Immigration and

Education

Meeting the Needs of Immigrant Students

“Everywhere, immigrants have enriched and strengthened the

fabric of American life”
—John F. Kennedy

Facilitator Handbook
 Master Schedule
Presenter: Heather Haddox

Teacher Workshop: Immigration and Education

8:45-9:00 Welcome and Registration

9:00-9:30 Opening Activity (Erutluc)

9:30-9:45 Brief Overview of Immigration in

Washoe County

9:45-10:00 Truth or Myth Activity

10:00-10:15 Break

10:15-10:45 Intercultural Communication

10:45-11:15 Learning Styles

11:15-11:30 Break

11:30-12:00 Identity

12:00-12:15 Self-Assessment

12:15-12:30 Debriefing and Closing

________________________________________________________

8:45-9:00 Welcome and Registration

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(Have Coffee, Tea, Juice, Breakfast Bars, and Fruit available)

• Have everyone introduce themselves, grade they teach and school they teach in.

• Read Quote from the Statue of Liberty (Engraved on a bronze plaque in 1903)

"Give me your tired, your poor,

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"
-- Emma Lazarus (inscribed on the Statue of Liberty)

• Go over Workshop Schedule and Program

Workshop Objective: Participants will actively engage and apply the information of this
workshop to their everyday classroom and develop strategies to improve their teaching
practices and support of immigrant students.

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9:00-9:30 Opening Activity (Erutluc)

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Objective: Participants will experience the difficulties of learning the rules of a new game.

Activity: Erutluc (culture spelled backwards)

Rationale of Activity: When an immigrant enters the receiving county, they are forced to learn
the rules of the new culture. Also, immigrants bring the rules they are familiar with from their
sending countries. They quickly learn that their own rules don’t apply to the new culture. This
causes culture shock. This card game emulates the experience of a newly arrived immigrant
(although simplified) and gives participants a taste of what a new immigrant is experiencing as
well as how natives might respond to new immigrants.

Materials: 4-5 decks of cards, one for each table.

Directions:

4-5 groups of 4 people each.

Each table group has a 3 “nationals” and one “migrant”.

Each table group receives the rules for their table (see below) and plays one game. Then the
facilitator chooses one person from each table to be the “migrant” and they have to change
tables and play the new game without receiving the rules.

No talking is allowed, only communication via hand signals or pictures.

Rotate migrants as many times as the time allows for.

After the rotation, debrief groups about the experience. Link the experience to migrant
children.

Erutluc Table Instructions

Table Group One

Objective: Win the most rounds.

Each player gets 7 cards. Choose someone to start the

game then rotate clockwise. Each player lays down
one card in the center of the table during their turn.
The player with the highest red wins the round. If no
reds are played, the lowest black wins.

After all players lay down their cards in the middle the
person who won the round collects the cards and
starts the new round. Keep track of how many rounds
you won. Count the rounds at the end of the game to
see who won.

Table Group Two

Objective: Get rid of all your cards

Each player gets 10 cards and holds them and looks at

them. The tallest person starts the game.

Each player lays down a card in the middle of the table

during their turn. If the number on the card is even,
play continues to the left. If the card is odd or a face
card, play continues to the right. If someone plays out
of turn, they must pick up the whole pile and add it to
their hand. Play restarts with the player to the left.
First player to get rid of all their cards wins.
Table Group Three

Objective: Collect the most cards.

Each player gets 12 cards face down, players are not

permitted to look at their cards. At the same time,
players flip over the top card and place it in the center
of the table. Whoever slaps an even number first, wins
the round. Play until all 12 cards have been played. At
the end, each player counts their cards to see who has
the most.

Table Group Four

Objective: Get the most spades.

Each player gets 7 cards and holds them in their hand

and looks at them. The shortest player begins the
round, play continues to the left. During a turn, each
player places a card in the middle of the table. Be sure
not to let your card touch anyone else’s card in the
middle. If your card touches another card, both cards
are removed from play and disqualified from the
round. The highest spade wins. If no spades are
played, the highest card wins. Play until all cards are
played, then count the spades to see who wins.
________________________________________________________

9:30-9:45 Brief Overview of Immigration in Washoe County

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Objective: Participants will be able to identify the growing need for new programs for
immigrants by analyzing the data of WCSD ELL population and testing.

1986 LEP students in WCSD was 770

Current LEP students in WCSD is 11,546

Facilitator Presentation:

• Washoe County has seen a 431% increase in immigrants since 1990.

