Clarifying Newcomer/RAEL Program Design
Let’s break down some thoughts and areas of confusion around Newcomer/RAEL program design. In serving our new-to-English students, it’s important that our site-based model(s) of instruction truly reflect our student population and specific learning needs.
Clarifying Newcomer/RAEL Program Framework
ELL programming is not a homogeneous application. In fact, there are many different channels to achieve the aim of targeted, accelerated academic language instruction. It will be up to you and your key stakeholders to determine the mode or combination of modes that will best service your specific student population, school culture and available resources.
Both Newcomer or RAEL (Recent Arriver English Learner) initiatives are unique in that they are designated according to units of time. Newcomer and RAEL programming, as defined by ESSA, is designed to serve new-to English speakers for up to two full semesters. After this interval, students are expected to transition into standard EL programming and/or traditional mainstream coursework for the duration of their school career (though even mainstreamed students may still be eligible to receive supplementary English support services).
However, certain exceptions can be made for learners who demonstrate exceptional need. If, after two semesters, a student is not making the appropriate academic progress toward language-based exit criteria- and if such evidence suggests that such gap would significantly impair a child's opportunity to fully participate and succeed in a mainstream learning environment- then he or she may be referred for additional Newcomer services.
Newcomer policy differs from general ELL services (such as ESL for Spanish speakers or ESL pull-out sessions for mainstreamed Newcomers), which are not time contingent. General ELL programming is based on English language skill and ability level. As long as an identified English language learner evidences a need for continued skill-building in any of the four language domains (reading, writing, speaking, listening), he or she will remain eligible for these services.
Let’s take a look at the most common language service programs. Be thinking about which services already exist on your campus, or which specific styles (or combinations) might be the best fit for your campus.
Note that the stated descriptors will widely from one state or district to another. However, the core elements of each program model should remain consistent.
PROGRAM MODELS FOR LANGUAGE LEARNING
Dual Language: Learners are instructed in and encouraged to interact in both the heritage and the host language, with a goal of developing and maintaining proficiency in both. ELA-S (Spanish) programs are the most prevalent form of dual language education in the U.S.
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NUMBER OF D/L STUDENTS
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PERCENTAGE OF D/L STUDENTS
Transitional Bilingual: Learners are initially instructed in and encouraged to interact both the heritage and host languages, with a goal of developing English proficiency and fully transitioning to mainstream programming. In this way, the heritage language is slowly phased out as English language abilities increase.
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NUMBER OF T/B STUDENTS
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PERCENTAGE OF T/B STUDENTS
Newcomer Programming: Using Sheltered Instruction techniques and a range of socio-linguistic supports, learners are instructed in and encouraged to interact in English, with a goal of developing English proficiency and fully transitioning to mainstream programming. Newcomer instruction may encompass other areas, including Western norms and values; trauma and shock mitigation; health and wellness protocol and additional parent-outreach efforts.
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NUMBER OF N/C STUDENTS
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PERCENTAGE OF N/C STUDENTS
Tier 2 ELL/ESL Services: Tier 2 Services enable eligible students to participate in Push-In/Pull-Out resources for English language development, with a goal of enhancing English language abilities after a child has been mainstreamed. In Push-In settings, a language specialist will meet and work with the child in his or her classroom, while Pull-Out options call for students to leave the homeroom for established durations to work on language development in individual or small group contexts. Programs will vary by school design.
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NUMBER OF TIER 2 STUDENTS
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PERCENTAGE OF TIER 2 STUDENTS
Asylum 101 for Educators: Learning & Lesson Plan Resources Included!
Who is an asylum seeker?
To define asylum seeker, let’s back up and explore two other designations: immigrant and refugee. Immigrants, by technical definition, are individuals who leave the home country for another country- usually by choice and often in search of education, employment or better life opportunities.
Refugees are set apart from other immigrants by one critical feature. The flight of a refugee must be related to war or violence, and they must experience an earnest fear for their life as a result of ongoing persecution. This comes from the 1951 Geneva Convention, the outcome of which defines a refugee as one who fled his or her own country because of persecution, or a well-founded fear of persecution, based on race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion.
Asylum seekers meet the criteria of a refugee but are already living in the host country or are seeking asylum at a port of entry. The term “port of entry” encompasses all land and sea borders to the United States.
Where do applicants for asylum to the U.S. originate from?
Individuals and families from all over the world seek safety and asylum in the United States. The “Big 3” countries for both asylum applications and approvals in the U.S. are China (22%), El Salvador (11%) and Guatemala (10%). (Department of Homeland Security)
However, demographics by state can vary widely. In Colorado, for instance, the most significant asylee populations include Venezuela, Syria and Russia. (Colorado Refugee Services Program)
How is asylum status granted?
The U.S. has two forms of approved asylum: affirmative and defensive.
