Refugee Students Arrive at a School: What Happens Next?

Abstract

As refugee children join classrooms across the world, schools have the opportunity to expand the global education of all students. Students, teachers, administrators, and families may partner together to form supportive environments. This article examines two and a half years in the life of a Maryland elementary school as 62 Burmese refugee students joined the population. Data is presented from both observations and student dialogue journals. The goal of the study was to consider how the interactions between refugee students, refugee families, teachers, and a principal defined a community. These findings may support the development of pedagogy.

Keywords

• Refugee children
• refugee students
• global education
• school community