Refugee Students Needs Assessment Survey Report 2015

Transcription

1 SAN DIEGO UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT Refugee Students Needs Assessment Survey Report 2015 Office of Children & Youth in Transition Nash & Associates May 11, 2015 This Project is funded through a Refugee Student Impact Grant from the Office of Refugee Resettlement.

2 Refugee Students Needs Assessment 2015 San Diego Unified School District Table of Contents Background to the Survey. 2 Overview. 4 Description of Survey Respondents. 5 Perceptions about Refugee Students.. 6 Perceptions about Refugee Families 8 Perceptions about Schools and San Diego Unified 10 Appendix A: Survey Responses

3 San Diego Unified School District Background to the Survey As reported by the California Department of Social Services Refugee Programs Bureau (RPB), San Diego County is more impacted by refugee children than any other school district in California. Number of Refugee Children in California Ages 5 through 18 Federal Fiscal Years San Diego CA County Totals Percentage share From October 1, 2013 through April 30, 2014 a total of 1,388 new refugees entered San Diego County an average of close to 200 newcomers a month, many of them school age children (source RPB). Furthermore, it can be noted that these figures do not account for secondary migration of refugees who initially enter the US via different States or counties within California and then relocate to San Diego. Many of these refugees are served by San Diego Unified School District (SDUSD). SDUSD is the largest district within the County of San Diego with a total enrollment of 132,787 students in school year 2013/14. In school year 2014/15, SDUSD received a Refugee School Impact Grant (RSIG) from the California Department of Social Services one of the strategies of which was to conduct an assessment of the needs of refugee students. In November 2014, SDUSD, through the Office of Children & Youth in Transition, coordinated an initial meeting with community partners as well as with district departments and schools with a high concentration of refugee students. During this meeting it was determined that before new programming can be instituted or existing programs may be improved, a better understanding of the needs of refugee students and their families is required. To that end, a needs assessment survey was designed and implemented with direct service providers working with refugee students in the SDUSD. The survey consisted of 50 Lickert scale questions where respondents asked to rate the extent to which they agree with statements provided about: 1) refugee students; 2) refugee families; and 3) School site and SDUSD services and capacity for serving refugee students. The survey instrument was developed, and responses analyzed, by research consultant Valerie Nash of Nash & Associates. 3

4 San Diego Unified School District and Nash & Associates thank and acknowledge the following organizations and departments for their support in conducting this needs assessment: Alliance for African Assistance Alliance Health Clinic Catholic Charities, Dioceses of San Diego Home Start Horn of Africa International Rescue Committee Karen Organization of San Diego Nile Sisters Development Initiative San Diego Refugee Tutoring San Diego Youth Services San Diego Unified School District o Adams Elementary School o Crawford High School o Hoover High School o Mann Middle School o Marshall Elementary School o Student Services Division Children & Youth in Transition Counseling and Guidance Special Education Supplemental Education Services Social Advocates for Youth (SAY) San Diego Somali Family Service of San Diego St. Marks Episcopal Church Survivors of Torture, International County of San Diego, Health & Human Services Bureau 4

5 Refugee Needs Assessment Survey Overview Forty-eight individuals completed the survey representing 20 organizations (including 5 school sites). Over half (58) of respondents listed educational as their primary service focus. Other respondents described their primary focus as Social Services (15), Heath (9), and Economic Self-Sufficiency (11). Three respondents said other. There was no discernable variation in response patterns between SDUSD staff and community partner staff. While refugee parents and students are seen as interested in education, there are barriers that must be addressed to ensure refugee student success. Top 6 areas of strongest agreement or disagreement o Appropriate student support services are available for refugee students (73 ) o Refugee students need additional support with core academic content in English Language Arts (90 agree) and additional support with core academic content in Math and Science (91 agree). o Social integration is a concern with refugee students (84 agree) o Refugee families have experienced a higher level of trauma than non-refugee families (92 agree) o Refugee parents know how to navigate the educational system (85 disagree) o Services provided by San Diego Unified School District adequately address the academic needs of refugee families (72 disagree) Top 4 most important needs to be addressed in order to most effectively serve refugee students and their families according to respondents. o Coordination between schools and agencies providing services to refugee children and youth o Tutoring, supplemental services or enriched educational services o Counseling and/or behavioral health services to address trauma and other needs o Interpreter services to support parent engagement 5

