Skip to main content

Global Citizenship Education and Social Justice for Immigrant Students: Implications for Administration, Leadership, and Teaching in Schools

  • Living reference work entry
  • First Online:
Handbook on Promoting Social Justice in Education

Abstract

Accelerating global migration and geopolitical instability has resulted in a dramatically increasing number of immigrant and refugee students in schools and classrooms in Western democracies. The greater diversity in schools charts the governments and schools an important task of building a welcoming, inclusive, just, and equitable educational system and an environment for all students, particularly for the immigrant and refugee students who are often underserved by the existing education systems and praxis. Educational leaders and practitioners are challenged to adopt meaningful and practical ways to ensure all students, who differ in their backgrounds, languages, identities, frames of reference, abilities, interests, and belief systems, have equal opportunities and resources to participate and succeed in the current education systems. This paper introduces critical global citizenship education as an inspiration and a framework to empower policy-makers, leadership, and educators to promote greater equity and social justice for immigrant and refugee students through culturally responsive policy, leadership, and praxis. The paper concludes with discussions and implications of critical global citizenship education on culturally responsive educational policies, leadership, and praxis.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Abdi, A., & Shultz, L. (Eds.). (2008). Educating for human rights and global citizenship. New York, NY: State University of New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ainscow, M. (2005). Developing inclusive education systems: What are the levers for change? Journal of Educational Change, 6(2), 109–124.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ali, S., & Gidley, B. (2014). Advancing outcomes for all minorities: Experiences of mainstreaming immigrant integration policy in the United Kingdom. Brussels, Belgium: Migration Policy Institute.

    Google Scholar 

  • Allexsaht-Snider, M., Buxton, C. A., & Harman, R. (2012). Challenging anti-immigration discourses in school and community contexts. International Journal of Multicultural Education, 14(2), 1–9.

    Google Scholar 

  • Alsubaie, M. A. (2015). Examples of current issues in the multicultural classroom. Journal of Education and Practice, 6(20), 4.

    Google Scholar 

  • Andrews, J. W., & Lupart, J. (Eds.). (2014). Diversity education: Understanding and addressing student diversity. Toronto, Canada: Nelson.

    Google Scholar 

  • Anisef, P., & Kilbride, K. M. (2000). Report on the needs of newcomer youth and emerging best practices to meet those needs. Toronto, ON, Canada: Ontario Administration of Settlement and Integration Services, Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration Canada.

    Google Scholar 

  • Apple, M. W. (2011). Global crises, social justice, and teacher education. Journal of Teacher Education, 62(2), 222–234.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Au, K. H. (2011). Literacy achievement and diversity: Keys to success for students, teachers, and schools. New York, NY: Teachers College Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Banks, J. A. (2016). Multicultural education: Issues and perspectives (6th ed.). Hoboken, New Jersey: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bell, L. (1997). Theoretical foundations for social justice educaiton. In M. Adams, L. Bell, & P. Griffin (Eds.), Teahcing for diversity and social justice (pp. 3–16). New York: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bell, L. A. (2007). Theoretical foundations for social justice education. In M. Adams, L. A. Bell, & P. Griffin (Eds.), Teaching for diversity and social justice (pp. 1–14). New York, NY: Routledge/Taylor & Francis Group.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bennett, C. (2001). Genres of research in multicultural education. Review of Educational Research, 71(2), 171–217.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Berry, J. W., Phinney, J. S., Sam, D. L., & Vedder, P. (2006). Immigrant youth: Acculturation, identity, and adaptation. Applied Psychology: An International Review, 55(3), 303–332.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bogic, M., Ajdukovic, D., Bremner, S., Franciskovic, T., Galeazzi, G. M., Kucukalic, A., … Priebe, S. (2012). Factors associated with mental disorders in long-settled war refugees: Refugees from the former Yugoslavia in Germany, Italy and the UK. The British Journal of Psychiatry: the Journal of Mental Science, 200(3), 216–223. https://doi.org/10.1192/bjp.bp.110.084764

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Branch, G. F., Hanushek, E. A., & Rivkin, S. G. (2013). School leaders matter: Measuring the impact of effective principals. Education Next, 13(1), 62–69.

