant Education and Community Inclusion: Examples of Good Practice Intersecting Inequalities: Research to Reduce Inequality for Immigrant Origin Children and Youth,
Factbook 2015: The Condition of Latinos in Education From Cradle to Career: The Multiple Challenges Facing Immigrant Families in Langley Park Promise
Neighborhood, Urban Institute, Casa de Maryland, & Prince George's County Public Schools, June 23, 2014, 84 pp. Authors: Molly M. Scott, Graham MacDonald, Juan Collazos, Ben Levinger, Eliza Leighton, Jamila Ball The recipient of a 2012 planning grant from the Federal Department of Education for a Promise Neighborhood initiative, Langley Park, Maryland, is a working class, heavily immigrant (predominantly Central American) community in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. Its 17,000 residents (including 3,700 children) face a multitude of problems, including low educational attainment for adults (nearly 60 percent have less than a high school education) and a median family income less than a third of the median for all Maryland families with children. Its children lag behind other children on most standard performance measures, e.g. 37 percent of Langley Park 16 to 19 year olds are working and not in school, a rate more than 4 times the national average. With the participation of local public school systems and many community groups, Casa de Maryland is seeking to serve as anchor organization for a multi-pronged initiative to address the barriers that immigrant children face in successfully completing six crucial childhood transitions. The organization hopes that this initiative will place Langley Park children on the path to academic and career success and serve as a model for the nation. This report provides a detailed analysis of community needs and resources and puts forth a theory of change to govern the operation of a Promise Neighborhood Initiative. Immigrant Parents and Early Childhood Programs: Addressing Barriers of Literacy, Culture, and
Systems Knowledge, Migration Policy Institute, June, 2014, 57 pp. Authors: Maki Park & Margie McHugh With more than 25 percent of children ages 8 and above having an immigrant parent, this report addresses the "urgent need to address barriers facing low-literate and limited English proficient (LEP) parents of young children." Forty-seven (47) percent of these parents are LEP and 45 percent are low income. Moreover, immigrant parents are more than twice as likely to be low-educated, i.e. lacking a high school diploma or its equivalent. Based on field research in six states, a series of focus groups, and demographic analysis, the report stresses the connection between effective parent engagement and the academic success of children from immigrant backgrounds. The report details the various forms of parental engagement strategies that have proven effective in the past, including literacy and English language programs for parents. The authors recommend the creation of a "large-scale pilot program" jointly sponsored by HHS and the U.S. Department of Education to address the educational needs of these parents. They also urge efforts to improve accountability for how Title 1 family engagement funds are utilized. In addition, they recommend the collection of data on parents' levels of education and language proficiency prior to kindergarten entry so that policymakers can design appropriate interventions. As the U.S. has entered an "era of early childhood system-building" at a time when immigration levels are at historic highs, the report concludes that the early childhood field should be "on the front line" of efforts to promote the integration of immigrants in the U.S. Supporting Immigrant Families' Access to Prekindergarten, To dream or not to dream: The effects of immigration status, discrimination,
and parental influence on Latino children's access to education Migration Studies, 2014, 23 pp. Author: Elzbieta M. Gozdziak Through the use of case studies and interviews, this article seeks to understand how undocumented status impacts the educational performance and social experience of children. The author examines both unauthorized immigrant children and U.S.-born children with an unauthorized parent(s). While undocumented children have the right to a K-12 education, they often lack the necessary resources and support to achieve scholastic success. Moreover, the need to support the family, combined with family and cultural pressures to leave school, lead to spotty attendance, high dropout rates, and low post-secondary completion. While middle-class migrant parents tend to be supportive of their children's educational advancement, working class parents often are not. Furthermore, undocumented children face ethnic stereotyping by peers (in-group and out-group), teachers, and administrators; resentment and discriminatory behaviors create a culture of exclusion and unequal opportunity. Meanwhile, difficulties being undocumented grow noticeably with age through the avoidance of authorities, social isolation, and restrictions on travel. Consequently, fear of deportation can lead to lack of participation in extracurricular activities, which impacts post-secondary prospects. Other barriers to college include: difficulties in accessing financial aid, parental opposition to higher education, and misconceptions regarding college eligibility. The author emphasizes that DACA and DREAM Act legislation are not panaceas. Our stereotype of the striving, college-bound DREAM Act beneficiary does not accord with the reality of most of these children. Lastly, the author suggests that creative efforts to educate parents through literacy and vocational training would help families realize the relationship between higher education and upward mobility for their children. (Colin Liebtag) Education Reform in a Changing Georgia: Promoting High School and College Success for Immigrant
