Synthesis Paper
In a 2003 article, Dunn and Adkins wrote that multiculturalism is everywhere, and that educators must keep in mind that it can be a frightening experience for immigrant children (as well as adults) to come to a new country. Although these children may have many of the same challenges as native-born children, they face unique challenges as well. For example, if one comes to a new culture, they may have to learn a new set of norms to follow. At times, there is a role reversal, where children have to interpret for their parents, as they come to a new land. The authors assert that the role of a teacher is to provide a learning climate for teachers, and not to play the part of a therapist or psychologist. That being said, it is beneficial to both parties when the teacher is provided with information on the background of their students. This can be done through a variety of ways, such as appropriate conversation with parents and the involvement of families. Students can also be afforded opportunities to share their culture with others through words and/or pictures. Although the multicultural classroom may seem intimidating to both teachers and students at first, it can become one of the richest learning environments.
Some of the challenges that immigrant and refugee children may face are racism, ethnocentrism, and xenophobia. Helling (2006) asserts that racism exists in the country as a whole, as well as in the classroom, and that while most Caucasian students can expend their energy on learning, many students of color must use this energy to combat racism in some form. If one's time is occupied by responding to racist statements or behaviors, or the anticipation of such phenomena, one does not have much energy to put elsewhere. The author states that Caucasian students learn in educational systems predominantly instructed by Caucasian educators, which may create a subconscious climate of comfort that may not exist for students of color. Race should be allowed to exist in the classroom. There has to be an open discussion on racism, as well as positive contributions that all races have made to the country. Students should feel comfortable expressing different viewpoints and being themselves. The writer asserts that if we are afraid to acknowledge racism and its ramifications, we are not allowing students of color to exist in the fullness of their beings. We are denying something that is very real to several of our students. If we do not open our minds, we are missing one of the greatest learning opportunities to understand the world.
Drachman (1995) wrote an article stating that immigration has increased greatly from 1970-1990. It is estimated that 33 to 40 percent of the nation's population growth is due to immigration. Most recent "newcomers" come from Asia, the West Indies, Central America, the Middle East, Eastern Europe, and Africa. The author also provided a background on immigration legislation, beginning with the national origins quota system of 1924, which placed strict limits upon the amount of immigrants allowed to enter the United States. The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 abolished the national origins quota system, and gave way to our present immigration policy. The Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, commonly referred to as the "amnesty program," legalized access to permanent legal resident status for Cuban and Haitian entrants, provided they were living in the United States before January 1, 1982. However, an overwhelming majority of Haitians were turned away at sea when seeking refuge from the Duvalier regime in the 1980s, due to an automatic labeling of "economic migrants" because of racism and alliances by the United States.
The author then detailed the differences between refugees (people who must flee their home countries because of persecution or fear of persecution), asylees (refugees who apply for asylum from a U.S. Territory), parolees (individuals who are admitted into the United States under emergency conditions), immigrants (individuals lawfully granted permission to permanently reside in the United States), temporary residents (individuals who have legal permission to live and work temporarily in the United States), and undocumented persons (individuals who have no current authorization to be in the United States). He then explains that regardless of immigration status, newcomers commonly experience stress and trauma from leaving loved ones, learning a new language, adjusting to a new environment, and securing employment. For some, coming to a new country can even be a violent experience. International social work depends on the relationships between the sending and receiving countries.
New Jersey is one state that shows a rise in immigration trends. Researchers Joshi, Eberly, and Konzal (2005) expressed that the state is very diverse, but is also one of the most segregated places in the country. The authors developed a study with the goal of helping teachers to understand diverse populations. The researchers also sought to help families understand school norms through their project. Participants included teachers, specialists, and administrators serving in public and private New Jersey elementary schools. The study revealed that teachers were familiar with the important aspects of various cultures, but did not know how to implement it in their instruction, nor how to put parental involvement practices into effect.
However, one school in Miami-Dade County in Florida had already put a model in progress along these lines, which began as a tutoring program provided by university students. The project eventually grew to include (mostly Haitian) social work interns, who served as guides to the families, many of whom had recently immigrated to the country. Borenstein and Kelly (1998) describe a multidimensional evaluation of the project. The study body consisted mainly of Haitian immigrants. The researchers used qualitative and quantitative methods to examine school performance (including several factors such as attendance, tardiness records, year-end academic grades, and standardized achievement test scores) and client satisfaction (measured by an 11-item satisfaction survey), after the implementation of the project. The authors hypothesized that attendance and tardiness were the variables that would react most sensitively to nine months of family intervention because they were identified as a concern for some of the families by the school personnel who referred them; academic grades would be moderately sensitive, and SAT scores would be the least likely to show short-term change.
The researchers also utilized focus groups and process recordings with the social work interns. In the focus groups, they noted five major themes:
- Increased focus on skills and program.
- Increased focus on solutions.
- Increased professional sophistication.
- A move from "fixers" to "helpers."
