A Comparison with United States Education Compiled by Lauren Elizabeth LePage Harrelson, Eastern Connecticut State University

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image credit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haiti

“Strength Through Unity”

The Spaniards took over the island from the Native Americans, who were forced into slavery and who died en masse. The Spaniards started importing slaves from Africa. The French took the island from the Spaniards, and imported even more slaves, totaling 500,000 (vs. ~30,000-40,000 total French & mulatto).

Sources vary on whether the Spaniards and French cared about and implemented education for even themselves; slaves were generally banned from it, or if they had the chance, they could not use it because of their long hours in the fields.

Some mulattos went to France to get an education, but they did not bother returning to Haiti because they were not allowed to work in most jobs (due to their skin color).

The slaves revolted, took over the island, and succeeded in claiming independence as of 1804.

It was a mostly illiterate population, and the new leaders were also illiterate.

Religious groups (notably the Catholics) established private schools that really set a basis for education.

 frequent political turnover  destroyed various administrations’ attempts at education  a lack of government funds for education   especially post-revolution and due to their indemnity to France majority of funds funneled into cities/urban areas, where the elite live  linguistic barriers in the education system  (schools are taught in French, even though the poor masses speak Kreyol/Creole)

 economic barriers   the poor attend lower-quality schools because they can't afford better ones private schools are still often worse than public schools  a lack of vocational schools   which many Haitians do not support because it reminds them of their roots in slavery but which also means that many who graduate from higher education have no available work within their limited economy  a lack of qualified teachers

 ULTIMATELY:  a significant class divide between the rural poor and the urban elite Source: Harrelson, L.E.L. (2015). The history of education in Haiti: An annotated bibliography [PDF]. Retrieved from http://www.laurenlepage.com/coursework/EDU557/E4% 20-%20Harrelson%20 %20History%20of%20Haitian%20Education.pdf

Chart credit: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world factbook/geos/ha.html

Chart credit: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world factbook/geos/us.html

 830,000 people with Haitian ancestry (0.3% of U.S. population), mostly in:    Florida (376,000) New York (191,000) Massachusetts (Boston), New Jersey, & Connecticut  59% are foreign born  81% “speak a language other than English at home”  1 out of 5 living in poverty SOURCE: (U.S. Census Bureau, 2009)

 Two waves occurred during political instability in Haiti (Doucet, 2011, p. 2711-2712)   1950s & 1960s, under dictatorship of Duvalier  middle-class educated professionals left Haiti 1980s, under dictatorship of Duvalier (junior)  the less-educated and poor took refuge overseas  The U.S. is the main destination for Haitian immigrants today (Ferguson, et al, 2014, p. 624)  Most come “largely in pursuit of better educational opportunities for their children” (Cone, et al., 2013, p. 266)

 Haitian middle and high school counselors in the Boston area state that “many Haitian students have been granted legal status under false pretenses”   “doctored birth certificates showing an earlier birth date (18-year-olds became 15-year-olds)” “aliases” (Doucet, 2011, p. 2719)

Immigration:

 “limited financial support”  “inadequate resources”  “antiquated curricula”  (all above: Cone, et al., 2013, p. 265)  “unqualified and unmotivated teachers”  “lack of textbooks”  “uncoordinated development of curriculum and instructional materials”  “poor facilities”  (all above: Salmi, 2000, p. 171)

 Education is a business enterprise.

 Mostly private schools (92%!)     largely unregulated w/o state aid  “more than 75 percent of the private elementary schools do not have the mandatory licence [sic]” (Lunde, 2008, p. 14) “second highest proportion of private school enrolment in the world” (Salmi, 2000, p. 163) 2/3 of private schools are religious (Catholic) non-denominational schools include community schools & commercial schools  above: (Salmi, 2000, p. 167)

 Public schools   capacity issues, thus limited enrollment many principals require that parents pay a fee for materials since the Ministry of Education does not provide for it (Salmi, 2000, p. 170).

 Rural community schools  often held in churches, in someone’s backyard, or at local areas “under a makeshift roof without walls” (Lunde, 2008, p. 14)  Urban schools  “Desks are not individualized; they are attached in rows and students sit side-by-side. [U.S. Haitian immigrants] may feel isolated when seated individually” (Zainuddin, et al., 2002, p. 471)

 Rural areas lack local schools and affordable private schools, so some students walk miles  Lunde (2008) shares examples of students walking 2.5 hours each way to attend school.

