Migrant Students and Their Needs Sonja Williams, Migrant Education Consultant North Carolina Department of Public Instruction

Agenda  A Profile of Migrant Students  Service Delivery through the Migrant Education Program  Identification and Recruitment of Migrant Students  Discussion of Ways McKinney-Vento and Migrant Education Programs can work together  Questions and Responses

The NC Migrant Education Program is federally funded as part of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, and is regulated by Title I, Part C.

Migrant Education, in a Nutshell MISSION: The mission of the North Carolina Migrant Education Program is to help migrant students and youth meet high academic challenges by overcoming the obstacles created by frequent moves, educational disruption, cultural and language differences, and health-related problems.

We do this by supporting locally-based Migrant Education Programs that--  Identify and recruit migrant students;  Provide high quality supplemental and support services;  Foster coordination among schools, agencies, organizations, and businesses to assist migrant families;  Collaborate with other states to enhance the continuity of education for migrant students.

Locations of NC Migrant Education Projects

“The hands that feed us are often invisible hands, hands of people who work in the shadows of a multibillion-dollar industry without enjoying its rewards.” "The Human Cost of Food"

Needs of Migrant Students Areas of Concern, as designated by the US Department of Education Office of Migrant Education:  Health  Educational Continuity  Instructional Time  English Language Development  School Engagement  Educational Support in the Home  Access to Services

Health Working Conditions  Pesticides— April 2003, Journal of Public Health article found that 64% of the pesticide-related acute illnesses in youth were among agricultural workers.

Dr. Thomas Arcury and his colleagues went to the workers’ homes and tested the floors, children’s toys and the children’s hands to see where the pesticides—both agricultural and residential— were coming from and where they were ending up. “Ninety-five percent of households had pesticides on the floor, about 71 percent of the toys had pesticides, and with hands, it went to 55 percent.” Dr. Thomas Arcury and his colleagues went to the workers’ homes and tested the floors, children’s toys and the children’s hands to see where the pesticides—both agricultural and residential— were coming from and where they were ending up. “Ninety-five percent of households had pesticides on the floor, about 71 percent of the toys had pesticides, and with hands, it went to 55 percent.”

Agriculture is considered the 4th most dangerous occupation, following mining, fishing, and construction. Agriculture is considered the 4th most dangerous occupation, following mining, fishing, and construction. Between 1995 and 2002, 907 youth died on farms, or 43 deaths for every 100,000 children.

It is legal for a child of 12 to work in agriculture.

Living Conditions  Generally substandard housing, often w/o plumbing, heating, cooling, safe electrical systems; problems with ventilation, lighting, mold, asbestos, lead.

Health conditions, cont’d   The average farmworker spends approximately six months per year doing seasonal work, eight weeks doing nonagricultural work, eight weeks on the road, and is unemployed ten weeks. Mobility and long days often threaten their health and pose a significant barrier to accessing health care.

Lack of access to sources of nutritious food Malnutrition is associated with poverty. A survey of Florida migrant workers (Shotland, 1989) found that 30.6 percent of the respondents had experienced a period during which they ran out or had a shortage of food; and that 43.8 percent of them had seasonal food shortages. Families living in camps must often rely on local convenience stores for food, since they may have no regular means of transportation.

Educational Continuity  In North Carolina, nearly half of migrant students have moved from one district, one county, one state, or one country to another during the last year.

  Children who move often are two and a half times more likely to need to repeat a grade than children who do not move.

Instructional Time  Work in the fields (Estimates of child farmworkers, ages 12-17, in the U.S. run from 300,000 to 800,000)  Late enrollments and difficulty in enrolling  Lack of transportation to and from remediation/intervention programs

English Language Development  In , 52% of NC Migrant Education PK-12 students were considered LEP. This is an underestimate, since many pre-K are not formally assessed for English Language Proficiency.

School Engagement  Need to work  Repeated retentions  Newness  Isolation  Credit Accrual

Educational Support in the Home  Books  Technology  Parental Involvement/  Engagement with students  Time  Support

Access to Services  Isolation  Transportation  Language  “Newness”  Immigration issues  Need to work…

What are some of the strategies that the North Carolina Migrant Education Program is using to respond to the needs of migrant children?

Pre-K Children  Pre-K Students: Focus on access to pre-K programs and family literacy programs.

Elementary Grades Limited English Proficient Students Elementary (Grades 3- 5) Students: Focus on tutoring and summer programs to increase time spent on English Language Development. Migrant students need to receive supplemental ESL instruction.

Secondary Students  Focus on reading and math instruction using SIOP; use technology to advance skills.

High School Students and Out of School Youth  Increase possibilities for credit recovery/ accrual, and increase educational and support services to Out-of-School Youth.

Parent Involvement  Gerardo Lopez, an assistant professor at the Indiana University School of Education in Bloomington, has stated that most educators view parent involvement as coming to school, meeting the teachers and working with them for the benefit of their child. "I challenge this view, because many migrant parents whose students are successful don't even visit the schools; their involvement is in the home.”

Parent Involvement  There is a clear need to continue to develop programs that can meet and work with parents in their homes.  Examples include: family literacy, health initiatives, parent advisory committees that meet at parents’ homes, and using technology to improve communication.

For all MEP students, even in counties where the LEA does not have a program….  Identify, locate, or provide the support services that will help students have greater success in school. A hungry or sick child cannot learn.  Facilitate enrollment in school nutrition programs and WIC programs.  Advocate for students and their families.

MEP and McKinney-Vento  It is estimated by some MEP Directors in North Carolina that over 90% of their Migrant Education Program students are eligible for McKinney-Vento programs….

Help Strengthen the Relationship Between Homeless Education and Migrant Education – –Identify and recruit migrant students; – –Provide high quality supplemental and support services; – –Foster coordination among schools, agencies, organizations, and businesses to assist migrant families; – –Collaborate with other states to enhance the continuity of education for migrant students.

Help Strengthen the Relationship Between Homeless Education and Migrant Education  If a Migrant Education Program exists in your county, get to know the MEP staff.  Let MEP know if you find children who meet the following criteria:

Eligibility for Migrant Education Programs  Children and/or their parents have made a move within the last three years --to work in agriculture, food processing or fisheries (even if they are not working in that at present) --and the work is/was of a seasonal or temporary nature.

Helping the Migrant Education Program serve more students….  Join state advisory committees or expert groups.  Keep abreast of changes in the reauthorization of ESEA that affect migrant students.

NC Migrant Education Program  José Viana, Identification and Recruitment Coordinator, (919)  Sonja Williams, Program Consultant, (919) or (919)  Loreto Tessini, Technology Support Analyst, (919)  On the web at