• 17% of the students are LEP. 39.2% Latino. That leaves 60% with linguistic needs other
than Spanish.

• 1 ESL teacher for every 84 students, 134 certified ESL teachers in WCSD for 11,546
students.

• 10 elementary schools don’t even have ESL teachers.

• Even after you test out of ESL, immigrants still have needs.

• Language isn’t the only issue for immigrants, culture, education, belonging are all
important aspects of immigrant education.
 2006 CRT Scores

Facilitator Presentation:
• LEP students aren’t achieving well, scores actually drop in 8th grade.

• One newcomer program for 6 weeks at Glenn Duncan Elementary School 1-6th grade

• Newcomer program only available for foreign born, nothing in place for 2nd generation
immigrants.

• ESL program is pull out or push in

• Two way immersion programs just starting up at Jesse Beck and Mount Rose.
 ________________________________________________________

9:45:10:00 Truth or Myth Activity

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Objective: Participants will compare their preconceptions about immigration with the realties.

Activity Part One: Have participants take Myth test, see which they thought were myths and
which weren’t. Have them share in table groups.

Check all that are true

All immigrants migrate for economic reasons.

Most immigrants are here illegally.

The U.S. has more immigration now than in the past.

Most of the undocumented immigrants are Mexicans.

Most immigrants have little education.

Most immigrants are poor.

Immigrants take jobs away from U.S. native born.

Immigrants cost the tax payers a lot of money.

Most immigrants live on welfare.

Immigrant parents don’t care about their kids’ education.

Immigrants don’t want to learn English.

Immigrant children will do better if they assimilate quicker.

Immigrant children who end up speaking mainly English do better in

school.

Once immigrants learn English, there is no more need for special

programs.
Activity Part Two: After they’ve completed Activity Part One, hand out the “Myth Busters” and
have them compare their test with the realities, have them share at their table Groups. Have
Portes & Rumbaut, (2006); Suárez-Orozco & Suárez-Orozco (2001), Castles and Miller, (2003)
and Rong & Preissle, (1998) available for reference.

Activity Part Three: Have 1 person from each table group share their findings with the whole
group.

Myth Busters

All immigrants migrate for economic reasons.

Immigrants migrate for economic reasons but also family unification, to

escape persecution for political or religious reasons, or to escape war.
Portes & Rumbaut (2006), Chapter 2.

Most immigrants are here illegally.

According to Suárez-Orozco & Suárez-Orozco (2001), undocumented

immigrants make up only about 10% of the total foreign born (immigrant)
population. (p.31).

The U.S. has more immigration now than in the past.

Although there is a huge wave of immigration that has hit the U.S. since the
90’s, the early 1900’s represents the largest wave of migration to date. In
1910, 16% of the population was foreign born, In 2003, only 11% of the
population was foreign born. Castles and Miller, (2003), Chapter 3; Larsen,
(2004); Suárez-Orozco & Suárez Orozco, p. 32.

Most of the undocumented immigrants are Mexicans.

Only about 1/3 of the migrants are Mexican. ½ pass through the southern
border (via other countries like Guatemala, El Salvador, etc…), many
undocumented immigrants are visa over-stayers and the 4th largest group
of undocumented immigrants are Canadians. Suárez-Orozco & Suárez-
Orozco, p. 32.

Most immigrants have little education.

 As a whole, immigrants are more highly educated than native born. 1/3 of
Nobel prize winners from the U.S. are immigrants, they are
overrepresented in graduate and doctoral programs in the U.S. Suárez-
Orozco & Suárez- Orozco, p.56. Portes & Rumbaut, Table 8, p. 74.

Most immigrants are poor.

Although certain migrant groups have higher poverty levels than native
born, other migrant groups have lower poverty levels and average incomes
actually exceed native born populations. According to Portes & Rumbaut,
Table 13, p. 88, in 1999 the poverty rate for immigrants was 20% compared
with 15% native born. Most (80%) of immigrants live above the national
poverty level.

Immigrants take jobs away from U.S. native born.

Economists agree that immigration actually creates jobs. Many immigrants

come and begin businesses, creating new jobs, plus their spending in
society creates greater demand creating new jobs. Further, the jobs many
migrants are filling are undesirable to native born. Suárez-Orozco & Suárez
Orozco, Chapter 2.

Immigrants cost the tax payers a lot of money.

Almost unanimously economists agree that immigrants contribute to the

economy rather than take away. Castles & Miller, Chapter 8. The national
research council suggests that, “immigration produces a net gain of
somewhere between $1 billion to $10 billion a year. Suárez-Orozco &
Suárez Orozco, Chapter 2.

