Inside a classroom at the Center for Family Life in Sunset Park on a recent Monday morning, teacher Julian Col贸n was busy setting out notebooks, folders, pens and crayons on a table. Outside in the hallway, a sign taped to a wall reads 鈥淐LASES DE INGL脡S POR ESTE CAMINO鈥� 鈥斅�English classes this way.

It was the first day of the spring semester in this predominantly Latino corner of the Brooklyn neighborhood, where Col贸n was expecting about 30 students in class.

But not everyone who wanted a seat at the table was there. More than 400 students are now on the center鈥檚 waitlist, according to Maria Ferreira, its adult employment program director.

鈥淚 sit right by the reception, and every single day we get inquiries about ESOL,鈥� Ferreira told THE CITY, using the acronym for English for Speakers of Other Languages. 鈥淓very day we鈥檙e adding people to the waiting list.鈥�

Demand for English classes has increased with the influx of migrants that began in 2022, according to a , which represents 46 settlement houses that help serve immigrant populations, even as City Hall has slashed funding.

At Flatbush-based social services giant CAMBA, program manager Jude Pierre said more than 700 prospective students are now waiting to get into one of its 10 city-funded ESL classes, which collectively accommodate about 200 students.

鈥淲ith the migrant crisis鈥e ended up getting a lot of individuals coming here to register for classes to the point where we basically had to stop taking registrations,鈥� Pierre told THE CITY. 鈥淲e got to the point where it didn鈥檛 make any more sense to have thousands of people on a waiting list, knowing we would never get to most of them. We started saying, 鈥楽orry, we can鈥檛 do this, because it鈥檚 not fair to you,鈥� and trying to refer them to other places.鈥�

Last year, the Department of Youth and Community Development reduced funding for literacy classes by nearly 30% to $11.9 million from $16.8 million, the report noted. Many long-time providers in areas where migrant shelters were clustered also lost out on DYCD dollars after the agency adjusted its funding eligibility formula,鈥� as .

According to the report, many classes now depend entirely on discretionary dollars from the City Council, which increased its funding to $16.5 million in fiscal year 2025 from roughly $6.5 million in recent years to back organizations DYCD left behind.

Several providers, however, told THE CITY that compared to DYCD鈥檚 multi-year contracts, Council funding, which requires annual reconsideration, makes it difficult to plan ahead and maximize offerings.

And for some, like CAMBA, Council funding was not enough to cover the losses from DYCD with the group reducing the number of students it serves by 174 and closing its waitlist, Pierre said.

So far, providers say, demand among new arrivals has remained steady even as the Trump administration鈥檚 mass deportation efforts have led many new arrivals or or even walking the streets.

鈥淚deally, these programs would be supported by a robust, baselined program managed by DYCD that offered students and providers stability with year-over-year funding,鈥� the report says. 鈥淗owever, until DYCD revisits its unnecessarily restrictive stance鈥t is crucial that the City Council continue this support to make sure that adult learners continue to have access to quality classes.鈥�

鈥業 Understand People Now鈥�

While fewer than 3% of the 1.7 million immigrants in need of English classes are able to access it through city-funded programs, according to the report, students who were able to find their way into a class told THE CITY improved English has helped with their daily lives 鈥� and their job prospects.

Currently, two-thirds of New Yorkers with limited English proficiency earn less than $25,000 a year, according to American Community Survey data cited in the report.

Rosanie Andre, 42, came to New York City from Haiti in 2023, and said she started taking English classes at CAMBA last year after three months on a waitlist. Since then, she鈥檚 been able to get a job serving food at Speedway while also delivering packages for Amazon per diem.

鈥淲hen I did my interviews, you have to speak in English with the manager. And it helped me a lot because I understand people now,鈥� Andre, a native Haitian Creole and French speaker, said in English.

Learning English has also helped Andre communicate with her 6-year-old 鈥� who only started speaking after their move to New York City.

鈥淎nd she started to speak English 鈥� English only. She knows nothing in Creole,鈥� Andre said. 鈥淚 try to listen to my daughter and speak to her English-only.鈥�

With her English improving, Andre said she is better able to help her daughter with her homework.