Youth, Migration Policy Institute (MPI), March 2014, 80 pp. Authors: Sarah Hooker, Michael Fix, and Margie McHugh Funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, this report is the second in a series of MPI reports examining the education and workforce experience of immigrant youth in five states. "Immigrant youth" are defined as first- and second-generation young people between the ages of 16 and 26. The report examines their progress within the K-12, adult education, and postsecondary education systems. Despite the rapid rate of growth of Georgia's immigrant population (Georgia ranked 8 in the size of its immigrant population in 2012, up from 16th place in 1990), the state has placed a number of obstacles in the path of its immigrants, including barring undocumented immigrants from adult education classes and requiring them to pay out-of-state tuition at public colleges. These policies have been particularly burdensome for youth who would otherwise be eligible for DACA but lack a high school diploma or its equivalency (enrollment in adult education would enable them to apply for DACA). Despite these policies, some educational institutions have shown a degree of success in addressing the needs of these young people. The Gwinnett County School System, for example, which has the highest immigrant enrollment in the state, has made extensive use of summer school to help increase graduation rates for English language learners (ELLs); and community colleges, such as Georgia Perimeter and Georgia Gwinnett, have developed mentoring programs targeting Latino students. The report concludes with a set of recommendations specific to the three educational systems analyzed in the report. For K-12 educators, for example, the report urges greater participation by ELLs in content courses; for adult educators, concerted efforts to provide pathways for ELLS into postsecondary and certificate programs; and for postsecondary educators, giving participants in the English for Academic Purposes (EAP) program more opportunities to take mainstream college courses. These and other recommendations in the report were based on data analysis and interviews with approximately 50 education administrators, state agency officials, and community leaders. Embracing Linguistic Diversity: The Role of Teacher Leaders in Building Seattle's Pipeline of International
Schools, Alliance for Excellent Education, October, 2013, 18 pp. Author: Mariana Haynes This report discusses why and how the U.S. education system needs to change in order to accommodate the increasing number of linguistically diverse students in America. Using Seattle's growing network of international schools as a model, author Mariana Haynes discusses effective ways to address the cultural and language diversity of students in a manner that benefits both the students and American society as a whole. According to the report, "It is estimated that by 2030 half of all public school students will have non-English speaking backgrounds." Mainstream programs for English Language Learners (ELLs) provide students with a "below-standard curriculum," viewing language diversity as a deficit to overcome, rather than an asset. By way of contrast, schools embracing "cultural and linguistic diversity are producing far better outcomes than traditional schools, which have historically undeserved students from diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds." Ten years after the first international elementary school opened in Seattle, "fourth- and fifth-grade proficiency rates increased by more than 30 percentage points...significantly outperforming district and state averages." The purpose of the innovative design of Seattle's international and immersion schools, Hayes points out, is not to academically outperform traditional schools but rather to effectively prepare students to meet the demands of the global economy and to produce "employees with knowledge of foreign languages and cultures to work effectively with employees and partners in other countries." The author's concluding remarks offer policy recommendations for developing effective school designs that "focus on developing students' twenty-first century knowledge, skills, and dispositions." (Jade Flora-Holmquist) Early Education for Dual Language Learners: Promoting School Readiness and Early School Success, Migration Policy Institute (MPI), November , 2013, 28 pp. Author: Linda M. Espinosa This paper reviews the literature on early childhood education (ECE) for dual language learners (DLLs) in an effort to identify educational practices that have proven effective in helping children succeed in school. A retired Professor of Early Childhood Education at the University of Missouri (Columbia), the author prepared this paper for a public symposium on ECE convened by MPI in January 2013. As defined by the Office of Head Start, "Dual language learners are children learning two or more languages at the same time..." According to Espinosa, this term, rather than such terms as "English Language Learners (ELLS)," avoids the erroneous assumption that young children (from birth to age 5) have already acquired fluency in home language. She begins by noting that achievement patterns for immigrant children vary by ethnicity and socioeconomic status. However, even "after controlling for country of origin, family income, and education, young DLLS in immigrant families showed more positive cognitive outcomes when some amount of the heritage language was being used in the home." Although ECE cannot compensate for all disadvantages experienced by poor immigrant children, "most scholars do agree that high-quality early learning opportunities will positively affect the school readiness of young DLLs." An important strategy is to boost ECE participation rates among DLLs, which tend to lag behind those of monolingual children. However, once DLLs participate in ECE, research suggests that the use of home language "leads to improvement in first language skills and at least equivalent English language skills in comparison to children in all-English contexts." Given the diversity of languages and cultures represented in the immigrant population, few teachers