Transatlantic Symposium Report: Improving Instruction for Immigrant and Refugee Students in Secondary Schools
A new Migration Policy Institute report,Transatlantic Symposium Report: Improving Instruction for Immigrant and Refugee Students in Secondary Schools, synthesizes the themes and central questions raised during the presentations and discussions that took place over the course of a symposium devoted to these issues in Brussels in June 2015. The symposium brought together policymakers, teacher educators, and researchers from the United States and Europe to explore the imperative of improving educational outcomes for students from migrant and language-minority backgrounds, with a particular focus on the initial and ongoing training of teachers and school leaders. The event also focused on elements of school and policy design that promote effective instruction for migrant and language-minority students in the secondary grades.
A companion commentary, authored by MPI Policy Analyst Julie Sugarman, also explores the challenges in building teacher capacity to meet the needs of newcomer youth. “Training must go beyond the application of instructional strategies and focus on intercultural communication, language and content integration, and appropriate responses to students who have experienced trauma and the persistent stresses of family reunification, uncertain legal status, and cultural adjustment,” Sugarman writes.
KJ