Sierra Buntin, 16, Daezare Fifer, 15, Priya Mirmira, 15, Isaiah Treadwell, 16, and Carmela Verderame, 12
INDIANAPOLIS, IN—For most people, learning a new language is difficult. Living in a strange country surrounded by people who talk and act in unfamiliar ways is even more unsettling. But doing all of that, while maintaining your identity and first language, can seem like an insurmountable task.
Nevertheless, about 10 million students, ages 5 to 18, do it every day in our country.
Historically, immigrant children were enrolled in U.S. schools and expected to learn the English language as best as they could in mainstream classes—or earlier in the 20th century, in what were called classes for “backward” pupils, typically held in a school’s basement. There were few teachers trained in multiple languages or designated student mentors who gave up their free time to help the newcomers. However, in the spirit of the civil rights movement of the 1960s, educators began to see a greater duty to non-English speakers. In 1968, Congress passed the Bilingual Education Act, which required schools to provide bilingual education for students who needed it.
Starting in 1990, refugees from war-torn countries in Africa and Southeast Asia began arriving in the U.S., and educators observed that these newcomers’ challenges went beyond just learning English.
The rise of multiculturalism
“There’s been more teacher training. There’s been more material development. There’s been more understanding of the need to involve parents,” said Rosa Castro Feinberg, former professor at Miami University and Florida International University and expert on school policy and programs regarding immigrant children.
In addition, research has shown that learning a new language involves more than knowing how to speak, read and use correct grammar and vocabulary. To be accepted by their peers, students also need to learn the nuances of communication, said Cynthia Garcia Coll, a Brown University professor and developmental psychologist who specializes in the study of minority children, those raised in poverty, and immigrant youth.
But most importantly, educators have found that immigrant students should maintain their first language while learning English. “One of the things that we’ve learned from the research is that keeping both languages, developing both of those languages well, is very important for immigrants and for any kids of color. Because if you lose your maternal language, you lose the connection to your families through your family culture and your family strength,” Coll said.
In addition, she and Feinberg agree that every school should have adequate materials and, more importantly, a faculty who is well trained in students’ native languages so they can understand and relate to them. “The more you know about a child, the better you can reach him, and that applies to culture,” Feinberg said. “Certainly if you’re trying to involve the parents and community in supporting proper education for their children, you’ve got to be aware of their cultural realities in order to be effective in persuading them to do anything.”
Involving parents — and social workers
Similarly, these educators agree that schools need to reach out to these children’s parents because their involvement in the school system can make a big difference.
Coll explains that families who support education—even if they don’t speak English—are critical to a student’s success. She described a study of Cambodian immigrant families whose kids excelled although the parents were poor and uneducated and lacked social connections. “What I found out within that group is that the parents have such a high value for education, and they’re so invested! Even if they can’t help with homework, it doesn’t matter because they keep these kids in place, motivated,” she said.
But sometimes, children need more help than even their parents can provide. Coll and Feinberg agreed that schools need counseling departments to help kids who have experienced trauma. “When you have folks from war-torn countries or ravaged by natural disasters of one sort or another, it’s particularly important to have in place a counseling system, almost a social work system, which relies heavily on folks who are knowledgeable in the language and culture of the people to be served so that they can help the students get past the trauma that living through such events inevitably creates,” Feinberg explained.
