According to a 2009 publication by the Center for Health and Healthcare in Schools, it is estimated that children from immigrant and refugee families may constitute 30 percent of American students by 2015. Almost half of all foreign-born ELL students are from Mexico, while the other half are from over 200 countries from around the world.

Children who arrive in the country as immigrants and refugees often face significant challenges on top of learning a new language. In some cases, their departure to a new country is sudden, causing them to quickly leave behind friends, relatives and the comfort of their own culture. Enrolling in a new and different education system—or in some cases, entering formal schooling for the first time, can also pose as a challenge to both the student and the teacher. In addition, cultural differences in values, beliefs and attitudes about education can greatly impact their transition into a new school.

Supporting refugee and immigrant students may start in the classroom, but it does not stop there. Communication and involvement with the families and communities, especially in terms of recognizing their culture and experiences, will help you make great strides in the students’ scholastic success.

Keep Learning!
Leslie
K12Translate

This entry was posted on Monday, March 29th, 2010 at 12:22 pm and is filed under Education. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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