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Voices in Urban Education
Archives
Educating Newcomers
VUE Number 15, Spring 2007
| VUE Home | Archives | Order Print Copy |
Educating Newcomers
By Robert Rothman
Robert Rothman is a Principal Associate & Editor of VUE at the Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University.
> Author's biography
Over the past two years Americans have been engaging in one of the nation's periodic debates on immigration. As usual, the debate combines lofty rhetoric about the United States as a nation of immigrants with xenophobic calls to keep "them" out. Two images, representing these contrasting views, come to mind: hundreds of thousands of immigrants marching in Los Angeles and other cities to protest legislation that would have made illegal entry into the U.S. a felony, and a 700-mile fence along the U.S.-Mexican border.
The debate over immigration has particular resonance for the estimated 8 million newcomers or children of newcomers in U.S. schools. Of course, this is not a new phenomenon. In the first decade of the twentieth century, for example, an estimated two thirds of the school population in New York City had fathers who were born outside of the United States. The massive influx of newcomers at that time led to a number of reforms aimed at enabling schools and school systems to accommodate the burgeoning school population — and, not coincidentally, to help "Americanize" the newcomers.
The current population of newcomers poses challenges for education systems as well. For one thing, the population is much more diverse than the immigrants who arrived a century ago. Students arriving in school today come from nearly every continent and speak a rich array of languages. Their educational backgrounds are diverse, as well; some have had extensive schooling in their home countries and some have limited formal education.
The students also bring with them knowledge and culture that ought to be considered educational assets. But schools seldom try to understand students' backgrounds, and when they do, they often consider them liabilities to shed, rather than funds of knowledge to build on.
This issue of Voices in Urban Education examines ways to educate newcomers and brings together a range of perspectives.
Eugene García takes stock of the immigrant population in U.S. schools and surveys research on their experiences as students.
> Excerpt
William Celis shows how immigrant students find opportunities even as they struggle to overcome hostility and inadequate services.
> Full text
Alina Newman provides vivid examples of children from war-torn and impoverished Central American and Caribbean countries to show that students' backgrounds affect their learning in ways that educators seldom see.
> Excerpt
Margarita Calderón outlines a successful program for adolescent English-language learners that suggests principles for teaching such students effectively.
> Excerpt
Lorna Fast Buffalo Horse shows how a school turned itself around by getting to know all students as individuals and celebrating, rather than dismissing, their linguistic backgrounds.
> Excerpt
These essays underscore the diversity of the immigrant student population by showing how students' backgrounds — and schools' responses to these backgrounds — affected the students' ability to make the transition to the United States and succeed educationally. The stories of children in Alina Newman's and Lorna Fast Buffalo Horse's articles, in particular, illustrate the unique strengths and needs each child brings to school.
The challenges the students face, even in schools that are reasonably successful, suggest that other organizations have a role to play as well. Schools should not be the only institutions responsible for ensuring that children arriving to the United States can make the transition and be prepared to learn what they need in order to succeed. City agencies, community-based organizations, businesses, and higher-education institutions can also support children and families.
The hundreds of thousands who marched through Los Angeles last year served notice that we all have a responsibility to all children, regardless of their backgrounds. It's time we all joined together to fulfill that responsibility.
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Archives
Educating Newcomers
VUE Number 15, Spring 2007
| VUE Home | Archives | Order Print Copy |
Educating Newcomers
By Robert Rothman
Robert Rothman is a Principal Associate & Editor of VUE at the Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University.
> Author's biography
Over the past two years Americans have been engaging in one of the nation's periodic debates on immigration. As usual, the debate combines lofty rhetoric about the United States as a nation of immigrants with xenophobic calls to keep "them" out. Two images, representing these contrasting views, come to mind: hundreds of thousands of immigrants marching in Los Angeles and other cities to protest legislation that would have made illegal entry into the U.S. a felony, and a 700-mile fence along the U.S.-Mexican border.
The debate over immigration has particular resonance for the estimated 8 million newcomers or children of newcomers in U.S. schools. Of course, this is not a new phenomenon. In the first decade of the twentieth century, for example, an estimated two thirds of the school population in New York City had fathers who were born outside of the United States. The massive influx of newcomers at that time led to a number of reforms aimed at enabling schools and school systems to accommodate the burgeoning school population — and, not coincidentally, to help "Americanize" the newcomers.
The current population of newcomers poses challenges for education systems as well. For one thing, the population is much more diverse than the immigrants who arrived a century ago. Students arriving in school today come from nearly every continent and speak a rich array of languages. Their educational backgrounds are diverse, as well; some have had extensive schooling in their home countries and some have limited formal education.
The students also bring with them knowledge and culture that ought to be considered educational assets. But schools seldom try to understand students' backgrounds, and when they do, they often consider them liabilities to shed, rather than funds of knowledge to build on.
This issue of Voices in Urban Education examines ways to educate newcomers and brings together a range of perspectives.
Eugene García takes stock of the immigrant population in U.S. schools and surveys research on their experiences as students.
> Excerpt
William Celis shows how immigrant students find opportunities even as they struggle to overcome hostility and inadequate services.
> Full text
Alina Newman provides vivid examples of children from war-torn and impoverished Central American and Caribbean countries to show that students' backgrounds affect their learning in ways that educators seldom see.
> Excerpt
Margarita Calderón outlines a successful program for adolescent English-language learners that suggests principles for teaching such students effectively.
> Excerpt
Lorna Fast Buffalo Horse shows how a school turned itself around by getting to know all students as individuals and celebrating, rather than dismissing, their linguistic backgrounds.
> Excerpt
These essays underscore the diversity of the immigrant student population by showing how students' backgrounds — and schools' responses to these backgrounds — affected the students' ability to make the transition to the United States and succeed educationally. The stories of children in Alina Newman's and Lorna Fast Buffalo Horse's articles, in particular, illustrate the unique strengths and needs each child brings to school.
The challenges the students face, even in schools that are reasonably successful, suggest that other organizations have a role to play as well. Schools should not be the only institutions responsible for ensuring that children arriving to the United States can make the transition and be prepared to learn what they need in order to succeed. City agencies, community-based organizations, businesses, and higher-education institutions can also support children and families.
The hundreds of thousands who marched through Los Angeles last year served notice that we all have a responsibility to all children, regardless of their backgrounds. It's time we all joined together to fulfill that responsibility.
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