Affirmative applicants are those who are already in the U.S. on an approved visa. These individuals may submit a request for asylum within the initial year of entry. As the first step in the consideration process, the applicant will meet with a USCIS asylum officer to determine whether or not he or she meets the criteria of a refugee. An application for asylum must be approved, denied or court-reviewed.
Asylum seekers who arrive at a U.S. port of entry without a lawful means of entry are considered defensive applicants. These individuals are apprehended as unauthorized migrants. Defensive applicants must initiate an asylum request within the first year. If refugee criteria are met and an asylum request is filed, the case is adjudicated in immigration court. (Department of Homeland Security, Office of Immigration Statistics, 2018)
Affirmative applicants who are denied and remain in the U.S. as unauthorized individuals may apply for defensive consideration.
A USCIS issued I-94 is proof of asylum status.
What resources are available to potential asylum seekers?
Defensive filings are often expedited. Nonetheless, the asylum consideration process typically takes between six months and several years. (National Immigration Forum) Significant backlogs for immigration hearings and processing compound the delay. The National Immigration Forum reported that as of July 2018, “there were over 733,000 pending immigration cases and the average wait time for an immigration hearing was 721 days.”
Asylum seekers are not granted an attorney by the U.S. government. All efforts and costs related to legal assistance are the responsibility of the individual. However, some attorneys and organizations offer pro bono services to those seeking asylum.
An applicant’s ability to obtain legal representation does impact his or her chances for approval by as much as five times, according to the NIF. The organization notes that “in FY 2017, 90 percent of applicants without an attorney were denied, while almost half of those with representation were successful in receiving asylum.”
Potential asylum seekers are not eligible for refugee services and may not apply for a work permit while the asylum process is pending or if asylum is not granted.
How many individuals are granted asylum in the United States?
2017 is the most recent year for which data is available. In that year, 26,568 individuals were grants asylum to the United States, 60% of those under affirmative status and 40% under defensive status. (Migration Policy Institute, 2018)
The number of asylum cases has risen each year since 2015. However, the denial rate for the applicants has increased in tandem from 44.5% in 2015 to 61.8% in 2017. (National Immigration Forum, 2018)
How are asylum seekers impacted by the events of their plight?
Asylees, like other displaced persons, are likely to have experienced unhealthy, unsafe or otherwise traumatic life events. Trauma occurs when a person’s ability to manage stress becomes overwhelmed by the degree or toxicity of the stressor (or series of stressors).
Conditions and experiences upon or during the process of achieving asylum may further aggravate outcomes of trauma.
However, it should be noted that asylum seekers, in the same vein as other refugees, are highly capable of resilience and positive social integration.
How can I get involved and incorporate this knowledge into my teaching?
Check out these amazing resources for building awareness and engaging in the solution. These are student-friendly tools and lesson plans, so be sure to bring your learners into the discussion!
Nowhere Boy by Katherine March. Chapter-by-chapter educators’ guide by Kirsten Cappy and Louise El Yaafouri. https://katherinemarsh.com/educators/
World Refugee Day Toolkit: http://www.rcusa.org/blog
Lesson Plan: Refugees/Asylum- Immigration History https://immigrationhistory.org/lesson-plan/refugee-asylum/
Lesson Plan: Exploring Refugees and Asylum Seekers https://www.afsusa.org/educators/teachers-toolbox/lesson-plans/exploring-refugees-and-asylum-seekers/
UNHCR: Teaching About Refugees https://www.unhcr.org/en-us/teaching-about-refugees.html
ADL: Anti-bias education: Migrant Caravan' and the People Seeking Asylum https://www.adl.org/education/educator-resources/lesson-plans/migrant-caravan-and-the-people-seeking-asylum
Lesson Plans: Refugees and Asylum Seekers- The Advocates for Human Rights https://www.theadvocatesforhumanrights.org/uploads/eon_lesson_6.pdf
Refugee 101, Part 3: Pre-Resettlement
Photo credit: Louise El Yaafouri. Syrian youth in an English class in Saida, Lebanon. The stories that these students shared with me continue to resonate with me and inform my global perspetive. Not all displaced Syrians in Lebanon are eligible to attend school. Those that do have access to formal education attend classes in the afternoons, after the traditional Lebanese school day has finished. Many students, like most of those in this class, work as day laborers outside of their three hour learning window.
EXPLORING THE PRE-RESETTLEMENT PROCESS
“En route to a place on our classroom rosters, the resettled refugee child will have coursed through an intricate system of relocation mechanisms and endured innumerable transformations. Refugee families often endure multiple relocations, endless interviews, and a myriad of mental and physical assessments on the path to resettlement. They might have also experienced unimaginable distress: loss, sacrifice, hunger, human atrocity, and an exceptional scarcity of basic needs.
Resettlement histories are the ballads of a conflicted mankind, and testimonies of human migration are rarely uncomplicated. Rather, they are elaborate, winding, uncomfortable testaments to the greatness of character and spirit.