6 Section 1: Description of Survey Respondents Forty-eight responses were gathered from a variety of service providers that work with refugee students. Two respondents skipped occasional questions in the survey. Over half (58 percent) of respondents listed educational as their primary service focus. Other respondents described their primary focus as Social Services (15 percent), Heath (9 percent), and Economic Self-Sufficiency (11 percent). Three respondents said other. Eighty five percent of respondents reported having regular and direct contact with refugee students (Pre-K-12th Grade) and refugee families as part of their job. Figure 1 shows the range of populations served with the smallest percentage of respondents reporting that that they served Birth to Kindergarten (13) and the largest percentage reporting the served High School Aged Students (39). High school-aged refugee students were the most often reported age range served by survey respondents (See Figure 1). Figure 1. Ages of Refugee Students Served by Survey Respondents 6

7 Section 2: Perceptions about Refugee Students Most of our refugee students have come from areas of war and conflict and have grown up around tremendous poverty and violence. This absolutely affects their ability to learn in school. Survey respondents were asked to rate the extent to which they agreed with a series of statements about the current conditions facing refugee students with whom they work. Nearly half of respondents indicated that there is not an adequate system in place to assign newly immigrated students to the appropriate grade level. In regard to assigning refugee students to the proper grade level, one respondent noted: This is much easier in K-6 as when a student arrives and has received VERY little schooling prior but begins to be very difficult once students enter High School. It is often common practice in a refugee camp to claim your child is older than they actually are; to be able to receive a larger food allotment. However, when youth arrive in the U.S. - schools simply look at documents and place youth in a grade according to their age. This compounds the issue of often limited schooling and minimal English language skills. Furthermore respondents reported that there is a lack of appropriate student support services for refugee students (72). Respondents nearly unanimously agreed that refugee students need additional services, especially core academic support in English Language Arts (77 strongly agreed /14 agreed) and core academic support for Math and Science (63 strongly agreed /28 agreed). One respondent noted that that needs depend on the culture of the refugee. He/she said: Refugee youth in H.S. tend to succeed in Math and struggle in the core subjects that require more advanced English skills (such as: Science, History and English courses) The statement "Refugee students understand the importance of academic success" is vague as it depends on the culture of the refugee student. Most Karen, Karen, etc. (Burmese refugee) students have a very strong understanding of the importance of academic success and are more prepared thanks to their schooling in refugee camps in Thailand. However, many Somali and East-African students do not understand the importance of academic success as education services in many camps in Africa are limited - not to mention Somalia's civil instability has rendered many individuals born after the 1970's illiterate. However, the majority of respondents (56 percent) did not feel that refugee students know how to find academic support when they need it. An additional 23 percent were neutral on this question and 11 percent reported they did not know, indicating that there may be an opportunity to educate those who work with refugee students about existing services and how to connect refugee students with those services. In large part, refugee students were viewed as demonstrating resiliency (44 percent strongly agreed/30 percent agreed). Although the students were viewed as resilient, 98 percent of respondents agreed (62 percent strongly agreed/31 percent agreed) that refugee students and their families had experienced more trauma than non-refugee families. Several respondents commented on the impact that trauma has had on refugee students. The following select quotes illustrate those observations. 7

