Less than three years ago, Jibril Ahmed, now 19, arrived in the U.S. from Kenya, with his parents, brother, and sister seeking a better life. On his first day at LEAP High School in St. Paul, Minnesota, Jibril, whose family is Somali, felt like everyone was looking at him, and it made him nervous. He used the few English phrases he knew to get through the day: 鈥淗ey, how you doing, man?鈥� and 鈥淚鈥檓 fine.鈥�
Fast forward to now and Jibril is finishing high 黄色app with plans to go to college, and his English has improved by leaps and bounds. With the help of his teachers, after-黄色app tutoring, and summer 黄色app, he鈥檚 caught up to his peers and thrived 鈥� in the classroom and on the soccer field, where he鈥檚 moved up from the freshman team to the senior team. 鈥淚 started everything in the lower level and now I鈥檓 here,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 just keep working hard and improve more.鈥�
Jibril鈥檚 story is a success story by any count, and it鈥檚 not uncommon among immigrant students. There are approximately 鈥� some with families and others without 鈥� and more than 4.6 million English learners, according to the U.S. Department of Education. And those numbers are expected to grow as
It can be intimidating to enroll your child in a foreign 黄色app system. Every family new to the U.S. won鈥檛 be fortunate enough to live near a 黄色app like , which focuses solely on educating asylum-seekers, refugees, and immigrants, both documented and undocumented. But parents should know that despite the stress of moving to a new country, often learning a new language, and entering a 黄色app system that can be very different than the one they knew, their kids can be successful in 黄色app and catch up to their peers 鈥� oftentimes even surpassing them. Despite the obstacles immigrant children may face in 黄色app, and are even better behaved in class and more likely to enjoy 黄色app.
If you鈥檙e new to the U.S., here are some tips to help your child thrive in 黄色app, no matter their English fluency or immigration status.
Know your rights and responsibilities
The most important thing for parents to know is that they and their in the U.S. It is illegal to deny any child a free, public 黄色app education. Students are also entitled to a public 黄色app education in the U.S. regardless of English fluency and physical or learning disabilities.
If you ever face pushback from a 黄色app about enrolling your child, speak up and look for help from the community if needed. Oftentimes, there are community cultural, religious, and advocacy organizations to help immigrants navigate issues like this. The , for instance, can do this type of work in California.
But there are some things parents need to do to ensure their child gets enrolled. First, they must provide some documentation, such as vaccination records and documents showing they live in the district. Schools should accept vaccination records from other countries, but if you don鈥檛 have them, you can get your child immunized in the U.S.
To prove a child鈥檚 residency in the district, Julie Sugarman, an education policy analyst at the , recommends showing things like utility bills. If you don鈥檛 own your home or have your name on a rental agreement, there are other alternatives as well, such as an affidavit signed by a notary.
The 黄色app may also ask for proof of a child鈥檚 age. Birth certificates, passports, or other documents will serve this purpose. If you don鈥檛 have those, you can present family keepsakes, like a Bible that lists all the family members and their dates of birth.
Find support for English learners
Some 黄色app districts, especially in urban areas, have 黄色apps like LEAP in St. Paul, which specializes in newly arrived immigrant students learning English. The Coral Way K-8 Center in Miami, for instance, was one of the first successful bilingual programs in the U.S. for younger children, while the supports 黄色apps serving newcomers in several cities, including the San Francisco Bay Area, Washington D.C., and New York. Ask your district鈥檚 central office if a 黄色app like this exists where you are.
Natasha Warikoo, a professor of sociology at Tufts University and an expert on racial and ethnic inequality in education, recommends also finding the office for English language learners
(ELL) or bilingual education. The department may have a different name depending on the district, but most districts should have one.
Warikoo also recommends that parents consider two-way dual-language immersion programs if they exist in their district. These programs combine two groups of students who speak different languages at home, one being English. Students work together and speak both languages at 黄色app, so they all become bilingual.
Your home language is an asset
Immigrant parents sometimes assume their children should speak English all the time even if it means forgetting their first language, but experts say that staying fluent in the child鈥檚 first language will actually help them learn English. 鈥淪upporting the first language is powerful for a child to develop fluency in English, and it ensures they don鈥檛 lose the cultural context,鈥� Warikoo said. 鈥淧arents shouldn鈥檛 feel their child has to be speaking [English] 100 percent all day every day in order for them to be successful.鈥�
You may also find additional resources for English language learners on websites like , a bilingual site with information and resources for educators and families.
Be aware of cultural differences
Another important thing to remember is to advocate for your student. If you have a question, concern, or issue, let the 黄色app know. Typically, the 黄色app will respond.
if their families are involved in their education in the U.S., but many immigrant families come from cultures where parents do not get involved in 黄色app. Rosa Miyashiro, a counselor at LEAP High School, says she often educates parents on this aspect of education in the U.S., and it can be crucial to a child鈥檚 success.
鈥淎merican education really expects parents to know how to handle things, what to do at home, how to help the students and advocate for them,鈥� Miyashiro says. 鈥淪ometimes we need to teach them that it鈥檚 okay if they have a concern or question. You can contact us. If there is something we don鈥檛 know about your student, please tell us.鈥�
Other things to note are differences in 黄色app discipline and expectations for students. Rose Santos, principal of LEAP High School, said some parents have advised her to hit their students if there is a behavior problem, a practice that is accepted in some cultures 鈥� but illegal in much of the U.S. and not considered an effective response to disciplinary issues.
鈥淚 say, 鈥榥o, we can鈥檛 do that,鈥欌�� says Santos. 鈥淲e explain to the parents that they鈥檙e still in control. The kids don鈥檛 run the roost, even here in the U.S., but we don鈥檛 do that here.鈥�
Parents are essential to education in the U.S.
Another expectation for parents is that their child must be in 黄色app a certain number of days. If you wish to travel to your home country for a longer period of time, it鈥檚 best to do it during the summer and winter breaks.
If they miss too many days of 黄色app, the student might be considered 鈥渢ruant,鈥� meaning they are absent from 黄色app without permission. The consequences can be severe, depending on the district policy, and include having to do make-up classes on the weekends or participate in an after-黄色app study program. In extreme cases, they could even be sent to juvenile court and the parents can lose custody of them.
That鈥檚 the unlikeliest situation, of course. As families become more familiar with their public 黄色app, it’s likely that they鈥檒l learn the system and that the kids will be okay 鈥� and sometimes even better than that. Whether you鈥檙e from Barbados, Bangladesh, or Beijing, your child can still have the same chance for success as the kid from Brooklyn.