    Google Scholar 

  • Clarke, M., & Drudy, S. (2006). Teaching for diversity, social justice and global awareness. European Journal of Teacher Education, 29(3), 371–386.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cooper, C. W. (2009). Performing cultural work in demographically changing schools: Implications for expanding transformative leadership frameworks. Educational Administration Quarterly, 45, 694–724. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013161X09341639

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dei, G. J. S., James-Wilson, S. V., & Zine, J. (2002). Inclusive schooling: A teacher’s companion to removing the margins. Toronto, Canada: Canadian Scholars’ Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Elkord, N. (2017). Arab immigrant high school students’ perceptions of their high school experiences in Canada: A narrative inquiry. Doctoral dissertation. https://scholar.uwindsor.ca/etd/7252

  • Fernandez, I. T. (2015). A social justice perspective on children’s mental health: A borderlands view. Communiqué, 43(6), 1.

    Google Scholar 

  • Feuerverger, G., & Richards, E. (2007). Finding their way: Immigrant students in a Toronto school. In D. Thiessen & A. Cook-Sather (Eds.), International handbook of student experience in elementary and secondary school (pp. 555–575). Hamburg, Germany: Springer.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Gay, G. (2010). Culturally responsive teaching: Theory, research and practice (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Teachers College Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gewirtz, S. (1998). Conceptualizing social justice in education: Mapping the territory. Journal of Education Policy, 13(4), 469–484. https://doi.org/10.1080/0268093980130402

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Giroux, H. (1983). Theory and resistance in education: A pedagogy for the opposition. Boston, MA: Bergin & Garvey.

    Google Scholar 

  • Giroux, H. A., & McLaren, P. (1986). Teacher education and the politics of engagement: The case for democratic schooling. Harvard Educational Review, 56(3), 213–238.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gooden, M. A., & Dantley, M. (2012). Cantering race in a framework for leadership preparation. Journal of Research on Leadership Education, 7, 237–253. https://doi.org/10.1177/1942775112455266

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gouin, R. (2016). Facilitating the integration of newcomer children and youth. Toronto, Canada: Boy and Girls Clubs of Canada. Retrieved from https://www.bgccan.com/index.php?securefile=2017/03/BGCC-brief-Citizenship-and-Immigration-2016.pdf

  • Griffiths, M. (2013). The discourses of social justice in schools. British Educational Research Journal, 24(3), 301–316.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Grossman, H. (2004). Classroom behaviour management for diverse and inclusive schools (3rd ed.). New York, NY: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Guo, L. (2012a). Globalization: A shifting context for the Canadian education landscape. Canadian Journal of Education, 35(3), 1–3.

    Google Scholar 

  • Guo, L. (2013). Translating global citizenship education into pedagogic actions in classroom settings. Education Review, 3(2), 8–9.

    Google Scholar 

  • Guo, L. (2014). Preparing teachers to educate for 21st century global citizenship: Envisioning and enacting. Journal of Global Citizenship & Equity Education, 4(1), 1–23.

    Google Scholar 

  • Guo, Y. (2012b). Diversity in public education: Acknowledging immigrant parent knowledge. Canadian Journal of Education, 35(2), 120–140.

    Google Scholar 

  • Guo-Brennan, L. & Guo-Brennan, M. (2018, in-press), Building welcoming and inclusive schools for immigrant and refugee students: Framework and promising praxis. In K. Arar, J.S. Brooks & I. Bogotch, (Eds.), Education, immigration and migration: Policy, leadership and praxis for a changing world. Bingley, England: Emerald Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hallinan, M. (2001). Sociological perspectives on black-white inequalities in American schools. Sociology of Education, 74, 50–70.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hamilton, R., & Moore, D. (Eds.). (2004). Educational interventions for refugee children. New York, NY: Routledge Falmer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hodes, M., Jagdev, D., Chandra, N., & Cunniff, A. (2008). Risk and resilience for psychological distress amongst unaccompanied asylum seeking adolescents. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 49(7), 723–732.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kanu, Y. (2008). Educational needs and barriers for African refugee students in Manitoba. Canadian Journal of Education, 31(4), 915–940.

