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Competing purposes of education: The case of underschooled immigrant students

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Abstract

Recent global events have led to a striking rise of displaced people and refugees worldwide. Every year, the United States resettles nearly 70,000 refugees, with a large minority resettling in one California school district. Approximately 3000 students from refugee families are enrolled in local schools, many of whom lack prior formal education in their home countries. Further compounding the challenge is the recent onset of rigorous local and state policies. While several studies exist on teachers’ sensemaking of educational policies more generally, no studies deal with the role of teachers in mediating the intersection of policy and underschooled immigrant students. Using a sensemaking perspective, this qualitative study explores how teachers conceptualize their role as mediators between policy and student needs. Analysis of district policy-related documents, classroom observations, and interviews with school and district staff revealed that teachers balanced multiple layers of factors in their sensemaking of broad-based district policy in the case of underschooled immigrant students. Though the district presented a unified policy message related to graduation requirements, participants articulated different purposes of school for underschooled immigrant students. These differing perceptions affected how teachers conceptualized their role. This study’s contributions to research and theory, as well as implications for policy, practice, and future research are also discussed.

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Notes

  1. For the purposes of confidentiality, pseudonyms are used for all place and person names.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of California, San Diego, 1327 Cadoglen Dr., El Cajon, CA, 92019, USA

    Kristy Drake

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  1. Kristy Drake
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Kristy Drake.

Appendices

Appendix 1: Interview protocol: NAC teachers

This interview should take approximately 45 min to 1 h.

Thank you so much for sharing your classroom with me. I’m really interested to see and hear about what’s going on in your classroom, as well as how you manage the challenges of your job.

As we discussed, I’m going to audio record our interaction, as it will help me to make sense of it later. If you would like me to pause, stop, or erase any of the audio recording at any time, please feel free to let me know. Of course, I will not share the audio recording or the transcript to your colleagues, your principal or others in the district, and I will not use your name when discussing it with my adviser or other students in my doctoral program.

  1. 1.

    How did you come to teach in the Secondary Newcomer Program?

  2. 2.

    Describe your class.

  3. 3.

    What is the most rewarding aspect of the job?

  4. 4.

    What are some challenges you face as a teacher?

    1. a.

      What are some challenges you face in working with students?

    2. b.

      What are some challenges you face in working with other faculty?

    3. c.

      What are some challenges you face on a broader level in the district?

    4. d.

      How is teaching in a Secondary Newcomer Program the same as teaching in other contexts? How is it different?

  5. 5.

    What are some challenges your students face?

    1. a.

      What are some academic related challenges?

    2. b.

      What are some social/emotional related challenges?

    3. c.

      What are some immigration related challenges?

  6. 6.

    How do you decide what to teach and when to teach it?

    1. a.

      If there is no discussion of policy, I will ask:

      1. i.

        How do CCSS, A–G graduation requirements factor into your decision making?

      2. ii.

        What are your feelings about CCSS, A–G graduation requirements, relative to ELs? Underschooled immigrant students?

      3. iii.

        Can you give me an example of a time when you taught a lesson or advised a student that was directly connected to CCSS or A–G graduation requirements? What was your thinking behind planning for this lesson or advising this student?

  7. 7.

    In your opinion, what is the purpose of school for New Arrival students? What is the goal?

    1. a.

      What do you think your students think the purpose of school is? What makes you think that?

    2. b.

      What do you think your students’ families think the purpose of school is? What makes you think that?

    3. c.

      What do you think other teachers on staff the purpose of school is for New Arrival Students? What makes you think that?

    4. d.

      What do you think site administration thinks the purpose of school is for Secondary Newcomer Programs? What makes you think that?

    5. e.

      What do you think district administration thinks the purpose of school is for Secondary Newcomer Programs? What makes you think that?

  8. 8.

    What is the role of the teacher in a Secondary Newcomer Program?

    1. a.

      If someone was interested in this job, how would you describe it?

      1. i.

        What is the role of the teacher in the Secondary Newcomer Program?

      2. ii.

        What are the responsibilities?

      3. iii.

        What are the goals of the teacher?

      4. iv.

        How is teaching in a Secondary Newcomer Program the same as teaching in other contexts? How is it different?

    2. b.

      How would you describe your role as it relates to students and families?

    3. c.

      How would you describe your role as it relates to other staff on site?

How would you describe your role as it relates to administration?

Appendix 2: Observation guide

Artifacts

 

Around campus

In classroom

Curriculum/Instruction

Advising Students

Appendix 3

Code system

#

Code system

1477

 Role/Purpose of SNP

40

  Purpose of SNP: socio-emotional

57

  Purpose of SNP: social justice

31

  Purpose of SNP: academic

55

 Policy

18

  Policy: Other

89

  Policy: CAHSEE

28

  Policy: A–G

101

  Policy: CCSS

17

 Purpose of school: academic

55

 Teacher decision-making

72

 Systems focus

45

 Individual focus

6

 Proposed changes

51

 Successes

30

 Purpose of school

61

  Purpose of school: conflict

11

  Purpose of school: justice

1

  Purpose of school: economic

36

  Purpose of school: social

14

  Purpose of school: academic

42

 Challenges

14

  Challenges: district

56

  Challenges: admin

21

  Challenges: colleagues

36

  Challenges: teaching

71

  Challenges: students face

95

 Rewards

17

 Pedagogy: student agency

27

 Pedagogy

32

 Curriculum

65

 Balance

28

 Teacher conceptualization of role

122

 Background

33

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Drake, K. Competing purposes of education: The case of underschooled immigrant students. J Educ Change 18, 337–363 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10833-017-9302-3

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