Educating Immigrant Students

Immigrant children constitute the fastest-growingpopulation in the United States, and their presenceis rapidly changing the demographics of Americanpublic schools—especially in cities where they typi-cally settle with their families. Because these students ’ languages, cultures, and values differ from those of educators—and indeed from one another—school districts face challenges and opportuni-ties as they strive to meet every student’s diverse needs. To educate immigrant and refugee students effectively, districts must first meet their psychological and social needs. For example, many immigrant children who attend American schools are from war-torn developing countries. Many of these children were exposed to the traumas of war, witnessed violence and killings, and lived in refugee camps. As such, they have special issues that must be addressed before they can learn. Even within the immigrant and refugee student popu-lation, there is diversity regarding English-language abili-ty and educational background. Thus, it is vital that school districts create successful learning experiences for these students that recognize their linguistic, psychologi-cal, socioeconomic, and cultural needs. School districts are responsible for distributing resources to schools, but their decisions are restricted by their boards of education. For example, in New York, the federal gov