Educating a Foreign Voice

How does New York City treat this issue?

“Just 45% of the students who entered the bilingual programs in middle school and 15% of those who entered in high school achieved sufficient English proficiency to leave those classes during their school career.” – The New York Times, December 20, 2012

According to the New York City Department of Education, the city provides educational services for LEP students at a select number of schools in each district.  If a school does not offer a bilingual program, parents may select another school in the same school district that does have a program.

These programs include:

1. Transitional Bilingual Education: Instruction begins in two languages and as the students’ English proficiency increases, the percentage of instruction in English increases as well.
2. English as a Second Language (ESL): Instruction is given in English and includes some native language for support, if requested.
3. Dual Language: Instruction is 50% in English and 50% in another language.

Immigrants in Schools Today: Beyond the Language Barrier

Prior to the 21st Century, the main problem faced by immigrant students, and the school officials responsible for them, was how to appropriately, and legally, handle and overcome the language barrier.  Today, new and more complex concerns have formed as immigration, both documented and undocumented, continues to increase, while the appeal of assimilation decreases.

From Kindergarten through Elementary and Middle School, American students are taught and prepared for the intimidating, and often challenging, four-year transition from childhood to adulthood, known as High School.   The secondary-school agenda requires students to complete core subjects, while encouraging them to develop independence and management skills to attain high academic achievement, eventually progressing to a prestigious college and a successful career.  While this “path to success” is considered common among American school students, to those who are newly arrived it may appear as a completely confusing, idealistic, and unattainable concept.

Why?

Prior to the arrival of an immigrant, there are already pre-existing inequalities in education.   Youths and Teens who immigrate to the United States are at an automatic disadvantage due to the the multiple differences in the dominant school structure of one’s country of origin.  In addition, differing cultural values create the potential for consternation upon entering, adjusting, and attempting to integrate into the American high school order.

Common Concerns among Immigrant students:

1. English Language Barrier: competence of the English language provides understanding for activity within the classroom and allows them to excel academically.
2. Lack of Social Support and Acceptance: leaving relatives and familiarity creates a loss of support and acceptance for students who will be facing misunderstandings due to different cultural schemes and possible unwillingness from teachers and peers.
3. Racial Labeling: the issue one faces when attempting to assimilate into American culture, but also remain part of one’s origin.
4. Adapting to New Learning Forms: must adapt to new testing methods, multiple classes and teachers, and disciplinary procedures.
5. Mental Health: common among children who fled from countries due to fear or warfare.
6. Cultural Scripts: includes learning and adapting to the behaviors, ideas, thoughts, and roles that are peculiar to one’s culture, for both the immigrant and native students.
7. Regular Student Issues: dealing with growing up and determining one’s future plans.

Common Concern among Schools:

How can schools efficiently integrate foreign students into American school culture and properly prepare them for the future, while also addressing individual needs?

Supervisors of school districts and school leaders are responsible for providing the necessary academic and support services to meet the special needs of the foreign-born students and first-generation immigrant students for two reasons.

1. The number of immigrant students will only increase.
2. These students will eventually fulfill a large portion of the labor force in the future.

Treating the Concern:

1. School based initiatives: full-day, half-day, or after-school transition programs that focus on developing language skills, academic skills, and assimilating students through cultural orientation with an eventual transfer to a regular high school.
2. Newcomer Schools: secondary institutions with a curriculum designed specifically for immigrant students.

Liberty High School Academy For Newcomers located on Manhattan’s Lower West Side

However, newcomer schools have not been completely successful in keeping up with the growing number of immigrant students. For example, Liberty High School For Newcomers (left) has had a continual increase in their foreign-born student population since 2014, yet the number full-time teachers has been steadily declining since 2011.  As a result, test scores and statewide performance have continued to decrease as well (see Line Graph below).

In 2016, this school ranked 48^th among 56 ranked high schools in the New York City Geographic District # 2.  Compared to the average graduation rates of New York City public school students, students at Liberty High School produced a severely lower graduation rate(see Bar Graph below).

While action has been taken to improve academic and language proficiency of these students, the American School Counselor Association has not yet made a statement on how to approach their growing mental health and social concerns.

How does a system that struggles with meeting the needs of their students and providing resources to find solutions to their problems affect the educational decisions these students make?

In their senior year, all high school students must confront  and begin the college application process.  The dominant middle-class, white students are privileged in that they have access to sources of information that support and guide them through the process of making this crucial educational decision.   More info and guidance needs to be given to the immigrant students than the native students because they are already at a disadvantage.  However, immigrant students do not usually have access to these accommodating services, despite the fact that they have a larger unfamiliarity with the college process and require more information and guidance than native students.

“[they] don’t value [education] . . .it’s their culture . . . some are more interested in getting a car.” – Mr. Patrick, Guidance Counselor at Cabrini High School

A disparity exists between native school personnel, such as Mr. Patrick, who have been immersed in American culture their entire lives, and immigrant students. School figures believed they provide these students with the necessary information because they provide them with the same amount of support as they do the native students.  While this may seem like it promotes equality, it leaves foreign students at a great disadvantage.   Outside factors, such as family, culture, no social networks, and financial stress affect and sometimes limit their opportunities. For example, Mexican culture emphasizes group achievement over individual gain, the opposite of American culture. The college process, school counselors, and other educational authority figures do not always take into account these other factors when attempting to help these students, leaving them frustrated and unwilling to try.  This reaction is perceived by school officials as them being lazy and irresponsible.  Immigrants do care about education, and understand the value of education in attaining a job; the connection between education and opportunity is one of the reasons they come to the Unites States.  But without the proper resources and support, immigrants are restricted to choosing the safest route of working in the family business, as post-secondary education becomes less of a reality.

Possible Solutions 

• Allow equal access to services and opportunities that allow for the adequate adjustment and settlement into schools.
• Expand course options to include more in-depth studies of demography, various cultures, and the history of countries where the majority newly arrive immigrants come from.
• Provide equal access to programs that provide support and aid for assimilation, and ensure the same content is being taught throughout to maintain consistency.
• Use in-service professional development programs to work on a more individual basis and better assess and diagnose the needs of each individual immigrant student.
• Increase communication between schools within the same district to have an awareness of which schools are readily available to accept immigrant students and of the programs available to them there.
• School counselors must develop a deeper understanding of the cultural perspectives and values of immigrant students and their families to create interventions that address the questions and informational needs of this group
• Colleges, especially community colleges due to them being the main post-secondary institution for immigrants, must provide resources to address the particular needs of immigrant students, including financial aid, develop mental education, and career advising.

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Sources

(Click to enlarge)