Most immigrants live on welfare.

Immigrants tend to be healthier than native born, use less social services
than native born, and see the doctor less. In research suggests that as a
whole, immigrants pay more into the health system than they use. (Suárez-
Orozco & Suárez Orozco, Chapter 2.

Immigrant parents don’t care about their kids’ education.

According to Suárez-Orozco & Suárez-Orozco, Chapter 5 and Portes &

Rumbaut p. 251, Table 17 p. 260), parents have high expectations for their
children and many expect them to graduate from college.

Immigrant don’t want to learn English.

A study based on 1990 census data reported that ¾ of all immigrants

reported that they spoke English fluently after being in the U.S. for 10
years. Enrollments in ESL courses are increasing. The demand for ESL
classes far outweighs the supply. Suárez-Orozco & Suárez-Orozco, p. 52-54.

Immigrant children will do better if they assimilate quicker.

Children who retain their culture and language while assimilating to the
new culture report lower levels of anxiety, higher academic achievement
and a greater well being. Abad, N.S. & Sheldon, K.M. (2008); Suárez-Orozco
& Suárez-Orozco, Chapter 3, Akiba, D. (2007).

Immigrant children who end up speaking mainly English do better in school.

In almost all immigrant groups, bilingual children who retain their native
languages have higher graduation rates and educational attainment than
English monolingual immigrants. Suárez-Orozco & Suárez-Orozco, Portes
and Rumbaut; Rong & Preissle, (1998).

Once immigrants learn English, there is no more need for special programs.

Although English is an important aspect of the educational success of the

immigrant, it isn’t the only need immigrant students have. Culture, social
class, race, ethnicity, nationality are all factors that affect education
achievement. In fact, once students are transferred out of their “special
programs” such as ESL, they are more likely to drop out as a result of the
lack of support. Rong and Preissle,.
________________________________________________________

10:00-10:15 Break

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10:15-10:45 Intercultural communication

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Objective: Participants will reflect on their own communication style and predict what kinds of
conflicts could occur with immigrant students and parents.

Focus Question: What steps can teachers take to improve their intercultural communication?

Facilitator Presentation:

Intercultural communication refers to the communication between two or more people who
are different from each other on important aspects such as: values, preferred style of
communication, role expectations, and/or perceived rules of social relationships (Beutle, Briggs,
Hornibrook-Hehr, & Warren-Sams, 2001).

Overt cultural components:

Religion

Language

Values

Gender Roles

Covert Cultural components:

Concept of time

Some cultures don’t have the concept of “being late” or having to be somewhere else.

Nonverbal communication

In some cultures, it is rude to look an authority in the eyes. Smiling may indicate not

understanding something , fear or nervousness.

Low-context vs. High context communication style

 High-context communication refers to shared understanding of cultural norms and
nonverbal cues. Low context relies on the meaning of specific words. For example, in
some Arab cultures saying “I like your painting” can be interpreted as “you should give
that to me”. In some Asian cultures it’s rude to say no when you’re offered something,
In other countries, when offered something you should say no several times before
agreeing or it may appear presumptuous.

Activity Part One: Participants spend 5 minutes reflecting on their own communication style
based on the Overt and Covert cultural components above.

Activity Part Two: After the 5 minute reflection, give each table group one of the following
scenarios, have them discuss at their table groups for 10 minutes the types of
misunderstandings that could occur.

Scenario One:

During teacher conferences, one of your student’s parents shows up an hour

late and wants to talk with you about their child’s progress. There are other
parents who are on time and have been waiting. They assure you they aren’t
late because they came.

Scenario Two:

In your classroom, you desire all students to participate. One of your

immigrant students never raises her hand or talks in class. She won’t even
talk when you place her in a small group. She does her work well and seems
to be understanding. When you talk to her about it, she only smiles.

Scenario Three:

You want all your parents to advocate for their children. This means
volunteering for some event during the year, whether PTA or field trips, or as
a classroom volunteer. One of the parents of an immigrant student has
never volunteered nor do they respond to your requests.

Scenario Four:

You notice that one of your students hasn’t been eating lunch all week. You
are worried about him so you offer him a granola bar when he gets back to
class. He politely refuses, but you urge him again. He begins to cry. You
send a note home to the parents letting them know that their son isn’t
eating.
Activity Part Three: After they are finished discussing at their table groups, have one person
from each group share their findings about the scenario they discussed.