    Google Scholar 

  • Khalifa, M. A., Gooden, M. A., & Davis, J. E. (2016). Culturally responsive school leadership: A synthesis of the literature. Review of Educational Research, 86(4), 1272–1311.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Koch, J. M., Gin, L. & Knutson, D. (2015). Creating safe and welcoming environments for immigrant children and families. https://www.apa.org/pi/families/resources/safe-schools/immigrant-children.pdf

  • Leblanc, E. F. (2017). We belong here: Eliminating inequity in education for immigrants and students of colour in Maine. Portland, ME: ACLU.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lee, J. J. (2017). Removing the blinders: Neo-racism and international Students. Trends & Insights, January 2017, NAFSA: Association of International Educators. Retrieved from https://www.nafsa.org/_/File/_/ti_january2017.pdf

  • Liu, H. Y. (2016). Economic immigrant parents’ educational involvement in Prince Edward Island. Masters thesis. Charlottetown, PE, Canada: University of Prince Edward Island. Retrieved from http://islandscholar.ca/islandora/object/ir:21172/datastream/PDF

  • Lopez, A. E. (2016). Culturally responsive and socially just leadership in diverse contexts: From theory to action. New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • MacKay, T., & Tavares, T. (2005). Building hope: Appropriate programming for adolescent and young adult newcomers of war-affected backgrounds and Manitoba schools. Winnipeg, MB, Canada: Manitoba Education, Citizenship and Youth.

    Google Scholar 

  • MacNevin, J. (2012). Learning the way: Teaching and learning with and for youth from refugee backgrounds in Prince Edward Island. Canadian Journal of Education, 35(3), 48–63.

    Google Scholar 

  • Marishane, N. (2013). The right to basic education for all: Addressing the educational needs and barriers of immigrant learners in South Africa. International Journal of Educational Administration and Policy Studies, 5(1), 1–7.

    Google Scholar 

  • McBrien, J. L. (2005). Educational needs and barriers for refugee students in the United States: A review of literature. Review of Educational Research, 75(3), 329–364.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McCarthy, F. E., & Vickers, M. H. (2012). Refugee and immigrant students: Achieving equity in education. Charlotte, NC: Information age.

    Google Scholar 

  • McIntyre, T., Barowsky, E. I., & Tong, V. (2011). The psychological, behavioral, and educational impact of immigration: Helping recent immigrant students to succeed in North American schools. Journal of the American Academy of Special Education Professional. Fall issue, 4–21.

    Google Scholar 

  • McManus, M. E. (2018). Transitions: The development of children of immigrants. Journal of Latinos and Education, 17(3), 288–289. https://doi.org/10.1080/15348431.2017.1337577

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mina, F., & Alan, S. (2003). Mental health of refugee children: Comparative study. BMJ: British Medical Journal, 327(7407), 134.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Modood, T. (1998). Racial equality: Colour, culture and justice. In D. Boucher & P. Kelly (Eds.), Social justice: From Hume to Walzer (pp. 203–218). London, England: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Morrison, S., & Bryan, J. (2014). Addressing the challenges and needs of English-speaking Caribbean immigrant students: Guidelines for school counselors. International Journal for the Advancement of Counseling, 36, 440–449.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Neufeld, K. H., Matthes, K., Moulden, C., Friesen, J. P., & Gaucher, D. (2016). Increasing newcomers’ sense of belonging: Evidence-based strategies from social psychology. http://p2pcanada.ca/files/2016/07/Increasing-Newcomers-Sense-of-Belonging.pdf

  • Nieto, S. (2010). The light in their eyes: Creating multicultural learning communities. New York, NY: Teachers College Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Papa, R., Eadens, D. M., & Eadens, D. W. (Eds.). (2016). Social justice instruction: Empowerment on the chalkboard. New York, NY: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ricento, T. (2013). Dis-citizenship for refugees in Canada: The case of Fernando. Journal of Language, Identity, and Education, 12(3), 184–188.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Riehl, C. J. (2017). The principal’s role in creating inclusive schools for diverse students: A review of normative, empirical, and critical literature on the practice of educational administration. Journal of Education, 189(1–2), 183–197.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rossiter, M. J., & Rossiter, K. R. (2009). Diamonds in the rough: Bridging gaps in supports for at-risk immigrant and refugee youth. Journal of International Migration and Integration, 10(4), 409–429. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12134-009-0110-3