 Haiti requires 9 years of school attendance, but…   the government does not enforce it the government does not provide an adequate amount of public schools (above: Lunde, 2008, p. 10)  Disheartening statistics   only 1/3 in primary school make it to the 6 th grade level only 60% of kids ages 6-11 are enrolled in school (above: Lunde, 2008, p. 11 & 5)  only 67% of kids who make it to the secondary level end up graduating (Cone, et al., 2013, p. 265)

 Rural areas suffer more    an enrollment rate of just 23% (Salmi, 2000, p. 168) many parents will just invest in one child because of the cost (Lunde, 2008, p. 12) rural people speak in Kreyol, but school is still taught in French, which “is discriminatory against youth from low-income backgrounds” (Cone, et al., 2013, p. 265-266)

source credit, p. 13: http://www.fafoarkiv.no/pub/rapp/10070/10070.pdf

    not mandated available for kids ages 3-5 gives kids an edge over their peers  many primary schools require 1-3 years of pre school only available for parents who can afford it “For some children, their window of opportunity for an education in the future may close at the age of three or four” All above: (Lunde, 2008, p. 12)

 Primary is 1 st  3 cycles: – 9 th grade    4 years (1 st 2 years (5 th – 4 th ), beginning at age 6 – 6 th ) 3 years (7 th – 9 th )  mandatory national exit exams at the end of each cycle  automatic promotion within cycles  HOWEVER: “Field work observations shows that private and public schools do not follow [both] mandates” (all above: Lunde, 2008, p. 11)

 Extensive testing    some have exit exams at each grade level some have an admission exam for first grade most exams require parents to pay a fee  Failing students   it is illegal to dismiss students for failing grades, but many schools do because of capacity issues all above from: (Lunde, 2008, p. 11)

 Private schools are worse off    48% of teachers at public schools were qualified as of 1997 vs. only 8% at private schools as of 1997, 25% of all teachers had not completed primary education (9 th grade) most teachers are educated only a few years beyond the grade they’re teaching  “Brain drain”    many teachers left during the Duvalier eras “A staggering eight out of ten Haitians with college degrees live outside of Haiti” (All above: Lunde, 2008, p. 15)

Cultural Differences

In Haiti:

 Teachers address students by last name  “A student speaks only when asked a question.”  “As a sign of respect, Haitian students do not look their teachers in the eye, but keep their heads down in deference. American teachers should not be misled by this body language; Haitian students need to be taught that Americans value eye contact.”  All above from: (Civan, et al., 1995, p. 15)

 Haitian education uses corporal punishment    “Teachers in Haiti are treated with utmost respect and are permitted, even expected, to reprimand their students and physically punish them if deemed necessary” (Doucet, 2011, p. 2726) In her interviews with Haitian parents in Boston, Doucet (2011) explains that the “perception that school adults did not take enough control also came up repeatedly” (p. 2722).

“In Haiti, because teachers are perceived as surrogate parents while students are in their care, their role explicitly extends to that of a disciplinarian” (Cone, et al., 2013, p. 282).

Cultural Differences

  rote learning    memorizing whole blocks of text orally reciting (verbatim) Sources: (Doucet, 2011, p. 2726; Danticat, 2010, p. 59; Zainuddin, et al, 2002, p. 471; Cone, et al., 2013, p. 278) heavy emphasis on tests    mostly essay questions multiple-choice questions are “unheard of” Source: (Ariza, 2006, p. 15; Ciyan, et al, 1995, p. 15)  heavy homework load  all book work / reading (Doucet, 2011, p. 2726)

 English language learners   proficiency “affects students’ ability to detect social nuances in the school setting and is also highly predictive of academic success” (p. 153-154) “Although verbal proficiency can be developed within a couple of years, the level of language skills necessary to be competitive with native-born peers in the classroom can take 5 to 7 years to acquire” (p. 154)  Boys suffer more than girls   “targets of school violence,” “greater risk for academic disengagement” (p. 155) All above: (Suárez-Orozco, et al., 2009)

  South Florida schools hired more Haitian teachers and administrators  also incorporated cultural events such as Haitian flag day (Cone, et al., 2013, p. 273) help ELL students develop academic self efficacy (p. 153)  help ELL students develop social relations    provides “a variety of protective functions” (p. 155) peer support improves academic outcomes (p. 156) Above: (Suárez-Orozco, et al., 2009)