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10:45-11:15 Learning Styles

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Objective: Participants will analyze the different learning styles and apply the analysis to the
students in their own classroom.

Focus Question: How can teachers adjust their classroom expectations to include different
learning styles?

Facilitator Presentation:

Immigrant students may have no prior schooling experience or a strong foundation. They may
be academically behind or academically ahead. Learning styles of immigrants vary based on
culture and educational experience. Learning styles in the U.S. may be confusing to newly
arrived students.

Emotional Style: Many immigrant students report feeling uncomfortable with the loud, noisy,
informal and competitive classrooms in the U.S. Being rewarded for good behavior in front of
the entire class may embarrass some immigrant students. Many immigrants are accustomed to
highly strict and structured classroom environments. They may misread a teacher’s friendliness
and be reluctant to offer opinions that differ from the teacher.

Sociological Style: While many classrooms in the U.S. may focus on the individual with a focus
on critical thinking skills, verbal participation, inductive reasoning and problem solving skills,
many immigrants may be accustomed to more structured ways of learning and more
demanding workloads. They may be accustomed to learning through observation and
listening, instead of verbal participation. They may be accustomed to performing a task with
the help of an “expert” rather than performing an experiment on their own. They may be
accustomed to “saving face” rather than providing the correct answer (because they don’t want
to stand out).

Activity: Think, pair, share, switch…In view of the Emotional and Sociological learning styles of
different cultures, participants will reflect on the following questions and then share with a
partner. The facilitator will tell participants when to switch (apx 5 minutes each pair, share),
then they will find a new partner and continue the discussion in light of the information gained.

Think: In light of the different Emotional and Sociological learning styles, think of a immigrant
student you’ve had in the past or currently have (no names) and describe his/her possible
Emotional and Sociological learning style.

Pair, Share: Participants will discuss the “think” with their partner, together participants will
develop one strategy each that could give support to the student’s Emotional or Sociological
style.

Switch: Facilitator will call for participants to switch to a new partner, discuss the same Pair,
Share topic and develop a different strategy than the one previously discussed. By the time
participants have rotated 3 times, they will have 3 strategies to help with that student.

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11:15-11:30 Break

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11:30-12:00 Identity

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Objective: Participants will distinguish the different types of identities and factors which form
them.

Activity: Participants fill out the web of identities in their programs for themselves. Have
them draw lines connecting the circles to the center and to other circles as they consider how
each factor is interdependent with other factors. Have them discuss in groups about the
differences and how that affects their individual identities.

Focus Question- How can teachers influence the identity of immigrants students?

Facilitator Presentation:

Immigrant Identity is not the same for all immigrants, we can’t lump them all into ELL
programs and think that we’re helping them, while treating them all the same.

• Social Mirror- “Who do I say I am, who do others say I am.”

o Identity is partly shaped by the recognition, lack of recognition or misrecognition
of others, which can cause serious harm to immigrant children. (Suárez-Orozco
and Suárez Orozco, 2001).

o Negative Social Mirror: Low expectations, thinking immigrants are lazy,

 communicating the myths.

o Positive Social Mirror: The opposite of negative social mirroring, attributing

positive traits to immigrants (i.e. Asians are good at math).

• Ethnic Identity
o “Ethnic Identity refers to a feeling shared by individuals in a given group and
based on a sense of common origin, common beliefs and values, common goals,
and shared destiny. “ Suárez- Orozco & Suárez- Orozco.

o Ethnic Flight- immigrants who more strongly identify with the mainstream
culture than their natal culture. They will mimic the dominate culture in an
attempt to belong.

o Adversarial- immigrants who believe that identifying with the dominant group
means giving up their own ethnic identity. School is viewed as a dominant
institution, so children who have adversarial identities are more likely to do
poorly in school and accuse those who are successful in their same ethnic group
as “acting white”.

o Bucultural- immigrants who identify with both the mainstream and native
cultures. They create hybrid identities, will be bilingual, have friends and
networks in both culture groups. These students have a healthier well being and
are more successful in school than children who have Ethnic Flight or Adversarial
identities.

• Academic Identity
Children form identities based on how they see themselves combined with what their
families expect from them and how their friends, teachers and communities see them.
Positive Academic Identities form when they see themselves as part of the group of
students who can be successful, oppositional academic identities form when they view
school success as part of the dominant culture and not their own. Students may say of
other’s who are doing well in school, “they’re acting white”.

There are more than these three types of identifications, but for the sake of time and
applicability to school, we will focus on just these three.
Identity Factor Web

Age Language

Ethnicity
My culture E

Country Race
of Birth

Name

Gender
Family

My groups
Religion

Work Social
Class

How do others see me?