will have the ability to offer instruction in home language. However, the author reviews a number of techniques that can be used by the monolingual teacher, some dependent on the participation of parents and volunteers, to support continued development of home languages. When White Is Just Alright: How Immigrants Redefine Achievement and Reconfigure the Ethnoracial Hierarchy, American Sociological Review (2013), 78: 849, 22 pp. Authors: Tomás R. Jiménez & Adam L. Horowitz Cupertino is an affluent and heavily Asian community in California's Silicon Valley. The authors of this study examined racial dynamics within the Cupertino school system and discovered that the traditional link between white ethnoracial identity and academic achievement has been "turned on its head. Asianness is intimately associated with high achievement, hard work, and academic success. Whiteness, in contrast, stands for lower achievement, laziness, and academic mediocrity." According to the authors, the heavy presence of an immigrant-origin population has the potential to alter the normative, third-generation educational standards in a community-benchmarks historically seen as set by its white members. The study draws on in-depth interviews with 61 third-plus-generation individuals and another 10 key informants. Fifty-one of the 61 individuals were upper-middle class whites of European ancestry. The authors explore the many ramifications of this shift in the hierarchical ordering of race, including the impact of negative stereotyping on the academic performance of white students and the flight of white students into less academically rigorous private schools. Although "the U.S. ethnoracial system is still defined by white privilege," the authors contend that "the challenge to whiteness that high-skilled immigration poses is significant." English Language Learners: Shifting to an Asset-Based Paradigm, Annenberg Institute for School Reform (Brown University), Special Issue of Voices in Urban Education (VUE), Summer, 2013, 56 pp. The articles in this special issue of VUE examine different aspects of asset-based education for English language learners (ELLS). In the lead article, Rosann Tung, Director of Research and Policy at the Annenberg institute for School Reform, laments that "most states and districts lack a vision for ELL education that builds on families' cultural and linguistic assets." She places part of the blame on national leaders who promote testing in English and the Common Core Standards as educational panaceas without taking account of the rich and growing diversity of the student population in the U.S. Compounding the problem is the fact that most higher education institutions have not modified their pre-service teacher education programs to give all teachers, not just ESL teachers, an understanding of language learning and linguistic developmental milestones. Rather than casting ELL education as a "problem, dilemma, achievement gap, or crisis," the contributors to this special issue "shift the paradigm, reminding and urging us to embrace ELLs as the very community members who, when well educated, will be the bicultural, bilingual leaders who improve our city neighborhoods and help us participate effectively in the global economy." Among the schools and programs held up as models in the issue are: the International Charter School in Pawtucket, Rhode Island; the Margarita Muniz Academy in Boston; the Internationals Network for Public Schools in New York City; the schools in Clark County, Nevada; and the family support programs of the Chinatown Neighborhood Center in Boston. A concluding article examines state investments in ELL education in high-ELL-growth states and finds major shortcomings; we have produced "a system adept at labeling failure but incapable of doing anything about it." Preparing the Children of Immigrants for Early Academic Success Migration Policy Institute, July, 2013, 18 pp. Author: Robert Crosnoe This report begins with a discussion of the "immigrant paradox in education," a phenomenon observed by some researchers in which immigrant children "tend to do better academically and behaviorally than their families socioeconomic circumstances suggest they will." Much of this research, the author notes, is based on studies of high school students. Newly available data sets, however, permit an analysis of younger children and reveal a more nuanced picture, where, for example, young children of foreign-born Blacks scored higher on achievement tests than the children of U.S.-born Blacks (confirming the Immigrant paradox), but the children of foreign-born Latino families, and especially Mexican families, scored lower that the children of U.S.-born Latinos. "The bottom line," according to the author, "...is that the immigrant paradox pattern that is so strong in secondary school is weaker in elementary school, in particular during the years surrounding the transition into formal schooling." The rest of the paper examines three "high impact" policy interventions that are likely to minimize the risks faced by immigrant children. These are: expanded access to early education, promotion of better child health and efforts to establish and maintain family-school partnerships. As children of immigrants are less likely to be enrolled in pre-school programs than native-born children, less likely to have health insurance, and less likely to have engaged parents, these three interventions will "possibly reduce disparities between the educational outcomes of the children of immigrants and their US-born counterparts." (Denzil Mohammed) Diverse Children: Race, Ethnicity, and Immigration in America's New Non-Majority Generation, Foundation for Child Development, July, 2013, 35 pp. Authors: Donald J. Hernandez & Jeffrey S. Napierala This report uses 19 indicators to compare the children of immigrants with the children of native-born parents across four racial/ethnic groups: Asian, Black, Hispanic, and White. Although the children of immigrants start life with certain advantages, e.g. greater likelihood of living in a two-parent family with at least one securely employed person, they also face serious risks to their academic and life success, such as low median family income ($33,396 for Hispanic children with immigrant parents), lack of health insurance (19 percent of Hispanic children with immigrant parents compared to 7 percent of White and Asian children with U.S.