8 Our refugee population suffers with pretty severe PTSD issues. There is nothing I have seen being done to address the trauma that these students have experienced. I think their deep trauma greatly impacts their educational abilities They have been through something great- persecution, fleeing, violence/war, starvation, refugee camps. Respondents generally agreed that refugee students understand the importance of academic success (66 percent); however, fewer respondents agreed that refugee students have strong study skills (19 percent). The results were somewhat mixed when respondents were asked if refugee students understand the value of pursuing post-secondary education. Forty-one percent agreed, 30 percent were neutral and 27 percent disagreed. The results were similar when asked if refugee students take part in extracurricular activities such as clubs (39 percent agreed, 18 percent neutral, 27 percent disagreed). Respondents expressed concern about refugee students in the school environment. Eighty-four percent reported that social integration is a concern with refugee students. Over half of respondent (55 percent) said that refugee students do not have the same sense of connection to their school as nonrefugee students and 80 percent of respondents agreed that bullying/harassment is a concern with refugee students. Forty-nine percent reported that attendance was a concern for refugee students. One respondent noted, It is VERY hard to fit in, adjust academically and socially. 8

9 Section 3: Perceptions about Refugee Families Refugee parents are very interested but unknowing about how to be involved in their children's school social and academic environments. Survey respondents were asked a series of 20 questions specifically about the families of refugee students (responses to each question are available in Appendix A.) Although refugee parents were viewed by many respondents (44 percent) as wanting to be actively involved in their child s education, cultural, linguistic and systemic barriers were cited as major challenges to refugee parents involvement. Specifically, 93 percent of respondents agreed that there are cultural and linguistic barriers that need to be addressed so that parents may navigate the school system. Table 1. presents specific items where the majority of respondents responded similarly. Table 1. Responses to select question where more than 50 percent of respondents expressed disagreement. Statement Refugee parents are prepared to participate effectively in the education of their child(ren). Refugee parents understand their rights and responsibilities as they relate to their child s education. Strongly Refugee parents know how to navigate the educational system Refugee parents know how to access school-based resources that support their child s academic progress. Refugee parents know how to access school-based resources that support their child s behavioral and social needs. Refugee parents are comfortable using educational technology Refugee parents know how to help their child prepare for post-secondary education (applications, tuition, A-G requirements etc.) In particular, respondents noted language differences as the primary barrier for refugee families. They said: I think language is the strongest barrier between our refugee parents and the school. We need more language translation in more languages. Many families have no one to translate or rely on their kids (who know very little) to translate for them. The largest issue with integration of parents into their child's education is the language barrier. Parents cannot participate in their children's education if they cannot be spoken to by other adults (not having children translate) 9

10 I agree that refugee parents have a desire to help their children succeed and know the importance of education. However, due to the language barrier and lack of immediate access to translation in the district, I think it's often hard for them to navigate the system and become more involved at school. The district provides limited translation services and it is difficult to support over 65 different language needs. Respondents were mixed about the extent to which school staff members provide a welcoming atmosphere for refugee parents/families (43 percent were neutral and 31 percent agreed that they were welcoming). However, 64 percent of respondents did not feel that refugee parents have a sense of connection to their child s school. Moreover, 64 percent did not agree that refugee parents are comfortable talking with their child s teacher. 10

11 Section 4: Perceptions about Schools and San Diego Unified School District SDUSD is all over the place when dealing with refugee issues. It is excellent in many areas, but absolutely lacking is some critical one. SDUSD needs to figure out how to provide services to refugee children and their families in an OPTIMAL way. More awareness around refugees and asylees needs to be provided to staff and the community. Next, survey respondents were asked to share their opinions about how schools interface with refugee students. In this section of the survey, we recognized that the answers provided may have been influenced by the respondents organization type, for example respondents working in schools could have expressed more favorable opinions about schools and SDUSD than respondents from community based organizations. Therefore, answers were compared using cross tabs. When this analysis was done, no discernable differences were noted. In short respondents answered in much the same way, regardless of whether or not they worked for the school district. Survey respondents overwhelming reported that schools do not provide adequate services to address the academic needs of refugee families in the San Diego Unified School District (71 percent with 21 percent neutral). Half (50 percent) of respondents think that schools do not know how to assess the educational needs of students (25 percent were neutral). Figure 2 and Figure 3 illustrate respondents perspective about capacity at schools to provide services. In particular respondents answers show a need to build capacity to provide services that are culturally and linguistically appropriate for refugee students. Moreover, respondents indicate a need to build capacity of counseling and mental health professionals to address the high level of trauma experienced by many refugee students. Figure 2. Level of agreement with the statement: Schools have the capacity to provide culturally and linguistically appropriate services to refugee students. Strongly Agree 2 Agree 10 Don't know 7 Strongly 24 Neither Agree or