鈥淚 try to explain her how to do it in English,鈥� Andre said. 鈥淚f no CAMBA, I have difficulty to understand. Cuz when I come here, I don鈥檛 understand nothing. When people speak, I smile because I understand nothing.鈥�

Roodleir Victor, 29, saw English classes as an essential stepping stone in furthering his education. He had completed his college coursework for an economics degree in his native Haiti, he said, though he ultimately fell just short of obtaining a degree because it would have required him to stay in the country鈥檚 capital, which has been

He started taking English classes when he moved to the city in 2023, he said, in hopes of continuing his studies here. For four days a week, he attended English classes in Flatbush from 1 to 4 p.m. before heading to Long Island to work at a pasta factory on a 5 p.m. to 5 a.m. overnight shift.

Victor is now enrolled in a GED class, he said, and hopes to study computer programming after that.

鈥淚 would like to study at a university which I can learn technology. But it鈥檚 difficult for me, because I don鈥檛 have the support I need to go there,鈥� Victor said in English. 鈥淏ut for me personally, I believe in my capacity to adapt.鈥�

鈥業t鈥檚 Not Impossible鈥�

Back in Sunset Park, a 55 year-old asylum seeker was patiently waiting to enter the room half an hour before class started at 9 a.m.

鈥淚鈥檓 just eager to learn,鈥� the native of Ecuador聽 said in Spanish. 鈥淚t鈥檚 important because I want to communicate with others for a job.鈥�

The mother of five arrived in New York City three months ago, she said, after seeking asylum at the Mexico-California border then being detained there for three months. She鈥檚 cleaning homes to help make ends meet, but hopes to land a job with steadier income soon.

鈥淲hatever I can get I pick up, but those jobs come and go,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 was in a workforce development program but the curriculum was in English so I started looking for classes.鈥�

Oscar Lima rolled into English class with his e-scooter just after class started at 9:30 a.m. The 34-year-old is now in his second semester of classes, he said, which he makes time for in between catering gigs, food deliveries and a third job as a barback.

鈥淢y bosses told me, 鈥榊ou鈥檙e a good worker, but you need to learn English,鈥欌�� Lima said. 鈥淎nd I decided that I didn鈥檛 want to learn English myself.鈥�

Lima and other students now settled into their seats, turning their attention to Col贸n.

鈥淓verybody, are we ready? Listos?鈥� Col贸n asked.

鈥淵es,鈥� the class responded timidly.

Col贸n then began presenting ground rules on a digital whiteboard: Try to arrive within the five-minute grace period after the class start time, and come prepared with books, papers and pencils.

鈥淭he most important rule,鈥� Col贸n continued, before repeating himself in Spanish. 鈥淧lease don鈥檛 be afraid to participate and make mistakes.鈥�

At break time, Lima shared how he, his wife and his two sons had arrived in the city from Colombia about three years ago. While the family had started off at a shelter, Lima said, they鈥檙e now able to afford an apartment of their own. His two kids 鈥斅爏even and ten years old 鈥� quiz him about names of objects around the house, he said, and often encourages him to learn English alongside with them.

鈥淣ew York, it poses many challenges. It鈥檚 difficult at the beginning, but it鈥檚 not impossible,鈥� Lima said in Spanish. 鈥淢y American Dream is my sons鈥 want my children to perhaps have what I didn鈥檛 have, but at the same time I want to show them how to earn it, and how to work like good people.鈥�

The was originally published on

Lancaster, Pennsylvania聽

After surviving more than a decade in a Tanzanian refugee camp where learning was limited, Riziki Elisha, 11, wanted nothing more than to attend the elementary school just a few hundred yards from her front door. 

Though she could see the playground from her porch, she wasn鈥檛 permitted to partake: Paperwork delays left her sitting at home for weeks, spending long afternoons watching CoComelon, a cartoon created for babies and toddlers.

鈥淚 was very frustrated,鈥� she said with the help of a translator on a recent afternoon. 鈥淚 felt bad.鈥�

It鈥檚 been nearly nine years since the School District of Lancaster was for denying or delaying enrollment for young refugees 鈥� or for sending them to an off-site, for-profit alternative school focused on behavior management. The case was settled in  

But families, staff and advocates say the district, which serves kids in an , is once again erecting barriers that have left dozens of newcomer children idle in the past few years 鈥� some for months. A major contributing factor, they say, is Lancaster鈥檚 insistence on tuberculosis testing. 

