Helping Immigrant and Refugee students Achieve School Success: Partnering with families to support student needs

Immigrant and refugee students generally enter American schools with optimism and they work hard. Yet many soon fall behind, with decreasing academic success over the years.  Second- and third-generation immigrants often face greater academic concerns. The alarming high school drop-out rate is nearly 25% for foreign-born students and 16% for those with foreign-born parents. 

Schools typically focus on improving English skills, yet the immigrant experience itself brings challenges beyond learning a new language. One factor often overlooked is that immigrant and refugee students – and their families – face unique mental health issues that can interfere with student achievement.  In coming to the U.S., children often leave close relatives behind, and many experience a grueling and violent journey.  Students who are refugees often bring deep emotional scars from repeated violence, with limited prior educational opportunities. 

Although they may be severe, the mental health needs of immigrant and refugee students frequently remain unidentified. A child who appears to be disinterested in schoolwork may actually be depressed, living with parents who themselves are depressed as they struggle to adjust. A student with violent outbursts who seems to be undisciplined can be reliving the emotion of a turbulent event in a war-torn country, experiencing a heightened “fight or flight” response.  

Even if the needs are identified, immigrant and refugee students usually have limited access to mental health care and face barriers of culture as well as language.  Many fade into the background, often viewed as disinterested or unwilling to learn, and they fall farther and farther behind academically.

One critical element of supporting these students to improve their academic achievement is engaging their families. This is particularly significant for immigrant and refugee families which tend to be close-knit and protective. While these families are committed to supporting their children, engaging them in school is often challenging, particularly in areas of student mental health which is stigmatized in many cultures of recent immigrants. 

This workshop will highlight strategies identified through the Caring Across Communities (CAC) Initiative, administered by The Center for Health and Health Care in Schools at The George Washington University.  Through CAC, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation awarded grants totaling $4.5 million to15 projects in diverse U.S. communities. The grants support a range of innovative partnerships among schools and community organizations that build effective, easily accessed services. 

I’ve posted two articles I co-authored on this issue on the convention website: “Helping immigrant and refugee students succeed: It’s not just what happens in the classroom,” a version of an article that appeared in the November 2009 Kappan; and “Partnering with Parents and Families to Support Immigrant and Refugee Children at School,” an Issue Brief published by The Center for Health and Health Care in Schools in June 2009.  

Eileen Gale Kugler
www.EmbraceDiverseSchools.com
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