 ________________________________________________________

12:00-12:15 Self-Assessment

________________________________________________________
Objective: Participants will reflect on their own classroom in view of workshop information on
immigration.
Checklist for measuring the immigrant-friendliness of your classroom.
Always Usually Rarely Never

Am I familiar with the values, traditions, and customs of students in my

classroom?

Am I knowledgeable about the immigration experience of my students’

families?

Do I visit at home with the families of immigrant students in my classroom to

gain insight into the students’ lives and support systems?

Do I learn some vocabulary in the native language of my students to better

communicate with them?

Do I encourage immigrant parents to help their children maintain their native

language at home while learning English at school?

Do I base my academic expectations on the individual ability of each student

rather than on broad or stereotypical assumptions?

Do I understand the English and native-language skills of each student so I can

develop individually appropriate classroom and homework assignments?

Do I seek additional, culture-specific assistance to provide appropriate

instruction before referring an immigrant student to remedial classes?

Do I use peer teaching, where limited-English-proficient students can

participate and practice English-language skills in small groups?

Do I allow students to develop their English-language skills in class without

feeling embarrassed or intimidated?

Are all students actively involved in classroom instruction and other classroom
activities?

Are classroom seating arrangements balanced by ethnicity as well as by

gender?

Are reading materials provided in the native languages represented in my

classroom?
________________________________________________________

12:15-12:30 Debriefing and Closing

________________________________________________________
Objective: Participants will identify characteristics of immigrant responsive education and make
a plan to implement some of the characteristics.

Focus Question: Why not give teachers strategies to work with immigrants?

 Because no strategies can apply to all immigrants. Immigrant responsive

education requires a unique approach for every immigrant because they are
incredibly diverse (ethnically, historically, socially, linguistically, etc…). This
workshop aimed at giving participants the knowledge and questions to ask in
order to develop strategies that will support immigrants within their own
classrooms and schools.

Activity: In their programs have them write down 3 new things they learned today that they could
implement in their classrooms.

Q & A: Allow about 5 minutes for participants to ask any questions they may have.

Facilitator Closing:

Read Quote from 1917 immigration act and compare the quote with the 1903 quote engraved in bronze
on the Statue of Liberty.

People excluded from entering the United States include:

... "all idiots, imbeciles, feeble-minded persons, epileptics, insane persons; persons who have had one or
more attacks of insanity at any time previously; persons of constitutional psychopathic inferiority;
persons with chronic alcoholism; paupers; professional beggars; vagrants; persons afflicted with
tuberculosis in any form or with a loathsome or dangerous contagious disease; persons not
comprehended within any of the foregoing excluded classes who are found to be and are certified by
the examining surgeon as being mentally or physically defective, such physical defect being of a nature
which may affect the ability of such alien to earn a living; persons who have been convicted of or admit
having committed a felony or other crime or misdemeanor involving moral turpitude; polygamists, or
persons who practice polygamy or believe in or advocate the practice of polygamy; anarchists, or
persons who believe in or advocate the overthrow by force or violence of the Government of the United
States."

Thank You
 References
Abad, N.S. & Sheldon, K.M. (2008). Parental autonomy support and ethnic culture identification

among second-generation immigrants. Journal of Family Psychology. 22 (3), 652-657.

Akiba, D. (2007). Ethnic retention as a predictor of academic success: lessons from the children

of immigrant families and black children. Clearing House. 80 (5), 223-225.

Beutle, M.E., Briggs, M., Hornibrook-Hehr,D.,& Warren-Sams, B. (2001). Improving education for

immigrant students. Northwest Regional Educational Library. Retrieved April 20, 2009, from

http://www.nwrel.org/cnorse/booklets/immigration/

Castles, S., & Miller, M. (2003). The age of migration. New York: The Gilford Press.

Larsen, L.J. (2004). The foreign-born population in the united states. 2003. Current Population Reports,

pp. 20-551, U.S. Census Bureau, Washington, D.C. Retrieved April 20, 2009, from

http://www.census.gov/prod/2004pubs/p20-551.pdf

Portes, A., & Rumbaut, R. (2006). Immigrant america a portrait. Berkley, CA: University of

California Press.

Rong, X.L., & Preissle, J. (1998). Educating immigrant students. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press, Inc.

Suárez-Orozco, C., & Suárez-Orozco, M.M. (2001). Children of immigration. Cambridge:

Harvard University Press.