Refugee Students: Educational Challenges and Strategies for Leaders Working with Third World Populations

Cooper, Thomas, III

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Last Modified

March 19, 2019

Creator

Cooper, Thomas, III
- Affiliation: School of Education, Educational Leadership Graduate Program

Abstract

Each year, the United States resettles more refugees than any other country in the world. These students are placed into foreign learning environments where they are forced to adapt to new academic settings while also adjusting to a new culture. Often times, these students are escaping a violent past and are placed with teachers who have limited training in dealing with such issues. The passage of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) of 2001 was intended to identify failing schools, however it has also lead to potential gaps that students can fall through. In this dissertation, third world refugee students who come to the United States and may not meet the minimum requirements to be counted in the NCLB accountability demographic are identified, their challenges are examined, and strategies are presented for school leaders to utilize for the benefit of refugee students. This mixed methods study explores a school devoted to newly arrived students in the United States. Through the use of interviews, observations, and data analysis, a framework was created that will aid social justice minded leaders as they create learning environments that can help third world refugees succeed. This document provides school leaders with intentional implementation strategies within a three-tiered framework that can be used to guide districts towards a more comprehensive and culturally responsive educational setting. Future research would be beneficial in the areas of students' feelings of school belonging, self-awareness, nationality equating to academic achievement, and the impact entry age has on academic success.

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