-born parents), and low rates of Pre-K enrollment (only 37 percent of Hispanic children as compared to 50-55 percent for other groups). After examining all 19 indicators, the report finds that the two groups at highest risk are Black children with U.S.-born parents, and Hispanic children with immigrant parents. The authors recommend greater investment in early education programs for all students; adequate funding and resources to meet the needs of dual language learners; ensuring that all children are covered by health insurance, particularly the citizen children of undocumented immigrants; and strengthening safety net programs, such as SNAP and the Child Tax Credit, to meet the needs of immigrant families experiencing economic insecurity. Preparing Young Hispanic Dual Language Learners for a Knowledge Economy, National Institute for Early Education Research, Rutgers University, January, 2013, 16 pp. Authors: Alexandra Figueras-Daniel & W. Steven Barnett This policy brief reviews research on the participation of Hispanic dual language learners in preschool programs. Although the school achievement of Hispanic children, in particular children with limited English proficiency, lags behind other groups, Hispanic children are less likely than any other ethnic group to enroll in preschool programs. According to the authors, this low rate is primarily a function of limited access, rather than any reluctance of the part of Hispanic parents to enroll their children in such programs. New Jersey's successful track record in enrolling Hispanic children in its so-called "Abbott districts" supports this conclusion. The authors stress the importance of English language proficiency by kindergarten as an important predictor of school success. However, "there is a consensus in the research community that development and maintenance of the first language can be supported without interfering with English language and literacy skill acquisition." Indeed, some research suggests that "additive language programs" produce better student performance than English-only approaches. The authors also point to the need to educate Hispanic parents about the value of stimulating the cognitive and social development of their children even before preschool. Finally, the authors argue that teacher preparation and professional development are "critical components" in developing high-quality programs. One study found that fewer than 15 percent of teacher education programs at the nation's colleges and universities require students to take a course devoted specifically to working with dual language learners. The brief concludes with a list of "best practices" for working with young dual language learners. Unlocking the Research on English Learners: What We Know - and Don't Yet Know - about Effective
Instruction, American Educator, Summer, 2013, 9 pp. Author: Claude Goldenberg Despite a recent surge in the number of professional publications devoted to the topic of English learners (ELs), Claude Goldenberg, a professor of education at Stanford University, concludes that there is "surprisingly little research" on effective instructional practices with ELs. Notwithstanding the dearth of research, he posits three general principles that seem to be supported by the literature: first, generally effective instructional practices are likely to be effective with ELs; Second, ELs require additional instructional supports; and third, the home language can be a powerful tool to promote academic development. The author elaborates on each of these principles. With regard to the first principle, he cites examples from various studies of how generally effective teaching practices, such as structured writing, Success for All, and Direct Instruction, have also proven effective with ELs; however, he points out that while such practices are necessary, they are not sufficient for success. With the advent of the common core, various supports and modifications sometimes referred to as "sheltered instruction," will be essential; however, "there is not much evidence that these strategies actually help English learners overcome the challenges they face in learning advanced academic content and skills..." Finally, Goldenberg addresses the controversial topic of the role of home language in instructing ELs, finding that "numerous experimental studies have been conducted over the past 40 years, and the consensus - although it is by no means unanimous - is that learning to read in their home language helps ELs boost reading skills in English." The author stresses, however, that primary language instruction leading to bilingualism "should be seen as a value in and of itself," because it brings intellectual, cultural, and economic benefits to the nation. Educating K-12 English Language Learners with Disabilities, Institute on Community Integration, University of Minnesota (Feature Issue of Impact), Winter/Spring, 2013, 36 pp. This collection of 18 articles reviews the theory and practice of serving an estimated 500,000 limited English proficient students with disabilities in U.S. schools. Among the topics covered in the issue are: a profile of English language learners with disabilities, the present and future of bilingual ESL special education, the legal obligations of the education system to serve English learners with disabilities; the Common Core Standards and their impact on this population; utilizing differentiated instruction for English language learners with disabilities; staff development initiatives; how to include English language learners in Response to Intervention (RTI) systems; the role of interpreters and speech-language pathologists; and the