Transcript An Introduction to the Migrant Education Program

Migrant Students
and Their Needs
Sonja Williams, Migrant Education Consultant
North Carolina Department of Public Instruction
Agenda
A Profile of Migrant Students
Service Delivery through the Migrant Education
Program
Identification and Recruitment of Migrant
Students
Discussion of Ways McKinney-Vento and Migrant
Education Programs can work together
Questions and Responses
The NC Migrant Education
Program is federally funded as
part of the Elementary and
Secondary Education Act, and is
regulated by Title I, Part C.
Migrant Education, in a Nutshell
MISSION: The mission of the North
Carolina Migrant Education
Program is to help migrant
students and youth meet high
academic challenges by
overcoming the obstacles created
by frequent moves, educational
disruption, cultural and language
differences, and health-related
problems.
We do this by supporting locally-based Migrant
Education Programs that-Identify and recruit migrant students;
Provide high quality supplemental and
support services;
Foster coordination among schools,
agencies, organizations, and businesses to
assist migrant families;
Collaborate with other states to enhance
the continuity of education for migrant
students.
Locations of NC Migrant Education Projects-2008-09
“The hands that feed us are often invisible
hands, hands of people who work in the
shadows of a multibillion-dollar industry
without enjoying its rewards.”
"The Human Cost of Food"
Needs of Migrant Students
Areas of Concern, as designated by the US
Department of Education Office of Migrant
Education:
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Health
Educational Continuity
Instructional Time
English Language Development
School Engagement
Educational Support in the Home
Access to Services
Health
Working Conditions
Pesticides—
April 2003, Journal of Public Health
article found that 64% of the
pesticide-related acute illnesses in
youth were among agricultural
workers.
Dr. Thomas Arcury and his
colleagues went to the
workers’ homes and tested
the floors, children’s toys and
the children’s hands to see
where the pesticides—both
agricultural and residential—
were coming from and where
they were ending up.
“Ninety-five percent of
households had pesticides on
the floor, about 71 percent of
the toys had pesticides, and
with hands, it went to 55
percent.”
Agriculture is considered the 4th most
dangerous occupation, following
mining, fishing, and construction.
Between 1995 and 2002, 907 youth died
on farms, or 43 deaths for every 100,000
children.
It is legal for a child of 12 to work
in agriculture.
Living Conditions
Generally
substandard housing,
often w/o plumbing,
heating, cooling, safe
electrical systems;
problems with
ventilation, lighting,
mold, asbestos, lead.
Health conditions, cont’d
The average farmworker spends
approximately six months per year doing
seasonal work, eight weeks doing
nonagricultural work, eight weeks on the
road, and is unemployed ten weeks. Mobility
and long days often threaten their health and
pose a significant barrier to accessing health
care.
Lack of access to sources of nutritious
food
Malnutrition is associated with poverty. A survey
of Florida migrant workers (Shotland, 1989)
found that 30.6 percent of the respondents had
experienced a period during which they ran out
or had a shortage of food; and that 43.8 percent
of them had seasonal food shortages. Families
living in camps must often rely on local
convenience stores for food, since they may
have no regular means of transportation.
Educational Continuity
 In North Carolina, nearly half of migrant students have
moved from one district, one county, one state, or one
country to another during the last year.
Time since last move, 2008-2009
3000
2500
Number of students
2000
1500
1000
500
0
0-12 months
13-24 months
time
25-36 months
Children who move often are two and a
half times more likely to need to repeat a
grade than children who do not move.
Instructional Time
 Work in the fields (Estimates of child farmworkers, ages
12-17, in the U.S. run from 300,000 to 800,000)
 Late enrollments and difficulty in enrolling
 Lack of transportation to and from
remediation/intervention programs
English Language Development
In 2008-2009, 52% of NC Migrant Education
PK-12 students were considered LEP. This is
an underestimate, since many pre-K are not
formally assessed for English Language
Proficiency.
School Engagement
Need to work
Repeated retentions
Newness
Isolation
Credit Accrual
Educational Support in the Home
Books
Technology
Parental
Involvement/
Engagement with
students
Time
Support
Access to Services
Isolation
Transportation
Language
“Newness”
Immigration issues
Need to work…
What are some of the strategies
that the North Carolina
Migrant Education Program is
using to respond to the needs
of migrant children?
Pre-K Children
Pre-K Students: Focus on access to pre-K programs
and family literacy programs.
Elementary Grades
Limited English Proficient Students
• Elementary (Grades 35) Students: Focus on
tutoring and summer
programs to increase
time spent on English
Language Development.
Migrant students need to
receive supplemental
ESL instruction.
Secondary Students
Focus on reading
and math instruction
using SIOP; use
technology to
advance skills.
High School Students and
Out of School Youth
Increase
possibilities for
credit recovery/
accrual, and
increase
educational and
support services
to Out-of-School
Youth.
Parent Involvement
Gerardo Lopez, an assistant professor at the
Indiana University School of Education in
Bloomington, has stated that most educators
view parent involvement as coming to school,
meeting the teachers and working with them for
the benefit of their child. "I challenge this view,
because many migrant parents whose students
are successful don't even visit the schools; their
involvement is in the home.”
Parent Involvement
There is a clear need to
continue to develop
programs that can meet and
work with parents in their
homes.
Examples include: family
literacy, health initiatives,
parent advisory committees
that meet at parents’ homes,
and using technology to
improve communication.
For all MEP students, even in
counties where the LEA does not
have a program….
Identify, locate, or provide the support services
that will help students have greater success in
school. A hungry or sick child cannot learn.
Facilitate enrollment in school nutrition
programs and WIC programs.
Advocate for students and their families.
MEP and McKinney-Vento
It is estimated by some MEP Directors in
North Carolina that over 90% of their
Migrant Education Program students are
eligible for McKinney-Vento programs….
Help Strengthen the Relationship
Between Homeless Education and
Migrant Education
– Identify and recruit migrant students;
– Provide high quality supplemental and support
services;
– Foster coordination among schools, agencies,
organizations, and businesses to assist migrant
families;
– Collaborate with other states to enhance the
continuity of education for migrant students.
Help Strengthen the Relationship
Between Homeless Education and
Migrant Education
If a Migrant Education Program exists in your
county, get to know the MEP staff.
Let MEP know if you find children who meet
the following criteria:
Eligibility for Migrant Education
Programs
Children and/or their parents have made a
move within the last three years
--to work in agriculture, food processing or
fisheries (even if they are not working in that at
present)
--and the work is/was of a seasonal or
temporary nature.
Helping the Migrant Education
Program serve more students….
Join state advisory committees or expert groups.
Keep abreast of changes in the reauthorization of
ESEA that affect migrant students.
NC Migrant Education Program
 José Viana, Identification and
Recruitment Coordinator,
(919)807-4069.
[email protected]
 Sonja Williams, Program
Consultant, (919)807-3958 or
(919)218-7371.
[email protected]
 Loreto Tessini, Technology
Support Analyst, (919)807-3961.
[email protected]
 On the web at
http://www.dpi.state.nc.us/mep/