12 Figure 3. Level of agreement with the statement: Counselors and mental health professionals within district schools are equipped to meet the needs of refugee students who may have experienced a high level of trauma. Strongly Agree 0 Agree 17 Don't know 10 Strongly 19 Neither Agree or One respondent said, Counselors are either unavailable or unqualified to deal with the levels of trauma that these students and their families are facing. One-quarter of respondents agreed that refugee cultures are celebrated within SDUSD, yet 30 percent disagreed and 28 percent reported neutral on this question. Some respondents noted a lack of awareness about the number of refugee students enrolled in SDUSD schools and their academic progress. One respondent provided a comment that illustrates the findings presented in Table 2. He/she said: I have seen teachers utilize community services available if they are aware of them. There ARE community resources available but the school sites do not seem like they are fully aware/educated about them. 12

13 Table 2. School Administrator Awareness of Refugee Students Statement School administrators are aware of the number of refugee students enrolled at their sites. School administrators are aware of the academic progress of refugee students enrolled at their Strongly Neither or Agree Agree Strongly Agree Don t Know sites. Despite the many community services available to serve refugees in San Diego County, only 14 percent of respondents agreed that school site staff are aware of how to access community-based support for serving refugee students and families. Furthermore, some respondents indicated that there could be better coordination between refugee serving organizations and schools. For example, 25 percent agreed that schools, government agencies, and community-based organizations work together effectively to serve refugee students and families (36 percent disagreed and 31 percent were neutral). Additional comments provided by respondents further illustrate the figures provided. They said: It is hard to respond to the questions about the success of the school district in identifying the refugee children's difficulties in the school. The efforts should be on going and the schools need to be in a constant collaboration with the medical and behavioral health psychologists. There is a duplication of effort here and I am not sure if this is to the children's benefit. We do not have the support services available to meet the needs of our refugee population. We need many, many more social workers who are trained in refugee support, as well as language and translation services so the students do not need to try to think in English of what is going on for them emotionally/socially. 13

14 APPENDIX A: SURVEY RESPONSES Q1. Please rate the extent which you agree with the following statements about refugee students. There is a system in place to properly assign newly immigrated refugee students to the appropriate grade level. Appropriate student support services are available for refugee students. Strongly Neither or Agree Agree Strongly agree Don't know Refugee students are more likely than non-refugee students to have disabilities that require them to be enrolled in special education. Refugee students need additional support with core academic content in English Language Arts. Refugee students need additional support with core academic content in Math and Science. Refugee students understand the importance of academic success Refugee students have strong study skills Refugee students take part in extracurricular activities such as clubs. Refugee students demonstrate resiliency Refugee students understand the value of perusing post-secondary education. Refugee students know how to find academic support when they need it. Refugee students have the same sense of connection to their school as non-refugee students. Bullying/harassment is a concern with refugee students Attendance is a concern with refugee students Social integration is a concern with refugee students