Other Pennsylvania districts with sizable multilingual learner populations have chosen not to require a test for the infectious lung disease, including Philadelphia, Reading, Norristown, Harrisburg City, Pittsburgh, Lebanon and Chambersburg. Upper Darby does require TB testing. State officials told 蜜桃影视 schools 鈥渟hould not delay a student鈥檚 enrollment while TB test results are pending鈥� and that parents or guardians concerned about this issue should .

Another holdup, newcomer families note, is the district鈥檚 need for birth certificates. They can be hard to obtain quickly, and, according to federal guidelines, their absence Proof of address, they say, has also been an obstacle as some families initially struggle to secure permanent housing. 

Immigrant advocates, including staffers inside the district, say these students should be seated immediately while their families are given time to produce the requisite paperwork. The new arrivals, many of them behind their American-born peers, would be able to make fast gains, they argue, if granted speedy enrollment.  

蜜桃影视 presented its findings to the district, which said it wants students to be enrolled 鈥渁s quickly as possible when all requirements are met,鈥� 鈥� and those include TB testing for some kids.

It said the district鈥檚 clinic provider contacts families directly to schedule the tests and that it recently added a full-time bilingual enrollment navigator to identify and work with families “who are slow to complete the process.鈥�

State officials said schools have been able to opt-out of student TB testing since 1997 鈥� and many do. But not Lancaster.

It asked the state to keep its TB testing requirement for a specific group: newly enrolling students who have been outside the U.S. within the past six months. The district cited recommending testing for those who are at higher risk of exposure, including people 鈥渨ho are born in or frequently travel to countries where TB is common, including some countries in Asia, Africa, and Latin America.鈥�

The state is clear that enrollment should not be held up pending results.

Riziki鈥檚 father, Elisha Sumaili, who hails from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, told 蜜桃影视 through a translator that he was confused by the delay, which stemmed from his inability to immediately produce a lease. The family tried to enroll October 25, 2024, but his daughters were not admitted until November 22. 

Sumaili wants his children to hold tight to their education so they might one day become doctors. Instead, Riziki and her high school-age sister were kept out of the classroom.

鈥淲hen the kids were home, it was really bad,鈥� their father said in Swahili. 鈥淚t was bringing the family a lot of distress.鈥� 

Carolin Cruz, 29 and from the Dominican Republic, has always prioritized education, both for herself and her daughter. Cruz completed more than two years of college 鈥� she dropped out because of the cost 鈥� and wants 10-year-old Ferolin to go even further, which is what prompted the pair to move to the United States last fall, she said. 

鈥淚 want to see her become a great professional so she can have what I cannot,鈥� Cruz said. 

Public education in her home country is and expensive, she said: She鈥檇 have to pay for her daughter to learn English. Plus, her local school was overcrowded. 

鈥淚f there are 30 or 40 students, there is no way a teacher can pay attention to any one student,鈥� she said. 

She hoped for much better in the United States, but her daughter鈥檚 start date was delayed by two months, primarily because of the TB testing requirement. When she tried to schedule the shots, Cruz said she was told the only available appointments were weeks out. 

On two occasions, she said, the appointments were cancelled. 

Ferolin, a fourth grader who loves mathematics, said she felt sad sitting at home. 

鈥淚 was not doing anything,鈥� she said through a translator. 鈥淚 wanted to go to school so I can learn more. I would get up, help my mother around the house, and then I would be on my mother鈥檚 cell phone watching TikTok and YouTube.鈥�

Fifteen-year-old Kevin, whose family asked that their last name not be used because of immigration-related concerns, suffered the same fate 鈥� except his went on for several months. 

His family fled Cuba because the country lacked a 鈥渇unctioning economy,鈥� Kevin鈥檚 mother Neydis told 蜜桃影视. They arrived in the U.S. in March 2024. 

Neydis鈥檚 husband, a medical doctor in his home country, wanted his son to enroll in eighth grade right away. Kevin tried to register for school on April 16, 2024, but wasn鈥檛 seated until the next school year on August 26 鈥� mostly because of immunizations and the TB test. His mother said they sent the TB results to enrollment staffers several times and assumed they would call back with a start date, but the call never came. The family was forced to restart enrollment because the process had dragged on for so long.

Kevin spent those months at home surfing the internet and watching nature programs. 

鈥淚t was boring, I would just sit on that sofa,鈥� he said through a translator, pointing to a cream-colored couch in the living room. 

By the time the district admitted him, he had missed the rest of his eighth-grade year and had to go right into high school.