A very small percentage of those roads lead directly into our classrooms.” – The Newcomer Student: An educator’s Guide to Aid Transition, Louise El Yaafouri, (Kreuzer)
Let’s explore refugee resettlement from three stages: International, National and Local. We’ll begin with the international piece. This is where refugee identification and pre-resettlement considerations begin.
The path to resettlement is complex and extensive. Ultimately, it is the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, or UNHCR, who is responsible for determining eligibility for refugee status. UNHCR agents are positioned in various international regions with the central purpose of screening, interviewing, and preparing candidates for asylum. Generally, whole families are referred at once. Incredibly, less than one percent of the world’s refugees will be referred for facilitated resettlement.
In making referrals for refugee status, the United Nations ensures four critical checkpoints. A person must:
· Experience a well-founded fear of persecution.
· Be outside of the country of nationality.
· Be unable to access protection from the home country
· Not be a national of another country.
Image is part of a learning video created for Colorado Refugee Connect. View the full video and get involved at corefugeeconnect.org.
Once Refugee Status has been established, the UNHCR considers three durable solutions:
1. Voluntary repatriation back into country of origination
2. Localized integration into a neighboring country
3. Resettlement to an agreeing third party country.
Image is part of a learning video created for Colorado Refugee Connect. View the full video and get involved at corefugeeconnect.org.
From The Newcomer Student:
“In considering possible outcomes for displaced persons, voluntary repatriation into the country of origin is always the primary objective. In situations where this is not an immediate or long-term possibility, localized resettlement options will be considered. When this occurs, the temporary host country (typically the refugee camp sponsor of the displaced persons) will agree to absorb its refugee-status guests into its own country as free-moving individuals with national rights.
Localized resettlement (or local integration) countries are generally proximal to the zone of distress. Frequently, receiving countries are similarly affected by turmoil and instability, even while the circumstances of distress may differ. Therefore, it is not uncommon for nations in war-torn regions of the world to “flip-flop” their national citizens; as people leave one country to seek safety in another, others may be seeking haven from persecution in the reverse direction.
Third-party resettlement is the least desirable and least attempted solution. Only a minuscule fraction of the world’s refugees will become eligible for relocation to a third-party host nation. A few make it through.
They become our students.”
SOURCES:
American Immigration Council (2013). Located at americanimmgrationcouncil.org. Retrieved Oct. 2012.
Russell, Sharon Stanton (2002). Refugees: Risks and Challenges Worldwide. Migration Policy Institute, 1946–4037.
Hamilton, Richards & Moore, Dennis (2004). Education of Refugee Children: Documenting and Implementing Change. In Educational Interventions for Refugee Children, eds Richard Hamilton & Dennis Moore, London UK: RoutledgeFalmer, Chapter 8.
McBrien,J.Lynn(2003).A Second Chance for Refugee Students. Educational Leadership, Vol. 61, No. 2, 76–9 O. Educational Needs and Barriers for Refugee Students in the United States: A Review of Literature. Review of Educational Research Vol. 75, No. 3, 329–64.
United Nations, High Commissioner for Refugees (2012). United Nations Communications and Public Information Service, Geneva, Switzerland. Located at unhcr.org. Retrieved Aug. 2015.
Patrick, Erin (2004). The U.S. Refugee Resettlement Program. Migration Policy Institute, Washington, D.C. Located at migrationpolicy.org/article/us-refugee- resettlement-program. Retrieved Aug. 2015.
United Nations Convention related to the Status of Refugees (1951). UN Article 1. Located at unhcr.org. Retrieved June 2011.
International Refugee Committee (2015). SOAR, New York. Located at rescue. org. Retrieved Aug. 2015.
Van Hahn, Nguyen (2002). Annual Report to Congress- Executive Summary. Office of Refugee Resettlement. Located at acf.hhs.gov. Retrieved Dec. 2010.
Edwards, James R. Jr. (2012). Religious Agencies and Refugee Resettlement. Center for Immigration Studies. Memorandum, March 2012.
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (2012). United Nations Communications and Public Information Service, Geneva, Switzerland. Located at unhcr.org. Retrieved Aug. 2015.
U.S. Committee for Refugees & Immigrants (USCRI) (2015). Arlington, Va., refugees.org. Retrieved Aug. 2015.
U.S. Committee for Refugees & Immigrants (USCRI) (2015). Arlington, Va., refugees.org. Retrieved Aug. 2015.
United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) (2013). Path to Citizenship. Located at uscis.gov. Retrieved Aug. 2015.
U.S. Committee for Refugees & Immigrants (USCRI) (2015). Arlington, Va. Located at refugees.org. Retrieved Aug. 2015.
United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) (2013). Path to Citizenship. Located at uscis.gov. Retrieved Aug. 2014.