15 Open Ended Responses: I am working with refugee students and their families from Burma. If they understand the value of perusing post-secondary education or understand the importance of academic success completely depend on their parents and their family situations in this community. Most of them do understand those, but many of them have to give up their post-secondary education to support their family. Refugee students need additional support from the school as the integration and assimilation is a difficult task considering the differences of the home culture and the school culture. Refugee youth in H.S. tend to succeed in Math and struggle in the core subjects that require more advanced English skills (such as: Science, History and English courses) The statement "Refugee students understand the importance of academic success" is vague as it depends on the culture of the refugee student. Most Karen, Karen, etc. (Burmese refugee) students have a very strong understanding of the importance of academic success and are more prepared thanks to their schooling in refugee camps in Thailand. However, many Somali and East-African students do not understand the importance of academic success as education services in many camps in Africa are limited - not to mention Somalia's civil instability has rendered many individuals born after the 1970's illiterate. A select number of very motivated refugee students know how to find academic support when they need it. However, I believe the limiting factor is that there simply are not enough academic supports in place at schools like Crawford & Mann to meet the demand. "There is a system in place to properly assign newly resettled refugee students to the appropriate grade level" - This is much easier in K-6 as when a student arrives and has received VERY little schooling prior but begins to be very difficult once students enter High School. It is often common practice in a refugee camp to claim your child is older than they actually are; to be able to receive a larger food allotment. However, when youth arrive in the U.S. - schools simply look at documents and place youth in a grade according to their age. This compounds the issue of often limited schooling and minimal English language skills; refugee youth often arrive with. Crawford has done a great job of placing most newly arrived youth in 9th grade, regardless of their age, to give them a fighting chance and this is commendable. Refugee Students need additional assistance [more so] than their peers. I primarily work with the 2year-5year old populations. Many refugee parents/families are confused by the special education, IEP process as a whole. For those families who have children with Autism, there is even more confusion about special education services, resources, and general knowledge about Autism. I have been working with XXX at the Somali Resource Center to help integrate parents knowledge and resources in the community. I would love to continue to be a support to SRC in any way that I can. Our refugee students have significant gaps in their education. Some have never had the opportunity to attend school prior to arrival in the USA. Because of this, they are often illiterate in their home language, and thus need much greater support and time to achieve appropriate study skills and basic language knowledge and understanding. Also, our refugee population suffers with pretty severe PTSD issues. Most of our refugee students have come from areas of war and conflict and have grown up around tremendous poverty and violence. This absolutely affects their ability to learn in school. As an educator at Hoover High School I would like to form or be a part of a committee that can brainstorm and provide not only academic but social-emotional support to refugee children for a long period of time. Many of the refugees come with a foundation in literacy and numeracy in their primary language, if they had a formal and consistent education in their country. Many do 15

16 not have this basic foundation and struggle academically. This is especially evident in our secondary schools. There are many refugee students who come with trauma and learning disabilities. But due to the lack of language they are not assessed for special education or a 504 to provide them with support. SDUSD needs interpreters in the languages and dialects that the refugees speak in order for us to communicate with them and their families. There is nothing I have seen being done to address the trauma that these students have experienced. I think their deep trauma greatly impacts their educational abilities. The families need more than the 7 months of support they get from their resettling agencies/the government as they continue to adjust to life in the U.S. and maneuver schools, social services, health services, etc. Students need more support than even the ELLs get at their school sites. They have been through something great- persecution, fleeing, violence/war, starvation, refugee camps, etc. Some have had NO prior education before entering the U.S., which makes their grade level often MUCH too difficult for them. Their families need to be taught what they can do to support their kids' academics: provide a quiet, safe environment for them to do homework, feel them healthy food, put them to bed early, etc. The students need more after school activities to engage them and to keep them motivated to come to school though it is VERY hard to fit in, adjust academically and socially. Students and their families also need much more access to translation at the school sites. Many families have no one to translate or rely on their kids (who know very little) to translate for them. For some of my answers I chose neither agree or disagree because the answers would vary depending on the student. For example some do participate in clubs and some don't. Some have strong study skills and some don't. For the question about special Ed, I'm not familiar enough with how many non-refugee students require special Ed to be able to make the comparison. Some of my responses do not reflect all but some of our refugee population. Some refugee's enter the school and take full advantage of all services. Parents need more direction and assistance in supporting their students. Translation services are a huge issue for our refugee population. There are a lot of reasons why refugee students need help the most. Here are some of my observations. Due to lack of the English language and support, refugee students cannot sustain the same level as no-refugee students. Most of the refugee students have not seen a classroom since birth and never had a formal education. They are in a cultural shock. Another reason is most of the refugee parents do not read or write; therefore, there is no support from home; not to mention their financial struggle. In addition to additional support in core academic content, they need support with the acquiring English. My school offers Newcomer language support to students new to schooling in the United States, which includes refugees. 16

