The U.S. Department of Education released a guide for secondary schools, community colleges and universities on how to better support undocumented students. With approximately 65,000 undocumented youth graduating high school every year, according to the department, the tool is much-needed because undocumented students are one of the most vulnerable groups in U.S. schools.
In 2012, President Obama created the program Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, which allows youth brought to the U.S. as children—and who meet certain guidelines—to apply for a renewable two-year work permit and permission to be in the country.
“Evidence suggests that DACA has helped to make significant improvements in the lives of undocumented youth educationally and economically,” the guide says. “So far, more than 680,000 undocumented young people have received DACA. Some researchers predict that more than 400,000 children will turn 15 and age into possible threshold DACA eligibility in the next few years and another 400,000 undocumented individuals could meet the threshold DACA guidelines, but do not yet meet the threshold education criteria.”
Their presence is large, but only about 54 percent undocumented youth in the country have a high school diploma, compared to 82 percent of U.S. born youth; and merely 5 to 10 percent of undocumented high graduates enroll in a higher ed institution, the guide says. With the right tools, the country could really be taking advantage of the potential undocumented youth posses.
“Despite these significant challenges, many undocumented youth have achieved academic success—graduating from two-and-four-year higher education institutions and empowering other undocumented youth through mentorship and volunteering,” the guide says.
The guide is based off case studies and testimonies from undocumented youth—all pointing to the fact that a major influence in their academic success has been the support of family, educators and other adults in their lives. Research also shows that certain tools, such as extracurricular activities and engaged parents, can “boost resiliency among undocumented youth, and are correlated with greater educational attainment.”
From the guide:
“As a nation of immigrants, the United States has benefited tremendously from the talents, values, and contributions of newcomers to our shores. In the face of immense barriers, many undocumented youth have exhibited exemplary perseverance, work ethic, and leadership. Yet hurdles and challenges remain. Many educators, counselors, and school leaders have expressed interest in learning how to better support all children so that they can achieve educational and economic success – regardless of actual or perceived immigration status. Informed by research and promising practices, the U.S. Department of Education (Department) has compiled this Resource Guide to assist and enhance State and local efforts to support undocumented youth at the secondary and postsecondary school levels.
However, high-quality early learning and elementary education is critical to college and career success for all children. Therefore, the Department will in coming months release a separate resource guide on early learning and elementary education that includes promising practices for serving undocumented children and children of undocumented parents. The Department hopes that educators, schools, and campuses will, as they see fit, draw upon the tips and examples in this Guide to better support undocumented youth and, ultimately, move us closer to the promise of college and career readiness for all.”
Some of the suggestions the department has for secondary schools are: To create an open and welcoming environment; build staff capacity and knowledge about undocumented youth; share information and resources with youth and families; engage families and community organizations; provide additional academic supports for undocumented youth if needed. The suggestions for higher ed institutions are similar.
Read the entire guide on the department’s website.
This article appears in Oct 15-21, 2015.
This is absolutely crazy!
How much are illegals kids NOT costing us? Why won’t TUSD not release how many we are paying for?
US taxpayers paid for this study! Citizens lives do not matter!!!!!
Should be a one page, very simple message.
Get out, go home.
Billions and billions of dollars from hard working Americans being blown on people not supposed to be here and don’t even like us.
Exactly WHAT have undocumented people contributed to the US besides extreme debt and illiteracy?
MARÍA INÉS TARACENA if you are so dedicated to the undocumented why don’t you SPONSOR a family?
The average Hispanic family has 2.4 kids (double the rest of the US) @ a US average of $12,600 a year to educate for 13 years is $400,000. YOU WANT THEM? YOU PAY FOR THEM! No one invited them!
You are also invited to pay their rent if they aren’t living in public housing which pays NO PROPERTY TAX.
You can also pick up their Medicaid and cash subsidy! If not than you have nothing of importance to say!
They are having problems in school because they are studying where they came from instead of where they are going and these are their parents: Nevada saw 90% of immigrants flunk the written test in the first few weeks a new driver authorization card was offered. The California DMV (90% failed) is also concerned that immigrants might not have the literacy proficiency needed to pass.
http://www.reviewjournal.com/news/nevada-a…
You should look up the natural IQs of all the groups involved and you will see that you are fighting a losing battle. Turning the US schools into one big SPECIAL ED program is not the way to go. Deportation is the ONLY answer!
What a surprise, the “blame illegals for everything” crowd is out in force and spewing the same tired, disproved rhetoric they have come to fall back on in place of actual debate or thought.
These hate comments are outrageous. Those people who are criticizing the undocumented students should really get educated and realize that not all undocumented population became undocumented by crossing the border, and many of undocumented students came to the U.S. without their will. There are many undocumented students who are struggling to receive education just because they followed their parents when they were young. If people truly knew the loopholes and issues that the immigration system has in this country, then these negative criticisms would not be posted. Please, educate yourselves on the topic before hating.
What if you are educated? What if your heart is not full of hate, but of love, for your own people and America?
Why can’t you be against illegal immigration and spending American money on educating Mexican, Central and South American children? The money spent on ESL (English as a Second Language) teachers, mandated by courts, takes away from quality of life and education from American children.
I served with people of all races and backgrounds, and they are all Americans. Why am I a “hater” or “racist” if I put America first?
What the so-called anti-haters don’t realize is that my love for America and her people transcends their misplaced empathy, manufactured privilege and imaginary guilt.
Washington Post just reported: 10,000 illegal aliens were apprehended in the month of September, the second highest of the fiscal year.
Yet the head of the BP just told us that the border is secure and we are apprehending few illegal entrants.
The 10,000 number came from ICE. Is 10,000 few to you with the jobs outlook poor? Let alone our LAWS.
Claudia: “The average Hispanic family has 2.4 kids.” Not sure where that figure comes from — though 2.4 is the Hispanic woman’s Total Fertility Rate (which, as Pew explains, is the number of children the average woman is predicted to have in her lifetime) according to a 2012 study. Of that figure, do you know if the “average Hispanic family” is one that has been Americanized, or is it (as you imply) strictly in regards to undocumented migrants?
As to why 90 percent of Nevada’s non-English-speaking migrants failed the test the first time, it’s because many didn’t understand that there was to be a test in the first place — they were unprepared, thinking that they were only going to fill out a form. Failure rates dropped closer to the average failure rate as weeks progressed. (By the by, the California DMV cited a 70 percent failure rate for first-timers on the Spanish-language test in that article, not the 90 percent that you cited.)
Further, are you suggesting that a person of Hispanic descent is less intelligent, simply by virtue of their race (as you seem to suggest with your “natural IQ” comment)? Because if that’s your intent, I’m very interested in testing your hypothesis with you next time I visit the Old Pueblo.
David W: Mind citing a source on that? I don’t necessarily distrust your numbers, as I’ve seen high immigration report numbers in recent months. But the only article I found for the month of September in trying to back your claim up is one from Breitbart, and I’m loathe to consider that source an unbiased authority on immigration numbers. Nothing from ICE either, for that matter.