experience of the National Council of La Raza's network of 115 charter schools in serving ELLs with disabilities. Cross-cutting themes in the articles are the need to distinguish between language-related needs and disability-related needs and the importance of fostering collaboration between special education and language teachers to address the complex needs of this population. Shaping our Futures: The Educational and Career Success of Washington State's Immigrant Youth, Migration Policy Institute, June, 2013, 97 pp. Authors: Sarah Hooker, Margie McHugh, Michael Fix, Randy Capps Produced under a grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, this is the first in a series of five state-level reports examining the progress of immigrant students in the K-12, post-secondary, and workforce training systems. The overarching goal of the project is to identify promising educational strategies and unmet needs using a comparative approach. The particular focus of the project is immigrant youth (defined as immigrants or the children of immigrants) between the ages of 16 to 26, who constitute approximately 26 percent of all youth in Washington State. Special attention is given to certain sub-groups of this population: refugees, children of migrant workers, late-arriving immigrant children, students with interrupted formal education (SIFE), and long-term ELLs -- defined as students who have been in U.S. schools for six years or more but remain classified. The researchers selected two areas of the state with high concentrations of immigrants for in-depth study: the King County area (including Seattle) and the Yakima Valley in Central Washington, and conducted approximately 60 in-person or telephone interviews with key informants. Among practices found to be effective within K-12 settings are extended school days for English language learners (ELLs) and granting academic credit for first language skills. The report also provides detailed information about several of the state's most innovative educational initiatives benefitting out-of-school immigrant youth, including the I-BEST program, which integrates ESL or ABE classes with professional or technical college-level classes; the "On-Ramp to I-BEST," which provides a similar integrated approach to lower-level learners; and the Integrated Digital English Acceleration (I-DEA) initiative, which seeks to utilize on-line learning to reduce the amount of class time spent in learning English and acquiring college-level credits and credentials. The report concludes with a series of recommendations, including improvements in teacher training, scaling up programs that provide additional learning time for ELLs, more sophisticated and uniform data collection on ELLs and immigrant youth, accelerated approaches to remediation on the community college level, and a sustainable funding model for adult education. Implementing the Common Core State Standards for English Learners: The changing Role of the
ESL Teacher Unauthorized Immigrant Parents and Their Children's Development: A Summary of the Evidence,TESOL International Association, April 2013, 8 pp. Author: Diane Staer Fenner In February of 2013, TESOL International Association convened a meeting of experts "to start a conversation on how the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) will change the roles of those who teach English as a second language (ESL)." This meeting report notes that "ESL teachers have been largely absent from the conversation around this important educational reform, yet they will play a critical role in its successful implementation..." One problem is that ESL teachers are often lower in status than content-area teachers, in part because ESL is not recognized as a core academic content area under the NCLB law. Another is the lack of uniform standards and consistency in ESL teacher credentialing requirements around the country. Meeting participants argued that the role of the ESL teacher must evolve to become "experts, consultants, and trainers well versed in teaching rigorous academic content ..." ESL teachers can help content teachers use language and culture more effectively during CCSS-based instruction. They should attend content-area department meetings to bring their special perspective to bear on school reform efforts. Stakeholders at the meeting also recommended new approaches to professional development that will expose content-area teachers to the techniques of teaching English language learners and to ways of collaborating with ESL teachers. Migration Policy Institute, March, 2013, 23 pp. Authors: Hirokazu Yoshikawa & Jenya Kholoptseva One of a series of papers prepared for a January 2013 symposium on the cognitive, physical, and emotional development of immigrant children, this paper reviews research findings on the impact of the unauthorized status of parents on their children's life prospects. Although research on this subject is limited, available studies suggest that unauthorized status is associated with lower cognitive skills in early childhood, higher levels of anxiety and depressive symptoms during adolescence, and fewer years of schooling. As children of unauthorized parents make up nearly one-third of all children with immigrant parents and 8 percent of all US children, the fate of these children, according to the authors, should be taken into consideration when policy makers discuss immigration reform. The authors review six "mechanisms of influence" that impede the development of these children: deportation of parents, parent-child separation during travel, lower access to means-tested programs, poor working conditions for parents, psychological distress and economic hardship, and for the 1 million children who are themselves unauthorized, awareness of one's own unauthorized status and its consequences. The report concludes with a series of policy recommendations to address the plight of these children, including steps to modify unauthorized status, exercising discretion in deportation cases involving children, utilizing trusted