17 Q2. Please rate the extent to which you agree with the following statements about refugee families. Refugee families have experienced a higher level of trauma than non-refugee families. Parents of refugee students want to be actively involved in the education of their children. Parents of refugee children are informed about the educational opportunities available to their children. There are cultural and linguistic barriers that need to be addressed so that parents may navigate the school system. School staff provide a welcoming atmosphere for refugee parents/families. Parents are provided meaningful opportunities to participate in their child s education Refugee parents understand their rights and responsibilities as they relate to their child s education. Refugee parents understand the important role that they play in supporting their child s academic success. Strongly Neither or Agree Agree Stron gly Agree Don't know Refugee parents know how to access school-based resources that support their child s academic progress. Refugee parents know how to access school-based resources that support their child s behavioral and social needs. Refugee parents understand the value of pre-school Refugee parents understand the importance of academic success Refugee parents understand the value of post-secondary education. Refugee parents know how to navigate the educational system Refugee parents understand the special education system Refugee parents are comfortable using educational technology. Refugee parents know how to help their child prepare for post-secondary education (applications, tuition, A-G requirements etc.). Refugee parents have a sense of connection to their child s school. Refugee parents are comfortable talking with their child s teacher. Refugee parents are prepared to participate effectively in the education of their child(ren)

18 Open Ended Responses: The refugee parents get oriented with the school system when they resettle in San Diego, but how much they learn from this orientation depends on their ability to learn. I would like to assume that it is very overwhelming in the beginning to learn all the aspects of the new home. Refugee parents are very interested but unknowing about how to be involved in their children's school social and academic environments. Special assistance to refugee parents through the school would be very helpful to refugee families. The largest issue with integration of parents into their child's education is the language barrier. Parents cannot participate in their children's education if they cannot be spoken to by other adults (not having children translate) the second largest issue is a culture one where many refugee cultures rely on a cooperative society to help raise children. Most refugee parents DEEPLY respect & revere teachers and believe strongly in the value of education but believe when they send their child to school it's the Teacher's responsibility to teach and discipline the child. Most refugee parents would encourage the School to take more responsibility in disciplining their children. The newcomer teachers offer a very welcoming environment for refugee families while unfortunately, the school at large often sees these families as a burden given the language barrier and unfamiliarity with the school system. The special education system is a very challenging system for ALL parents, refugee or not. There are some wonderful schools that integrate refugee families and there are other schools that are failing refugee families and students. It truly is an individualized situation. I think language is the strongest barrier between our refugee parents and the school. We need more language translation in more languages. Many of the refugee families are coming from areas of the world that do not have strong and large communities yet developed. Therefore, these greater resources (such as translation services) are more difficult to come by. Refugee parents need to be educated on how the American school system works and what their rights are. Many of them are not aware that they are able to come to school and take an active role in their child's education and ask questions. Education around special education and mental health needs to be provided to refugee parents and their children. There is a negative stigma centered around it that needs to be demystified. Parents need to also be aware that they have the right to a professional interpreter and translation. As I stated in my previous comments, these families lack the knowledge and the support to do/understand most of these things listed here. While their intentions are good, they themselves are dealing with a great deal of trauma and are often simply 'surviving' as they learn English, get a job (often very low-paying) and keep their kids safe. There could be a great deal of support that these families could use: support groups, social gatherings where they could lean on one another, informational sessions (at the schools) with translation where they could gain access to the opportunities available to them (many of the ones listed here). I agree that refugee parents have a desire to help their children succeed and know the importance of education. However, due to the language barrier and lack of immediate access to translation in the district, I think it's often hard for them to navigate the system and become more involved at school. Most of the refugee parents do not read or write; therefore, they cannot understand the value of education. Language barriers are the primary issues that schools and parents have in communicating about refugee children's academic progress, opportunities and support programs. The district provides limited translation services and it is difficult to support over 65 different language needs. 18