Cultural & Social Class Divides

 no such thing as a Parent-Teacher Association  parents only go to school for disciplinary matters  thus: “Haitian parents may react negatively or fearfully to a request for a routine parent teacher conference” (all above: Civan, et al., 1995, p. 16).

 parents do not get letters, students’ papers, et cetera sent home (Zainuddin, et al., 2002)

Cultural Dilemmas

 “fears of ‘losing their children’ to Americanization” (p. 2707)  “a perceived loss of power over the discipline of their children” after moving to the U.S. (p. 2718)  “frustrated over the seeming unacceptability of spanking children in the United States” (p. 2718)  pride themselves “on how tightly they monitored or controlled (or attempted to control) their children’s activities” in the U.S. (p. 2720) (All above: Doucet, 2011).

A few final details that may help some educators

 Gym teachers, take note:  “It is culturally inappropriate for Haitian students to dress and undress in front of others, even those of the same sex." (Zainuddin, et al., 2002, p. 471)  Regarding school absences  "Frequent absenteeism might result as a consequence of familial expectations.“ (Zainuddin, et al., 2002, p. 471)  Haitian “adolescents have a strong sense of respect and obligation to assist parents—family obligations” (Ferguson, et al., 2014, p. 625)

  Many Haitians are religious  as a result of the country’s historical roots (Spaniards, French, Catholic schools, African tribes) Many Haitians value the arts  “Involvement of Haitian youth in the arts [in Haiti] is also protective; it provides a channel for emotions, desires, and needs that have few other outlets. … In addition, religion and music often work in tandem to facilitate coping and meaning making, such as in the days following the earthquake when Haitians held impromptu open air Christian and Voodou services” (Ferguson, et al., 2014, p. 625)

Thank you for reading!

Ariza, E. N. W. (2006). Not for ESOL teachers: What every classroom teacher

needs to know about the linguistically, culturally, and ethnically diverse

student. Boston, MA: Pearson/Allyn and Bacon.

Central Intelligence Agency. (2014, June 22). The world factbook: Haiti. Retrieved from https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world factbook/geos/ha.html

Civan, M. B., Vilsaint, F., & Morisset-Me tellus, G. (1995). Haitians: History and culture. Temple Terrace, Fla: EducaVision.

Cone, N., Buxton, C., Lee, O., & Mahotiere, M. (2014). Negotiating a sense of identity in a foreign land: Navigating public school structures and practices that often conflict with Haitian culture and values. Urban Education, 49(3), 263-296. Retrieved from ERIC database.

Danticat, E. (2010). Create dangerously: The immigrant artist at work. Princeton: Princeton University Press.

Doucet, F. (2011). (Re)constructing home and school: Immigrant parents, agency, and the (un)desirability of bridging multiple worlds. Teachers College Record, 113(12), 2705-2738. Retrieved from ERIC database.

Ferguson, G. M., Desir, C., & Bornstein, M. H. (2014). “Ayiti cheri”: Cultural orientation of early adolescents in rural Haiti. Journal of Early Adolescence, 34(5), 621-637. doi:10.1177/0272431613503214 Lunde, H. (2008). Youth and education in Haiti: Disincentives, vulnerabilities, and constraints [PDF]. Fafo. Retrieved from http://www.fafoarkiv.no/pub/rapp/10070/10070.pdf

Salmi, J. (2000). Equity and quality in private education: The Haitian paradox. Compare: A Journal of Comparative Education, 30(2), 163-178. doi:10.1080/03057920050034101 Suárez-Orozco, C., Rhodes, J., & Milburn, M. (2009). Unraveling the immigrant paradox: Academic engagement and disengagement among recently arrived immigrant youth. Youth & Society, 41(2), 151-185. Retrieved from Academic Search Premiere database.

Sua rez-Orozco, M. M., Sua Routledge.

rez-Orozco, C., & Qin-Hilliard, D. (2001). Interdisciplinary perspectives on the new immigration. New York:

United States Census Burea. (2010, October). The population with Haitian ancestry in the United States: 2009 [PDF]. Retrieved from https://www.census.gov/prod/2010pubs/acsbr09-18.pdf

Zainuddin, H., Yahya, N., Morales-Jones, C. A., & Ariza, E. (2002).

Fundamentals of teaching English to speakers of other languages in K-12

mainstream classrooms. Dubuque, Iowa: Kendall/Hunt Pub. Co.