NGOs in enrolling children in means-tested programs, promoting enrollment in center-based care, and improved working conditions that would likely result from comprehensive immigration reform. English Language Learners in America's Great City Schools: Demographics, Achievement, and Staffing, Council of the Great City Schools, 2013, 112 pp. This report, produced by an organization representing 67 urban school districts, provides a snapshot of English language learners (ELLs) and programs to serve them. Described as "one of the most comprehensive data-collection efforts on English Language Learners ever attempted," the report is based on an extensive survey conducted in 2012. The report provides ELL enrollment data for all districts, including ELL enrollment as a percentage of total district enrollment, ELL enrollments by grade level, number of ELLs who are refugees, languages spoken by ELLs, number of ELLs receiving special educational services, and achievement data for ELLs. The report also discusses variations in the definitions of ELLs, procedures used to identify ELLs, parental opt-in or opt-out policies, and hiring and professional development requirements for ELL teachers. Educating English Language Learners: Grantmaking Strategies for Closing America's Other Achievement Gap, Grantmakers for Education, April 2013, 30 pp. Drawing on an online survey of 138 grantmaking organizations and in-depth interviews with 24 survey respondents, this report takes the pulse of foundation grantmaking in support of English language learners, who now constitute 10.7 percent of the K-12 student population. Many are struggling academically and have poor educational outcomes. Although a growing number of funders are targeting resources to this population, the overall percentage of grants in this area remains small, i.e. less than 1 percent of education grants listed in the Foundation Center database. Most foundations make these grants through larger education portfolios; only two foundations have a stand-alone English language learner portfolio. Indeed, the majority of "ELL grants" are not exclusively targeting English learners or their needs, but rather "embedded in more generic strategies to close the achievement gap or improve educational outcomes for low income, under-served or minority students." The authors suggest that such an approach may fail to address the unique needs of English learners. The report summarizes "lessons for philanthropy" from the growing body of research and experience in this field and concludes with four case studies of successful grantmaking specifically targeting English language learners. The English Learner Dropout Dilemma: Multiple Risks and Multiple Resources, University of California Santa Barbara, Gevritz Graduate School of Education, February, 2013, 60 pp. Author: Rebecca M. Callahan In the 2008-09 school year, nearly 11 percent of U.S. students in grades K-12 were classified as English learners (EL), and many more were former EL students, no longer counted in school statistics. This report examines the extent, consequences, causes, and solutions to the dropout crisis among EL students and the extent to which EL dropouts mirror or deviate from the profile of the broader dropout population. Research repeatedly shows that EL students are about twice as likely to drop out as native and fluent English speakers. While many of the social and economic factors that produce dropouts in the general population apply to EL students, others are unique, such as tracking as a result of EL status; limited access to EL-trained or certified teachers, especially in academic subjects; and a high stakes accountability system. In terms of solutions to the EL dropout dilemma, the report proposes three main reforms: stronger academic exposure within EL classes, use of the primary language in instruction, and a shift from a deficit to an additive perspective. The use of the term "emergent bilingual" has been suggested as a way of capturing this new perspective. Multilingualism and Multiculturalism: Transatlantic Discourses on Language, Identity, and Immigrant
Schooling, Notre Dame Law Review, November, 2012, 31 pp. Author: Rosemary C. Salomone This paper argues for a fundamental change in how policy makers and educators on both sides of the Atlantic view the role of home languages in the educational process. In the face of mounting evidence that dual language competence promotes greater educational gains among children, enhances self-esteem, strengthens family and community, and gives the nation a competitive advantage in the global market for goods and services, the author laments the fact that the predominant view of immigrant education is that it should be "subtractive," rather than "additive," i.e. reducing use of heritage languages while increasing use of English (or other national or sanctioned languages in Europe), rather than building competence in both. She reviews the forces that sustain this view. In the United States, she points to anti-immigrant sentiment, particularly directed at Spanish-speaking immigrants from Mexico; a deep-seated discomfort with any kind of "difference" that goes beyond the prevailing "multiculturalism lite" ideology; concerns over persistent Latino-white achievement gap; and an emphasis on "basics" and testing that tends to curtail innovation in education. In Europe, on the other hand, multilingualism is at the heart of the European project, so while the ideology is supportive of "plurilingualism," only languages indigenous to Europe are given tolerance and support; immigrant languages, such as Arabic and Turkish, are generally ignored, to the detriment of immigrants and their children and to Europe as a whole. As there are a multitude of factors, including the child's age of arrival, the number of children from the same linguistic background within a particular school system, and the number of native-born families interested in learning a heritage language, the author acknowledges that a "one-size-fits-all" approach is not desirable. However, "the importance of the home language in promoting emotional well-being, cognitive development, and social integration....(means that) it is now time for government officials and educators on both sides of the Atlantic to consider policies and practices that definitively respect the language of linguistic minority students, while finding common ground between the home and mainstream culture." The Role of Language and Literacy in College- and Career-Ready Standards: Rethinking Policy