19 Q3. Please rate the extent to which you agree with the following statements about schools and/or the district Strongly Neither or Agree Agree Strongly agree Don't know Refugee cultures are celebrated within SDUSD schools Services provided by San Diego Unified School District adequately address the academic needs of refugee families School administrators are aware of the academic progress of refugee students enrolled at their sites School staff welcome support from community-based organizations that support refugees School administrators are aware of the number of refugee students enrolled at their sites Schools know how to assess the educational needs of refugee students Schools, government agencies, and community-based organizations work together effectively to serve refugee students and families School site staff are aware of how to access community-based support for serving refugee students/families Services provided by San Diego Unified School District adequately address the academic needs of refugee students. Counselors and mental health professionals within district schools are equipped to meet the needs of refugee students who may have experienced a high level of trauma Counselors and mental health professionals within district schools are equipped to meet the needs of refugee students who may have experienced a high level of trauma

20 Open Ended Responses: It is hard to respond to the questions about the success of the school district in identifying the refugee children's difficulties in the school. The efforts should be on going and the schools need to be in a constant collaboration with the medical and behavioral health psychologists. There is a duplication of effort here and I am not sure if this is to the children's benefit. Refugee students and the needs of their families are probably unknown in school environments where few refugees reside. SDUSD is all over the place when dealing with refugee issues. It is excellent in many areas, but absolutely lacking is some critical one. SDUSD needs to figure out how to provide services to refugee children and their families in an OPTIMAL way. We do not have the support services available to meet the needs of our refugee population. We need many, many more social workers who are trained in refugee support, as well as language and translation services so the students do not need to try to think in English of what is going on for them emotionally/socially. We could benefit from a therapy group to help support refugees, including art and music, that they could rely on. I assume our administration does not know how many refugee students we have because they were not aware of how many students have significant gaps in education (SIFE). Some administrators and staff are aware as to who some of the refugee students are. At this time there is not a way to find out unless one looks in their cumulative folder or asks the student. Some staff and administrators and mental health professionals and counselors are aware of the needs of refugee children. Many do not. More awareness around refugees and asylees needs to be provided to staff and the community. Teachers who teach in the communities where refugees and their families live are often overwhelmed by a host of educational and social needs of the majority of their students. Adding the issues faced by refugee students is icing on the cake of students' needs. I have seen teachers utilize community services available if they are aware of them. I have seen one particular guidance assistant who is connected to the community who can then connect refugee kids to some of the resources available but he seems to be the minority. There ARE community resources available but the school sites do not seem like they are fully aware/educated about them. Meeting cultural needs and UNDERSTANDING the host of incoming cultures has not been a huge priority in the schools I have seen. Counselors are either unavailable or unqualified to deal with the levels of trauma that these students and their families are facing. I don't think staff are informed about services provided for refugee students and there needs to be better communication about these services, to teachers especially. In the 20

21 district I believe the New Arrival Centers are great for assessing and addressing the academic needs of these students. Quality training is provided to these teachers to provide quality instruction. However, beyond the New Arrival Centers the other ESL classes are poorly funded and poorly staffed and this is a big concern in school with high populations of refugee students who need quality ESL instruction. ESL should be a priority at these schools. These questions cannot be answered with a yes or no; the issues are not that easy. Mann has a New Arrival Center that supports our refugee population and provides leveled classes as child progress. Budget constraints limit this intervention. 21