Born in a forest

Such delays are not unique: Rwamucyo Karekezi, who served as 蜜桃影视鈥檚 translator with the Sumaili family, is a refugee and immigrant community organizer with Church World Service. He estimates that he鈥檚 helped more than 100 children register in Lancaster public schools between 2021 and 2024. 

Karekezi, who noted that he was not speaking on behalf of Church World Service, said month-long delays are common 鈥� most of the children he worked with experienced them 鈥� and stressful on the families. 

Vaccinations play a key role in the delays, he said, as does proof of address. Many families initially live in temporary housing 鈥� Airbnbs and hotels 鈥� and can’t quickly prove they reside in the district, he said. 

鈥淪ometimes it takes months to find a house,鈥� he noted. 鈥淭his becomes a challenge for registration to go smoothly.鈥�

As for birth certificates, some children around the world aren鈥檛 issued such formal documents upon their birth 鈥� or their families might lose them in their chaotic journey to safety. Karekezi, 30 and who is also from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, understands their plight.  

鈥淚 never had a birth certificate,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 was born in a forest, not a hospital. In Congo, they don鈥檛 register kids like that. And even when you bring a birth certificate, they don鈥檛 recognize it: It鈥檚 a scrap of paper in another language.鈥�

Karekezi said he sent the district follow-up emails on students鈥� behalf, but they did little to expedite the process. 

While Lancaster has its own history of refusing or slow walking newcomer students鈥� registration, related issues are now playing out on the national stage: President Donald Trump pledges to deport undocumented families 鈥� 鈥� and opened schools to immigration enforcement actions. 

His conservative allies in multiple states seek to in a direct challenge to the Supreme Court鈥檚 landmark 1982 Plyler v. Doe decision.

Likewise, federal budget cuts have crippled the agencies that help immigrant families most, including , a faith-based group founded just after World War II that resettled more than 100,000 people in the United States in its first decade. Trump recently and even though that move was blocked in the court, he said it will . 

Lancaster鈥檚 local Church World Service office has recently shrunk in size and capacity. Once located inside a massive building on a well-traveled block, it鈥檚 now squeezed into an alleyway hidden by parking garages. It had to drastically cut services when it was forced to furlough 40 of its 67 staff members for three months at the end of January. Valentina Ross, its director, said she hopes to call some of those staffers back into the office soon.

After lost learning, big gains

Riziki Elisha has made great strides since starting elementary school just days before last year鈥檚 Thanksgiving break, her English language development teacher Laura Kanagy said. 

鈥淚n three months, Riziki went from knowing three- or four-letter sounds to reading and writing short sentences,鈥� the educator noted. 鈥淪he can identify the hydrosphere, biosphere and geosphere. She can add and subtract triple digits and fractions. Imagine what she鈥檇 be doing if we had been able to work with her for those extra months?鈥�

Kanagy, who has taught at the district for 14 years, said she and her fellow educators 鈥渨ant the most time possible鈥� with these new students. 

鈥淓ach day that they sat at home in front of their TVs was a lost day of learning: 10 new vocabulary words, a few letter sounds closer to reading, a math skill important to navigating the grocery store, a social phrase to connect with peers,鈥� the teacher said. 

Enrollment also means these students 鈥� and their families 鈥� have access to myriad services, including English and GED classes for their parents, help obtaining eye glasses, clothing, food, dental care and other necessities.  

鈥淭he sooner they have access to English and literacy/math skills, the sooner they 鈥� and, therefore, their families 鈥� can make more of their own choices about how to live and participate here,鈥� she said.

Once admitted, Neydis鈥� mother said her son, Kevin鈥檚 experience at the school was excellent.

鈥淭he teachers are nice and just go out of their way using different teaching strategies 鈥� a game or whatever they could come up with 鈥� to help him learn,鈥� she said. 鈥淗e would come home very excited, very, very content. And this was a huge relief for me.鈥�

When Ferolin Nunez Cruz finally enrolled 鈥� she started the process on December 2, 2024, and wasn鈥檛 seated until January 27 鈥� she thrived in the classroom. Since then, she鈥檚 begun using simple phrases in English around the house, her mother said, including 鈥測es,鈥� 鈥渉i鈥� and 鈥済ood morning鈥� and shares what she鈥檚 gleaned with her mom and other relatives, helping them crack the language divide. 

