Exploring How Schools Support Newcomer Students and Parents

Presenter Information

Elani WilliamsFollow

Major

Psychology

Anticipated Graduation Year

2023

Access Type

Open Access

Abstract

In the United States, it is estimated that there are 44.8 million immigrants living in the United States, representing 13.7% of the population (Pew Research Center, 2020). While each immigrant’s journey is unique, some migration journeys were traumatic. According to the World Health Organization, around 80 million people were forced to leave their country, with 40% being children (U.N. Refugee Agency, 2020). Refugees were forced to leave their country for a variety of different factors such as violence, war, or persecution. In addition to having to leave their country, settling in a new country provides its own host of problems for immigrants and refugees. Many experience stress due to acculturation, discrimination and poverty (Santiago, et al., 2021). These stressors can increase the risk for mental illness which can disrupt their lives. However, there are institutions like schools that have been identified as having a positive impact for newcomer children and their parents after resettling in the United States. For my research, I will be investigating how schools support newcomer children and their parents after resettlement through qualitative analysis.

Community Partners

Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago

Faculty Mentors & Instructors

Dr. Cate DeCarlo Santiago, Clinical Psychology Director, Psychology Department; Yvita Bustos, Graduate Student, Psychology Department

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.

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Exploring How Schools Support Newcomer Students and Parents

In the United States, it is estimated that there are 44.8 million immigrants living in the United States, representing 13.7% of the population (Pew Research Center, 2020). While each immigrant’s journey is unique, some migration journeys were traumatic. According to the World Health Organization, around 80 million people were forced to leave their country, with 40% being children (U.N. Refugee Agency, 2020). Refugees were forced to leave their country for a variety of different factors such as violence, war, or persecution. In addition to having to leave their country, settling in a new country provides its own host of problems for immigrants and refugees. Many experience stress due to acculturation, discrimination and poverty (Santiago, et al., 2021). These stressors can increase the risk for mental illness which can disrupt their lives. However, there are institutions like schools that have been identified as having a positive impact for newcomer children and their parents after resettling in the United States. For my research, I will be investigating how schools support newcomer children and their parents after resettlement through qualitative analysis.