and Practice in Support of English Language Learners, Comparative Perspectives on International Migration and Child Wellbeing (Summary of Articles), Parenting Behavior, health, and Cognitive Development among Children in Black Immigrant Families:
Comparing the United States and the United Kingdom, Children of Immigrants: Growing National and State Diversity, An Imperative for Change: Bridging Special and Language Learning Education to Ensure a Free and Appropriate
Education in the Least Restrictive Environment for ELLs with Disabilities in Massachusetts, The Future of Immigrant Children, The Integration of Immigrants and Their Families in Maryland: A Look at Children of Immigrants and Their Families in Maryland, Prepared for the Annie E. Casey Foundation by The Urban Institute, June, 2010, 65 pp This is the second in a two-part examination of the immigrant population in the State of Maryland. This report provides a detailed portrait of the children of immigrants and their families. The number of Maryland children with at least one immigrant parent more than doubled from 121,000 in 1990 to 253,000 in 2006. Without this increase, the state's population would have stagnated or declined, due to the low fertility rate of native-born white parents. The report also provides information on the 69,000 children of immigrants living in low-income families, i.e. families with incomes below twice the poverty level. Although many enjoy "protective" factors, such as a higher percentage of two-parent families than among children of native families, they also face special burdens, such as lower rates of participation in center-based care and more crowded housing, burdens which need to be taken into consideration in designing effective educational and social policies. Minority Parent and Community Engagement: Best Practices and Policy Recommendations for
Closing the Gaps in Student Achievement, New Start for Youth Study: An Examination of the Settlement Pathways of Newcomer Youth Reading and Language Outcomes of a Five-Year Randomized Evaluation of Transitional Bilingual
Education, In-State Tuition for Undocumented Students and the DREAM Act,
Language and Education: The Missing Link, Listening to Latinas: Barriers to High School Graduation, Children of Immigrants: National and State Characteristics, Fulfilling the Promise of Preschool for All: Insights into Issues Affecting Access for Selected
Immigrant Groups in Chicago, Quality Benchmark for Cultural Competence Project,
Young Lives on Hold: The College Dreams of Undocumented Students, College Board, April, 2009, 27 pp. Noting that 15% of the undocumented population in the United States is comprised of children, many of whom have spent most of their formative years and received most of their schooling in the United States, the College Board bemoans the waste of human potential involved in denying them opportunities to move on to higher education, drive, vote, and work in the United States. The Board urges passage of the bipartisan "Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act" (The Dream Act) to enable qualified young people who graduate from high school and who have lived in the U.S. since childhood to acquire legal status if they go to college or join the military. The report sees no adverse impact on native-born students in the ten states that permit undocumented students to attend college at in-state tuition rates. English Learners in Boston Public Schools: Enrollment, Engagement and Academic Outcomes, AY2003-AY2006, The Mauricio Gaston Institute for Latino Community Development and Public Policy, University of Massachusetts, Boston, April, 2009, 126 pp. This report examines the impact of the English Only movement in Massachusetts. After approval of a referendum by Massachusetts voters in 2002, sheltered English immersion (SEI) programs -- not to exceed one year in length -- became the default strategy for transitioning limited English proficient (LEP) students into the academic mainstream. Transitional bilingual education (TBE) programs were discontinued, unless at least 20 parents requested waivers and received approvals from local school districts. This report examines the experience of the Boston school district and its English language learners during the post-referendum period. In the beginning, Boston shifted 45.2% of its LEP students into mainstream classes. The district also adopted a "discouraging approach to parental waivers," thereby reducing the availability of other educational options, including TBE. As a result, drop-out rates increased, and the number of LEP students in special education classes more than doubled. The report contains many recommendations for systemic improvements in Boston's education of English language learners. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act: Recommendations for Addressing the Needs of English Language Learners, Center for Applied Linguistics, March 20, 2009, 23 pp. Prepared by a national work group of 14 experts familiar with research findings and best practices in the education of immigrant children, this report describes how the stimulus act can be utilized to improve schooling for English language learners. Noting that these students "represent a large proportion of students at risk of underachievement," the authors make over 50 recommendations designed to take advantage of the short-term duration of this funding. Many are focused on building infrastructure and a stronger evidence base for future educational reform, including modifications to the No Child Left Behind Act.