鈥淪he is more focused in regards to her learning,鈥� Cruz said of her daughter. 鈥淪he is very motivated. And I want to say that I have received a lot of support from the teachers. They are paying attention to my daughter. I appreciate that very much because I really needed that.鈥�

Asked what she loves about the experience of an American education, Ferolin鈥檚 answer was simple: Everything. 

If she could speak directly to Lancaster school administrators, Ferolin said she would ask them to make the enrollment process easier for students like her.  

鈥淗elp us,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hey have to help us to make it possible to go to school. They should help me get into school so I can learn many things so I can help my family prosper, to help them when it鈥檚 my turn.鈥�

鈥淚 got a question [about] whether or not ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] can look through your purse. I got a question about kids carrying their documents. One parent asked, if she elected a standby guardian and if that guardian took the child home, whether that would keep [her] kid from getting deported.鈥� 

Veronica Thronson, a law professor and the director of the Immigration Law Clinic at Michigan State University Law School is also making herself available to answer legal questions. She鈥檚 conducted a number of trainings at the , a local nonprofit supporting refugees in Michigan, and was a panelist on a recent Migration Policy Institute webinar about issues affecting immigrant families and early childhood systems. 

Thronson says Trump鈥檚 (regardless of its ) unleashed a flood of phone calls from clinic clients with children. 鈥淭hey were saying they heard from a neighbor that their kid is not a citizen anymore, and so we have spent a lot of time saying, 鈥楴o, no, no, you are safe. Your child is a U.S. citizen鈥�.鈥� 

The clinic Thronson leads is for second- and third-year law students who serve clients in East Lansing and surrounding areas who come from Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Cuba, Mexico, Venezuela and her own home country of Guatemala.

鈥淲e usually have them come to our office to meet with us,鈥� she explains, 鈥渂ut now we’re saying, 鈥楴o, we’re coming to you鈥� so they don鈥檛 risk getting stopped along the way because they may not have a driver’s license or they may not have a very good car that gets stuck in the middle of the road. We minimize the risk of them getting encountered by ICE.鈥� Many of her students are immigrants themselves or are related to immigrants. 鈥淭hey are worried about enforcement against their own families,鈥� she adds. 

To date, there have been some , but no confirmed raids on child care centers. 

Thronson says, 鈥淚’m really hoping that ICE has enough on their hands, targeting people who are serving a criminal sentence or people who have prior orders of removal. That gives us a chance to prepare the community.鈥� 

Immigration advocates and legal experts have differing opinions about the severity of the threat, but there are some consistent themes in how they are approaching the moment. 

Supporting Early Educators In Understanding The Rights of Children and Their Families 

Key advocacy organizations, including (CLASP) and the (NILC) are providing 鈥� and regularly updating 鈥� resources for child care educators. According to Suma Setty, senior policy analyst at CLASP, about one in five U.S. child care providers is an immigrant. 鈥淯nless something drastic happens, there are certain things that will remain true, like your Fourth and Fifth Amendment rights,鈥� she says, referring to protection against arbitrary arrest and self-incrimination, respectively. 鈥�All people have a constitutional right to remain silent.鈥�

She adds that child care providers and early educators should understand that the only warrants they must honor are those signed by a judge. 

Helping Child Care Programs Make a Plan

Setty suggests that child care programs should put protocols in place to protect staff and families and that that will help them ease the anxiety. 鈥淭hey need to know what to do in a situation that might be scary and intimidating, such as if ICE agents show up at their door,鈥� she notes.

CLASP provides for how early childhood programs can create 鈥渟afe space鈥� policies to protect young children and their families. These policies empower staff to establish roles and responsibilities, including how to interact with federal immigration agents, how to minimize children’s learning and routines and how to notify parents about the presence of immigration agents. 

Ellefson-Porras says families also have a role. 鈥淐heck to make sure all your paperwork with the preschool is up to date,鈥� she recommends. 鈥淲ho is authorized to pick up your child?鈥� In some cases, she tells parents and caregivers to consider having someone else pick up their child and drop them off at school.

Finding Developmentally Appropriate Ways to Acknowledge the Threat

鈥淭he last thing you want is to scare a child,鈥� asserts Thronson. 鈥淭hey are already afraid. Many children we represent have no idea they have crossed the border. They have no idea what immigration is. Why are we going to instill fear in them? At the same time, she notes, it’s very important to convey the message to kids: Do not open the door.鈥� She advises parents to update their emergency contact to designate another person to pick up their children in case they get caught up in an ICE raid.  

