An Examination of the Education System with Regards to Refugee Children in North Carolina

Problem Statement

The ESL support system in North Carolina public schools highly favors students who speak Spanish. Resettled refugee children (and teens) in North Carolina typically do not speak Spanish. Thus, the system inadvertently hinders their achievement in school.  ESL classes are typically taught in small groups and Spanish students who are unable to understand the teacher can rely on peers who can translate.  In 2013, North Carolina resettled 2,419 refugees across 22 counties.  As of 2011 there were 2,425 total (public) schools in North Carolina.  The 2,419 refugees resettled had the potential to be scattered amongst these schools.  As a result, there are typically only a handful of students in any given school.

Mecklenburg County had the greatest number of refugee arrivals in the 2013 fiscal year for North Carolina, 605 families (25% of all families resettled in NC during 2013 fiscal year). School Impact Program, has been specifically set up to assist the Mecklenburg public schools with educational support to refugee children.  The program aims to increase family involvement in education, assist parents navigating the Mecklenburg school system, and prevent high school dropouts.  The School Impact Program provides an ideal model for fostering better relations between schools and parents, and identifies how teachers could best be assisted when working with refugee students.   Currently, the School Impact Program is only in Mecklenburg County.

While Spanish speakers make up a larger percentage of ESL students, it is important for the K-12 Curriculum and Instructional NC Standard Course of Study to incorporate a comprehensive curriculum that serves the needs of non-Spanish speaker ESL students.

The policy options recommended strive to develop cultural sensitivity and understanding between schools and families; in addition, to improve instruction for ESL, non Spanish students.