Transcript Content Starter Set

Low-Literate
Refugee and Immigrant Youth
Heide Spruck Wrigley, Ph.D.
Banff, Canada
LESLLA 2009
In the US and elsewhere, we
see increasing number of first
and second generation
immigrants with
comparatively low levels of
education, limited English
language and literacy skills
and with limited attachment to
school, work or training. Many
of those are young people 16 –
24 not in the labour force.
Professional Experience
Perspective and Background
 Subcontract and Senior Advisor:
 National Transition Project from ESL to Basic Skills
(AIR)
 Non-Resident Fellow: MPI –
 Immigrant Youth Trajectories
 Research Director:
 New School Canada – Youth Literacy
www.youthliteracy.ca
Educational Experience
Getting Better at Reading
Making New Friends
Looking to the Future
A focus on immigrant
youth is critical
to immigrant integration, workforce development
and youth policy
Immigrant Youth in the US
Immigrants are
 1 in 8 US residents (12%)
 1 in 2 new workers in the 1990s – 60% LEP
Children of Immigrants Are
 23% of all children in the US
 30% of low income children
In School and Out of School Immigrant Youth
 65 % of OSY don’t’ speak English well (or very well)
 (Vs only 10 % of in-school immigrant youth)
 OSY 3 times more likely to be parents
New Migration Policy
Institute Study
Focused on Refugee and Immigrant Youth
Ages 16 – 24
Three Components
This year: Special emphasis on pipe lines and pathways
for immigrant youth
1. Sectoral Analyses of jobs in health care, IT, and
construction
2. Profile of “prospective workers”, including language,
literacy, and occupational skills
3. Identify gaps and outline education and training
reforms needed to fix “leaks” in the system
Low Literate Immigrant and
Refugee Youth
Language and Literacy Issues
Why is success so difficult?
Linguistic factors
Socio-cultural
and legal
issues
Structural and
institutional barriers
Who needs what kind of support?
Few years of schooling in
the home country
Most vulnerable
Academic
English and
NLFP
Low levels of
English
proficiency
(oral and
written)
High oral
English proficiency
High levels of
schooling
Systems Issues
Programs that should be serving first and second generation
immigrant youth
 Are underfunded and uncoordinated
 Have not historically served immigrants
 Do not see low literate English Language Learners as
their “target population”
.
Additional Barriers
 No adequate assessment in the native language
 No assessments that capture L1 literacy, content
knowledge, or academic language proficiency (L2)
 Few educators trained to teach literacy to immigrant
students who are not yet proficient in English and need
academic or professional/technical skills
 Little opportunity to learn in a language you
understand
 Few flexible learning options available –
 Little effort to help kids develop strong social identities
Photo by Mark Bailey
Promising Practices
After School - The Fugees
The Fugees Pledge
I will have good behavior on and off the field.
I will not smoke.
I will not do drugs.
I will not drink alcohol.
I will not get anyone pregnant.
I will not use bad language.
My hair will be shorter than Coach’s.
I will be on time.
I will listen to Coach.
I will try hard.
I will ask for help.
I want to be part of the Fugees!
Transition for LESLLA
Students
Roadmaps
We see increasing number of
first and second generation
immigrants with
comparatively low levels of
education, limited English
language and literacy skills
and with limited attachment to
school, work or training
Approaches to Training
 Language and literacy integrated into job skills training
 Team teaching between language teacher and
occupational instructor or close collaboration
 Pro-active counseling – specifically focused on low
literate population; retention counselor
 Technology support (audio, video, lecture notes)
 Tuition support – child care; transportation
 Starting with dreams and setting both short term and
long term goals
 Bilingual mentors in the classroom
 Cohorts and buddy systems
Promising Practices
Project-based learning
From Astrology to Astronomy
From the Chinese Zodiac to the Planets
Promising Practices from the New School Canada
 Explicit teaching –
 How English works – strong focus on vocabulary
 How people make sense of print
 Meta-cognitive strategies – click, click, clunk
 Ich heisse Heide und ich bin aus Deutschland. Ich
wohne in Mesilla, Neu Mexico
 Think Alouds – making the invisible, visible
 Making connections: Fom the known to the new
 Life maps – key events – short story
Life Maps: Student Example
Personal Timeline
Detail
Illustrated Timeline
New Ways
New Ways of Serving Students
 Alternative school – functioning as community
 Flexible scheduling
 Emphasis on social-emotional development
 Inclusion of family members
 Focus on literacy development
 Sustained silent reading
 Comprehension strategies (read and think)
 Working toward literacy through art and technology
Two Immigrant Students at the
New School Canada
www.youthliteracy.ca
Meet Iman
Educational Experience
Getting Better at Reading
Making New Friends
Looking to the Future
Meet Ahmed
We need to shift to an
entitlement/rights based
model of practice
Hieu Van NGO
Calgary Canada
In Patchwork, Sidelining, and Marginalization:
Services for Immigrant Youth