Consequences for the Sector 鈥� and for Children

Setty notes that the threat of increased immigration enforcement has already caused damage. There have been reports of decreased attendance, which could harm child development as well as jeopardize funding. 鈥淭here’s a concern that this will decimate an already-precarious industry,鈥� she says. 鈥淚f we’re talking about a lot of people disenrolling from Head Start or from other child care programs, it’s going to threaten child care supply.鈥�

The situation is changing every day. 鈥淪omething that might be relevant and apply now might not be relevant tomorrow,鈥� says Setty. 鈥淭he whole tactic of the Trump administration is to cause panic and anxiety and fear, but it’s important for folks to stay abreast of everything.鈥� 

Resources for Early Educators and Families:

• (American Immigration Lawyer Association)
• (Child Thrive Action Network)
• (The Center for Law and Social Policy)
• (Catholic Legal Immigration Network)
• (Immigration Legal Resource Center)
• () (Migration Policy Institute)

A federal judge in Washington state today President Donald J. Trump鈥檚 three-day-old executive order to end birthright citizenship. U.S. District Judge John C. Coughenour, a Reagan appointee, called the order .” He agreed with the four state plaintiffs that it would cause irreparable harm to those denied their right to citizenship, subjected to the risk of deportation and family separation and deprived of federally funded medical care and public benefits that “prevent child poverty and promote child health,” also impacting their education. A separate federal lawsuit is pending in Massachusetts.

鈥� plus San Francisco and Washington, D.C. 鈥� and several civil rights groups are suing to block President Donald J. Trump鈥檚 move to undo birthright citizenship through executive order, a constitutional challenge education leaders say could transform public schools.聽

Trump, who rode a to a second term, argues that to any child whose mother is unlawfully present in the United States or lawfully present on a temporary basis 鈥� such as foreign students 鈥� and whose father is neither a citizen nor a lawful permanent resident. 

The move garnered immediate backlash: Birthright citizenship is guaranteed by the 14th Amendment, ratified in 1868. It states that “all persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the state wherein they reside.” 

鈥淚f you lose the protections of birthright citizenship and is overturned or somehow ignored, then I think a lot of families would withdraw their children from school out of fear of deportation,鈥� said immigration advocate and policy expert Timothy Boals, referring to the 1982 Supreme Court case which forbids schools from denying enrollment based on a child鈥檚 or their parents鈥� immigration status. 

Conservative forces aligned with the Trump administration have been strategizing an end to Plyler . That potential threat is now being amplified with the affront on birthright citizenship and Tuesday鈥檚 announcement that Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers are now free to , churches and other once-protected areas. The president has already pledged and a return to .

鈥淲hat that means is more children are denied an education and that’s not good for our society if they end up staying,鈥� said Boals, 鈥渁nd it’s certainly not good for the students wherever they end up going.鈥�

Speaking specifically about the ICE enforcement change, Laura Gardner, who founded Immigrant Connections, a consulting group that works with educators, said the policy will create 鈥渋ntense fear鈥� and could negatively impact student attendance and family engagement. It will also be difficult for teachers, whom she said can鈥檛 do their job when children aren鈥檛 in school. 

鈥淎s educators, we always remind students and families that schools are a safe space and now we can鈥檛 really guarantee that,鈥� she told 蜜桃影视. 鈥淯ltimately, all this is going to do is hurt innocent children.鈥�

About lived with an unauthorized immigrant parent in 2022, according to the Pew Research Center. About 250,000 babies were born to unauthorized immigrant parents in the United States in 2016, the latest year for which information is available, according to . This represents a 36% decrease from a peak of about 390,000 in 2007.

The president also seeks to prohibit government agencies from issuing documents recognizing an infant鈥檚 citizenship if born under the circumstances he outlined 鈥� or from accepting documents issued by state, local or other authorities acknowledging their citizenship. 

The controversial order could go into effect Feb. 19, leaving children born on U.S. soil to non-citizen parents, from that date on, without any legal status. 鈥淭hey will all be deportable and many will be stateless,鈥� according to . 

It said Trump has no right to rewrite or nullify a constitutional amendment, 鈥淣or is he empowered by any other source of law to limit who receives United States citizenship at birth.鈥�

Anthony D. Romero, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union, one of the groups fighting the move, called it a reckless and ruthless repudiation of American values.

