Educating Immigrant Children for the 21st Century

Transcription

1 Educating Immigrant Children for the 21st Century MARCELO M. SUÁREZ-OROZCO Dean, UCLA Graduate School of Education and Information Studies Early Childhood Education and Care & Early Language Learning Reggio Emilia, December 16th-18th, 2014

2 Emigration, Immigration, Transit, 2014 Science 28 March 2014: Vol. 343 no pp

3 Global Migration

4 Science 28 March 2014: Vol. 343 no pp

5 Culture and Identity

6 The Cultural Psychology of Immigration Immigration is of and for the Family Separations and Re-Unifications Transnationalism of the Heart: by the end of the decade remittances surpassed 350 billion dollars more than double the combined world international aid-india received $27 billion, China $25.7 billion, Mexico $25 billion, Philippines $17 billion (World Bank, 2008)

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9 Growing Up In the Shadows Nearly 30% of young adults in the US are either immigrants or children of immigrants (Rumbaut & Komaie, 2010) Over 1.5 million immigrant youth are Dreamers (unauthorized immigrants) Over 4.5 million 2 nd generation children and youth live in mixed documentation families (with parents or siblings who are undocumented)

10 The Purpose of Education: Three Ideals from The Human Condition Education for doing and living well Hanna Arendt s Creative self-expression and worldmaking and for rewarding relationships in spaces of intimacy and leisure Danielle Allen s education for civic and political engagement belonging, and cultural citizenship - Dewey Education for the transition to the ever more globally integrated labor market, Arendt s bread-winning work

11 Education Today Each country is unhappy in its own way Three Dilemmas Boredom has become the elephant in the (class) room The elusive quest for educational equality. Ongoing gaps between native or majority children and children of color - - France, The Netherlands, Germany, the USA, Italy? Failed Citizenship: The American Dream and its Antonym

12 Ecological Framework Family Level Social/Cultural Resources Parental education Poverty Undocumented Status Family separations Student Level Socio-emotional challenges Academic Language Proficiency Xenophobia, discrimination, bias, exclusion School Level Triple segregation Poverty; racial/ethnic; linguistic Violence (physical & symbolic) Preparation to serve immigrant origin students and families

13 Longitudinal Immigrant Student Adaptation Study Lisa Longitudinal (5 years), interdisciplinary, & comparative 400 Youth from Central America, China, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, & Mexico Ages 9 & 14 at beginning of study Recruited from 51 schools in 7 school districts in the Boston & San Francisco areas Mixed-methods sequential design Ethnography, Semi-structured interviews, School Records, Case Studies Funded by the National Science Foundation, the W.T. AIM: Grant Foundation and The Spencer Foundation Documenting continuities and discontinuities in immigrant youth s educational adaptations over time

14 Trajectories of Performance

15 Explaining Patterns Multiple Strategies Least resourced in all domains, did worse High Performers = most resources Low Performers = least resources Precipitous Decliners: began with more optimism and basic resources but unable tor sustain in face of multiple personal and school impediments Improvers: began with initial challenges but encountered supportive environments

16 The Importance of School Triple segregation Race/ethnicity; Poverty; Language Minimal meaningful contact with English dominant peers Educator Disconnect from Newcomer Students Often liked BUT low expectations Limited understanding of socio-emotional challeges Poor opinion of parents

17 Promising Practices for Immigrants in Schools Project US, UK, & EU National Science Foundation, PIRE Grant Carola Suárez-Orozco, UCLA, Richard Alba, CUNY Graduate Center, Et Al. Swedish & NYC Colleagues Mikael Alexandersson, University of Götetburg Post Doc Fellows: Margary Martin, New York University Lory Dance, University of Nebraska Johannes Lunneblad, University of Götetburg

18 Methods and Guiding Research Questions Carola Suárez-Orozco, UCLA, Richard Alba, CUNY Graduate Center, Et Al. Research Questions What school based practices are implemented in innovative, promising school settings to: Ease the transition and integration of immigrant origin youth? Foster and enhance academic outcomes for immigrant origin youth? Case Study Methodology Ethnographic observations Semi-structured interviews (faculty, administrators, students) District and school data Selection Criteria Serving high proportion of immigrant origin students Non-selective schools; Excellent reputation in community Better than average outcomes

19 Innovative Practices for All Students Carola Suárez-Orozco, UCLA, Richard Alba, CUNY Graduate Center, Et Al. Rigorous Curriculum Teaching critical thinking Posing complex problems with multiple solutions Relevant Curriculum Promoting global awareness & issues Developing collaborative skills Working across difference Innovative Pedagogy Interdisciplinary Teaching for differentiated learning styles Mixed-level student groupings Team teaching

20 Innovative Practices for ALL Students (continued) Carola Suárez-Orozco, UCLA, Richard Alba, CUNY Graduate Center, Et Al. Fostering Relationships Relationships between Students (e.g., collaborative projects) Relationships between Students and Teachers/other School based Adults (e.g., advisory groups) Relationship between School and Parents (e.g., accommodating parents schedules for parent teacher meetings; reaching out through parent liaisons, and parenting courses) Tutoring & Homework supports Explicit College Pathway Knowledge

21 Innovative Practices for Immigrant Origin Students Carola Suárez-Orozco, UCLA, Richard Alba, CUNY Graduate Center, Et Al. Specific support to address gaps in education, literacy, and Academic Language (English/Swedish) Language Learning Accommodations Integrating new language skills in every subject Code switching to explain concepts Accommodations for Longer Time Needed to Graduate Providing additional learning opportunities Longer school days Summer school Accommodations/extra preparation for High Stakes Tests

22 Innovative Practices For Immigrant Origin Students Carola Suárez-Orozco, UCLA, Richard Alba, CUNY Graduate Center, Et Al. Easing Cultural Shock Trauma Advisory groups that address issues of newcomers Parenting classes Providing students space to talk about challenges of immigration see the documentary I Learn America by the French filmmaker Jean Michel Dissard Opportunities for maintaining cultural practices and heritage language School making efforts to engage with the community & families in culturally relevant ways

23 Best Practices for the Global Era Well Grounded in Core Subjects with Strong Language Supports, L1 and L2 Synthetic &interdisciplinary thinking, (Howard Gardner) Global Consciousness (Boix Mansilla and Howard Gardner in Suárez-Orozco, 2007) Cultural Sensibilities & Intercultural Skills, (Rita Süssmuth in Suárez-Orozco, 2007) Self-awareness Health & wellbeing & self-knowledge (LeVine and Bloom in Suárez-Orozco, 2004 & 2007) Critical Thinking & Lifelong Learning Skills Communication Skills (Levy and Murnane in Suárez-Orozco, 2007) Writing & Public Speaking Collaborative skills Interpersonal skills and ability to work with those different than oneself Information, Media Skills/ICT Literacy (Daley in Suárez-Orozco, 2010) Life Skills Leadership Adaptability & flexibility Personal accountability & Self-Regulation