Dual Language Learners in the Early Years: Getting Ready to Succeed in School, National Clearinghouse for English Language Acquisition, November, 2008, 45 pp. Dual language learners are defined as "children from 3 to 6 years of age who are learning a second languagae while still acquiring their first." Looking at general indicators of readiness for school, this report finds that dual language learners are at special risk for falling behind their monolingual peers. Reviewing relevant research, the report outlines ways to better prepare these children for school, to conduct appropriate assessment and to design effective instructional strategies. Teaching English Language Learners: What the Research Does -- and Does Not -- Say, American Educator, Summer, 2008, 19 pp. One in nine students in the US is an English language learner. What's the best way to help these students become fluent in English and master the academic content? Existing research cannot fully answer that question, but it can offer teachers some guidelines. Focusing on two recent reviews of that research, Claude Goldenberg, Professor of Education at Stanford University, highlights the most promising instructional approaches and discusses important questions that the research has yet to answer. Challenging Common Myths About Young English language Learners, Foundation for Child Development, January, 2008, 11 pp. Produced by the Foundation's New American Children initiative, this report challenges six myths often associated with the education of young immigrant children, including the supposed advantages of total English immersion as an educational strategy and the assumption that Latino parents undervalue the importance of pre-kindergarten education. Immigrant Integration Educator Resource Guide, The Colorado Trust and the Colorado Department of Education, 2008, 48 pp. This guide provides an overview of the key areas that influence immigrant integration in schools - from school enrollment, culture and classroom instruction to family and community outreach. The guide contains links to useful resources in each of the main topical areas. Although state-specific to Colorado, the Guide is noteworthy for its use of immigrant integration as a frame for analyzing the immigrant school experience. New Jersey's Special Review Assessment: Loophole or Lifeline? A Policy Brief, The Graduate Center, CUNY, Education Law Center, Institute on Law and Education Policy (Rutgers University), Project Grad, August, 2007, 68 pp. Students for whom English is not their first language often struggle to pass standardized tests, especially high stakes high school graduation exams. Many states provide alternative assessments to prove the mastery of core skills. New Jersey's proposal to discontinue its "special review assessment," on grounds that it represented "institutionalized low expectations" prompted the issuance of this multi-agency report, one of whose recommendation is that New Jersey "continue to offer multiple assessment routes to graduation." Paying the Price: The Impact of Immigration Raids on America's Children, A Report by The Urban Institute for the National Council of La Raza, 2007, 99 pp. This study examines the impact of workplace immigration raids on 500 children in three communities: Greeley, Colorado; Grand Island, Nebraska; and New Bedford, Massachusetts. The disruption of family life, loss of family income, and resulting dislocation create emotional turmoil in the lives of these children, most of whom are U.S. citizens. As the pace of immigrant enforcement is likely to intensify in future years, the report gives policy recommendations to Congress, ICE, schools, social service and public agencies. Double the Work: Challenges and Solutions to Acquiring Language and Academic Literacy for Adolescent English Language Learners, Report to Carnegie Corporation of New York, 2007, 83 pp. Middle and high schools are seeing expanding enrollments of students whose primary language is not English. These students must perform "double the work" of native English speakers, i.e. learning English while mastering core academic content areas. This report recommends an array of best practices and strategies for surmounting the major educational challenges faced by limited English proficient students. The Challenges to Multiculturalism in Massachusetts, The Mauricio Gaston Institute for Latino Public Policy and Community Development, University of Massachusetts,
2006, 10 pp Integrating Students of Limited English Proficiency into Standards-Based Reform in the Abbott Districts, Education Law Center, 2004, 59 pp. |