- Increase in initiative and mutual aid within the student unit.
Within the process recordings, the authors found that concrete needs of the families revolved around money, jobs, health care, assistance with homework, education, and help with parenting. They also found that the interns took on four productive roles in their work at the school, which included mediating, supporting strengths and validating family members, information gathering, and clarifying and providing information.
There were also many cultural issues that arose. The first influence noted was that the two Haitian social work interns often used their own ethnic and immigrant status to the benefit of their clients. The second was the tremendous effect of immigration on the families' lives. A third was the effect of the English language as an obstacle in communication between parents and teachers. Another was a cultural issue stemming from living under the former dictatorship of Duvalier, as the interns had a difficult time establishing trust with many of the families.
Researchers found that while no significant differences were seen in the scores while the project was under way, there was a significant improvement in language arts scores and attendance. The authors hypothesized that the gains in language arts could be attributed to the increase in school attendance. In addition, the clients did feel that the services were helpful, and responded positively to their need to keep the program in existence.
Rosenthal (1995) delved deeper into this topic, when she conducted a qualitative study of dynamics on school completion. The researcher's goal was to predict what group was in high risk of dropping out of high school, in order to derive interventions that will reduce the processes that lead to dropout. She focused on Haitian youth in a New York City suburb, because, she maintained, they fit the profile of "school leavers": they were poor, black, and came from families with high stress. The researcher used quantitative methods, and selected her sample size using the snowball method to select and identify youths to participate in the study. Nearly all of the youths interviewed perceived that their parents valued education highly and expected them to complete high school. The results rebuked her hypothesis, and she found that a fourth factor, social support, can overcome the effects of the other characteristics of "school leavers." Most Haitian students have the social support system engrained in them, which makes it less likely for them to drop out of high school.
Ballenger (1997) stumbled upon a unique way of speaking among Haitian youth living in Cambridge during a bilingual science class, as a function of their learning. Science class is generally an area of schooling in which students are expected to use technical terms, and speak "appropriately." However, the author hypothesized that the storytelling and joking that the students partook in on this particular day (in Kreyol) would allow for the students to be more engaged in the subject matter, which enriched learning. She studied students who arrived from Haiti within the previous three years, who were currently in the fifth through eighth grade. The children came from backgrounds whose religious explanation had generally been emphasized over scientific, and whose parents, although committed to their children's' learning, had limited educational opportunities themselves. She found that when students spoke from personal experience, this allowed them to make greater connections to the subject. Their teacher noticed that, although the students were arguing very casually, they were focused on the topic and were taking ownership of their learning. Their discussions drew from experience and understandings formed outside school as well as information they were receiving in school. The evidence that they were presenting was in relation to themselves, which was rare when it came to normal scientific theorizing. There was a high level of engagement, and a strong desire to know in their fundamental questions.
Potocky (1996) examined the economic well-being of refugee children who are now adults. He used data from the 1990 census, and found that immigrant children from the Soviet Union/Eastern Europe are doing well financially as adults, while immigrant children from Nicaragua and Haiti are doing poorly. He attributes this to several potential factors, including the length of residence in the country, cultural and racial differences, and different policy implementation. Haitians and Nicaraguans have been required to prove on a case-by-case basis, evidence of persecution or fear. However, other immigrants have been let into the country on a blanket asylum.
In conclusion, a common thread for the articles is that immigration is a potentially frightening scenario for both adults and children alike. Educators need to allow students to be different and to keep their culture alive in their new homeland. They should also learn more about diversity in order to benefit their students. In addition, when structures are put in place to help students succeed, as a result, they will most likely succeed. Eventually, I would like to conduct research in this area to alleviate some of the problems that immigrant youth face in schools as a result of their migration.
REFERENCES
Ballanger, C. (1997). Social identities, moral narratives, scientific argumentation: science talk in a bilingual classroom. Language and Education, Vol. 11, No. 1, 1997.
Borenstein, L. and Kelly, T. (1998). A multidimensional approach to evaluating school-linked services: a school of social work and county public school partnership. Social Work in Education, Jul98; 20(3): 152-64 (13 ref)
Drachman, D. (1995) Immigration statuses and their influence on service provision, access, and use. Social Work, Mar95; 40(2): 188-97 (55 ref)
Dunn, B. and Adkins, M. (2003) The multicultural classroom: teaching refugee and immigrant children. www.newhorizons.org/strategies/multicultural/adkins_dunn.htm
Helling, J. (2006) "Allowing" race in the classroom: student existing in the fullness of their beings. www.newhorizons.org/strategies/multicultural/helling.htm.
Joshi, A.; Ebearly, J.; and Konzal, J. (2005). Dialogue across cultures: teachers' perceptions about communication with diverse families. Multicultural Education, v13 n2 p11-15 Win 2005. 5pp.
Rosenthal, B. (1995). The influence of social support on school completion among Haitians. Social Work in Education, Jan95; 17(1): 30-9 (47 ref)
