Promoting a Culture of Welcome for Refugees in Schools - Welcoming ...

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Why build welcoming schools? As a result of attending a welcoming school, students: ... Offer on-site ESL classes. • C
Promoting a Culture of Welcome for Refugees in Schools: Approaches & Opportunities

Photo credit: Welcoming Rhode Island

Fostering Community Engagement and Welcoming Communities is supported by the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR/ACF/DHHS)

Why Schools? Schools set the stage for welcome

Today’s Agenda 1. What is a Welcoming School Environment? Sanja Bebic, Center for Applied Linguistics

2. Examples of Welcome in Schools Shirin Herman, Houston Independent School District Ann Marie Kudlacz, SSCA, Omaha Paw Spai Moo, Lincoln High School

3. Audience Discussion 4. Additional Resources

Recognizing the Challenge…and the Opportunity

Why build welcoming schools? As a result of attending a welcoming school, students: •

have higher self-confidence



have better overall well-being



achieve at higher rates academically

And schools: •

achieve better attendance rates



lower drop out rates



improve rates of parental involvement

Suárez-Orozco, C., Suárez-Orozco, M.M., & I. Todorova. (2008). Learning in a new land: Immigrant students in American society. Cambridge, MA: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press.

Frank, T. H. (2005). The Handbook for Developing Supportive Learning Environments. Eye on Education.

http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=cQ0EAQAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PT15&ots=eBxGKT7SYh&sig=KI9JIwsdUj7ZTr1B-M7c8nwmzK4#v=onepage&q&f=false

Overseas Context Diversity of contexts • Educational backgrounds

• Access to education in countries of asylum • Cultural orientation programs for U.S. resettlement –

Adults



Children and youth

What do you think? (Type in your chat box):

What are the key ingredients of a Welcoming School?

Ways to Engage Students How do we help students feel at home in their school? Examples: •

Host after school clubs (Around the World Club)



Train students to offer tours of the school to newcomers



Have students take pictures of school routines and locations and prepare an orientation binder for new students



Have students label parts of the classroom in English and their home language, if possible



Have students share about their home cultures and languages across the content subjects



Have bilingual students work with newcomers; provide bilingual dictionaries

What do you think? (Type in your chat box):

How do you engage students?

Engaging Educators School Personnel are critical for establishing a culture of welcome. Examples: •

Professional development on cultural awareness and instruction of diverse learners



Provide texts and other resources in the various student languages and about the cultures in the school



Promote the use of online translators or language liaisons to translate documents and orally communicate with families



Encourage content teachers to communicate with ESL teachers, counselors and other support staff

What do you think? (Type in your chat box):

How do you engage educators?

Engaging Parents Many refugee parents have little school interaction and may not engage with more established parents. •

Hire parent and family liaisons



Offer on-site ESL classes



Conduct an orientation



Prepare translated packet



Show video about the school



Conduct parent tours and classroom walk-throughs



Host bilingual parent meetings



Invite community speakers (nurse, librarian, resettlement worker)



Train parent volunteers to welcome new families and provide new information

What do you think? (Type in your chat box):

How do you engage parents?

Engaging the Broader Community Schools can help connect refugee families with the rest of the community.

• Bring the community into the school (health services, job fairs, ESL classes for adults, etc.) • Develop robust volunteer programs that engage diverse people in the community • Develop partnerships with other community services to provide programming and supports • Participate in community service projects initiated by the school, students, and/or families that bring people together to work on a shared interest

What do you think? Type in your chat box):

How do you engage the receiving community?

Education Impact Grant for Refugee Students Houston Independent School District Multi-lingual Department Shirin Herman

Houston’s Refugee Outreach Workers • Orientations- Parent guides and school video • Home visits • Interpretation • Parent/Teacher Conferences/Ambassador Program • Service Brokering • Crisis Intervention

Challenges that Impact Parent Involvement • Acculturation Stress on the Family • Access to the Family • Self Sufficiency Timeline

School personnel can help refugee students by: • Observing to see if additional services are needed • Protecting students from teasing or bullying

• Teaching students about rules of acceptable behavior before disciplining • Identifying students who demonstrate chronic negative behaviors

Nebraska: Bringing the Classroom to the Community SSCA Omaha •

Refugee Resettlement Agency

• Community Center / On-Site Refugee Programs •

Liaison with Refugee Leaders



Resources and Links to Services

Omaha Refugee Task Force -

Education

-

Housing

-

Employment

-

Health

- World Refugee Day

Community Partners and Collaborations Omaha Public Schools

• Parent meetings • ESL and Refugee Program/ Yates Community Center

• THRIVE Club • Quilted Conscience

Nebraska Partners and Collaborations SSCA Omaha

www.sscaomaha.info

THRIVE Club http://www.ops.org/high/south/STUDENTS/ActivitiesClubs/NonCurricularClubs/THRI VELeadershipClub/tabid/1288/Default.aspx

You’re Welcome in Omaha http://nebraskaishome.org/

A Student Perspective Paw Spai Moo Lincoln High School

Lincoln, NE

Moderated Discussion • Share your examples

• Questions for the speakers

• Areas that you think need further attention

Additional Resources • BRYCS (Bridging Refugee Youth and Children’s Services): http://www.brycs.org

• I LEARN AMERICA: www.ilearnamerica.com

• Immigrant Integration Educator’s Resource Guide: www.coloradotrust.org

• Refugee School Impact Grant: http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/orr/programs/school-impact

• United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees: www.unhcr.org

Secondary Newcomer Programs in the U.S. Database

http://www.cal.org/CALWebDB/newcomer/

CAL Resources

www.culturalorientation.net

www.welcomingrefugees.org Promising Practice: Bridging Cultures at West Fargo High School

Contacts: Sanja Bebic, CAL, [email protected]

Shirin Herman, Houston Independent School District, [email protected]

Ann Marie Kudlacz, SSCA, [email protected]

Susan Downs-Karkos, Welcoming America, [email protected]