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schleicher, A. (2015). Helping immigrant students to succeed at school – And beyond. Paris, France: OECD.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shepherd, H. R., & Stephens, N. M. (2010). Using culture to explain behavior: An integrative cultural approach. Social Psychology Quarterly, 73(4), 353–354.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shields, C. M. (2010). Transformative leadership: Working for equity in diverse contexts. Educational Administration Quarterly, 46(4), 558–589.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shields, C. M. (2012). Transformative leadership in education: Equitable change in an uncertain and complex world. New York/London, NY/England: Taylor and Francis.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Shultz, L. (2018). Global citizenship and equity: Cracking the code and finding decolonial possibility. In I. Davies, K. Li-Ching Ho, C. Peck, A. Peterson, E. Sant, & Y. Waghid (Eds.), The Palgrave handbook of global citizenship and education. London/New York, England/NY: Palgrave Macmillan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Solomon, P. R., & Levine-Rasky, C. (2003). Teaching for equity and diversity: Research in practice. Toronto, ON, Canada: Canadian Scholars’ Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Solomon, R. P., & Allen, A. (2001). The struggle for equity, diversity and social justice in teacher education. In J. Portelli & P. Solomon (Eds.), The erosion of cemocracy in education: From critique to possibilities. Toronto, ON, Canada: Detselig/Temerron Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Solomon, R. P., & Singer, J. (2011). Distinguishing our present context: The meaning of diversity and education for social justice. In R. P. Solomon, J. Singer, A. Campbell, A. Allen, & J. P. Portelli (Eds.), Brave new teachers: Doing social justice work in neo-liberal times (pp. 1–30). Toronto, ON, Canada: Canadian Scholars’ Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Solomon, R. R., Singer, J., Campbell, A., Allen, A., & Protelli, J. P. (2011). Brave new teachers: Doing social justice work in neo-liberal times. Toronto, ON, Canada: Canadian Scholar’s Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Speight, S. L., & Vera, E. M. (2004). A social justice agenda: Ready, or not? Counselling Psychologist, 32, 109–118. 10.1177 0011000003260005

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Statistics Canada. (2017). Immigration and ethnocultural diversity: Key results from the 2016 Census. Retrieved from http://www.statcan.gc.ca/daily-quotidien/171025/dq171025b-eng.htm

  • Steve, G. (2017). Racisms: An introduction (2nd ed.). London, England: SAGE Publications.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stewart, J. (2011). Supporting refugee children: Strategies for educators. Toronto, ON, Canada: University of Toronto Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stewart, V. (2012). Globalization and education. In V. Stewart (Ed.), A world-class education: Learning from international models of excellence and innovation. ASCD. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED567143.pdf

    Google Scholar 

  • Tamer, M. (2014). The education of immigrant children: As the demography of the U.S. continues to shift, how can schools best serve their changing population? Retrieved from https://www.gse.harvard.edu

  • UNESCO. (2015). Global citizenship education. Topics and learning objectives. Paris, France: UNESCO.

    Google Scholar 

  • UNESCO. (2016). Schools in action. Global citizens for sustainable development. A guide for teachers. Paris, France: UNESCO.

    Google Scholar 

  • UNICEF. (2017). Education uprooted: For every migrant, refugee and displaced child. https://www.unicef.org/publications/files/UNICEF_Education_Uprooted.pdf

  • UNICEF. (2018). Child migration and displacement. https://data.unicef.org/topic/child-migration-and-displacement

  • United Nations Development Program. (2018). Migration and displacement. http://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/sustainable-development/economic-recovery/migration-and-displacement.html

  • Wagner, P. (2016). Modernity, capitalism and crisis: Understanding the new great transformation. Global Policy, 7(1), 127–129.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Walton, G. M., Cohen, G. L., Cwir, D., & Spencer, S. J. (2012). Mere belonging: The power of social connections. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 102(3), 513–532. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0025731

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Williams, F. C., & Butler, S. K. (2003). Concerns of newly arrived immigrant students: Implications for school counsellors. Professional School Counselling, 7, 9–14.

    Google Scholar 

  • Young, B. L., Madsen, J., & Young, M. A. (2010). Implementing diversity plans: Principals’ perception of their ability to address diversity in their schools. NASSP Bulletin, 94(2), 135–157.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Young, I. (1990). Justice and the politics of difference. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press. ISBN 9780691023151.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Linyuan Guo-Brennan .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Section Editor information

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2019 Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this entry

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this entry

Guo-Brennan, L., Guo-Brennan, M. (2019). Global Citizenship Education and Social Justice for Immigrant Students: Implications for Administration, Leadership, and Teaching in Schools. In: Papa, R. (eds) Handbook on Promoting Social Justice in Education. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-74078-2_40-1

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-74078-2_40-1

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-74078-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-74078-2

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference EducationReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Education

Publish with us

Policies and ethics