22 Open ended responses given when asked: Are there specific gaps in services for refugee students and their families that want us to know about? There is a huge gap among SDUSD schools on the level of supports provided for refugee students and their families. Some schools have some funds for Karen/ Burmese interpretation, but most of them do not. Some schools offer workshop and training series to refugee parents, but many schools do not. Refugee kids need appropriate initial assessment and an academic plan to come up to speed linguistically and academically to their peers. This will need to include accommodation for acculturation, language and social skills development. Parents need group orientation and personalized counsel about how they can create a supportive environment for their children to succeed at school. Of course, this would need to be offered in the primary languages understood by the parents. The school district needs to know how many youth in the district are refugees. Currently most refugee students enrolling check "African-American", "Asian" or "Other". Being able to track students would inherently limit their current invisibility in the system. Cultural gaps between students and parents as students grow at a faster pace than their parents. Yes, mental health services. And language development and acquisition for the parents so they can acquire jobs here. There are many, many gaps. I feel that I addressed them in my previous comments, ranging from educational support inside and outside the classroom, support groups and therapy for the trauma ALL members of a family face, teaching parents about education, parenting and children's health in the U.S. to activities outside of school available for these families. There is a lack of services to support students/families with trauma and just adjusting to school or life in America. There are also no resources to help determine if a student needs special education services because the fall back is always the student needs to acquire English. Translation availability at schools is a huge barrier. Lack of coordination between school staff and outside services is another gap. There are programs and services but not enough. There are so many languages that we need translation services for and they are not as readily available as we would like. 22

23 Open ended responses given when asked: Is there anything else you would like us to know about serving refugee students and their families? What works? What doesn't work? What needs to be improved? We definitely need tighter and deeper connection between schools and community based organizations serving specific refugee populations. Karen Organization of San Diego believes that it is the key to support refugee students and their families. SD Unified is very different from Grossmont (with regards to the refugee population) for 2 reasons: 1. SD Unified refugee population is extremely diverse (Ethiopian, Karen, Somali, Eritrean, Burmese, Somali Bantu, Uzbek, Karenni, Chin, Shan, Congolese Students,etc) who all speak distinct languages and Grossmont is not (most speak Arabic). 2. SD Unified population includes many "free cases" where refugee families are resettled here not knowing anyone (hence rely much more heavily on agencies) while Grossmont has many "Tied Cases" where a refugee family is resettled with an uncle who has lived in the U.S. for 8 years. This means that SD Unified must be prepared to provided more services to meet the need of this wonderfully diverse population Refugees need: evidence-based parent education and communication skills for both parents and children, Tutoring and mentoring students. Leadership isn't a priority for refugee students and parents. Surveys need to be culturally appropriate for refugees otherwise data wouldn't be accurate. School district needs to be trained how to be culturally sensitive since refugees come from very harsh living environments or war zones who have been through different traumas and therefore, they need kind and understanding teachers and staff. Schools needs to have a better assessment system to place each refugee student at their academic level, not age level and offer support for them to be successful. I fear that many of our refugee students are subject to this new wave of sex-trafficking and exploitation. We have had several incidents in the past couple of year involving students who may have been victims of this. I also want to know how many of our students were subject to this in their refugee camps prior to arriving here. All of the knowledge I have on the students of Burma (which is very limited) has been done by myself, and I (unfortunately) feel like I have a better idea of what some of our students have encountered than others, only because of this research. I wish we could have real training, perhaps from the refugee services in the community. Students who are 17 or older and newly enrolled in high school as a ninth grader need to be given a different pathway once they turn 18 years of age. Provide more support and education on how the education and community systems work. Develop a network system of refugees who have lived the community for a long period of time and are successful with new arrival refugees to provide assistance and understanding. We have found that 1:1 help has been the most effective. We have seen the greater San Diego community become VERY interested in helping these families- they come regularly to volunteer to help these kids with their academic needs. We see the refugee families in great need of the academic help and though our program only runs once a week, they would come to it if it could 23

24 be 2-4 days a week. The families are willing to attend other programs we have connected them to: swimming, music, farming...they are a very open, willing population. I think we need to really work hard to get to these kids and their families before the negative effects of the low-income communities in which they are living begin to affect them. Families are eager to participate in their children's school, but translation can be very difficult to find for the diverse languages. This is a barrier to a successful relationship. There are also some refugee students who just need more support than others. Social skills and counseling are examples of needed support. Refugees with strong community support groups, like KOSD, are more likely to have parent involvement. What works- teachers who are specially hired and trained to teach these students and provide quality ESL instruction. What doesn't work- teachers being forced to teach ESL because it works with the master schedule. What needs to be improved- access to translation services, training staff about services available and supporting staff in working with this population. 24