鈥淏irthright citizenship is part of what makes the United States the strong and dynamic nation that it is,鈥� he said. 鈥淭his order seeks to repeat one of the gravest errors in American history, by creating a permanent subclass of people born in the U.S. who are denied full rights as Americans.鈥�

Romero鈥檚 remarks harken back to one of the Supreme Court鈥檚 most reviled rulings: . In that 1857 case, the court ruled that enslaved people, including Dred Scott, were not citizens of the United States and, as a result, could not expect any protection from the federal government or courts, according to the . 

The ruling, which pushed the nation toward civil war, was essentially undone by the 13th and 14th amendments. 

New York Attorney General Letitia James lambasted Trump for trying to reverse what has been a hallmark of the nation for more than 150 years.

鈥淭his executive order is nothing but an attempt to sow division and fear, but we are prepared to fight back with the full force of the law to uphold the integrity of our Constitution,鈥� she said. 鈥淎s Attorney General, I will always protect the legal rights of immigrants and their families and communities.鈥�

If Trump鈥檚 order is implemented, the U.S. would join other nations that do not allow birthright citizenship 鈥� or greatly restrict such protections 鈥� including and Australia. 

As of 2022, reported that unauthorized immigrants represented 3.3% of the total U.S. population and 23% of the foreign-born population: Immigrants as a whole comprised 14.3% of the nation鈥檚 population that year, below the record high of 14.8% reached in 1890.

At an inaugural prayer service Tuesday, an Episcopal bishop made to reconsider his views on immigrants and their kids. 

鈥�… they may not be citizens or have the proper documentation, but the vast majority of immigrants are not criminals. They pay taxes and are good neighbors,鈥� the Rev. Mariann Edgar Budde said. 鈥�… I ask you to have mercy, Mr. President, on those in our communities whose children fear their parents will be taken away 鈥︹��

The next day Trumpand described Edgar Budde as a 鈥渟o-called Bishop鈥� and a 鈥淩adical Left hard line Trump hater鈥� who was not compelling or smart.

There were two crates waiting for Valerie Smith, an elementary school librarian, when she arrived at the Sanford School Department鈥檚 central office on Monday. In one was a collection of 30 picture books featuring experiences of modern-day immigrants and their families, along with discussion prompts. In the other, a custom display built by Maine businesses to highlight the books.

For the district that has recently seen an influx of immigrants from Central Africa, Smith said it was the perfect fit. With tightening school budgets, the new Maine Department of Education initiative to send the diverse and inclusive collection to every district in the state will benefit all students, she said.

The Portland-based nonprofit, I鈥檓 Your Neighbor Books, that developed and distributed the collection nationwide said after almost three years of widespread bans targeting books on similar topics, this project strengthens Maine鈥檚 commitment to inclusive, diverse education. Smith, who hasn鈥檛 personally been targeted by the attacks on librarians through the book banning movement but has been wary of them, echoed the importance of the positive educational opportunities the collection will bring to her district.

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鈥淭hat鈥檚 what we do in libraries. We want kids to see themselves in our books,鈥� she said.

鈥淏eing able to enhance our collection, or widen it, with these books is going to be super 鈥� not only for those new Mainers or kiddos from different cultures coming to our schools, but are also great for our kiddos, who have been here all their life, because they can learn about some of those experiences by reading those books.鈥�

The collection features books highlighting representation, inclusion and belonging of immigrants and first-through-third generation families that I鈥檓 Your Neighbor books has distributed to schools across the country. They include titles written by and about immigrants from different parts of the world, such as Abuelita and Me by Leonarda Carranza, about a girl and her grandmother experiencing racism, In My Mosque by M.O. Yuksel, a book highlighting mosques as gathering places, and Priya Dreams of Marigold & Masala by Meenal Patel, a book containing colorful descriptions of India.

Peaks Island author Anne Sibley O鈥橞rien鈥檚 book, I鈥檓 New Here, about three immigrant children鈥檚 experiences in an English-speaking elementary school, is also featured in the collection.

However, the partnership with the Maine DOE, dubbed The Pine Project, is the first of its kind, distributing the organization鈥檚 Welcoming Library collection to every public school district with almost $650,000 in federal pandemic relief funds, according to Kendra Carter, an education marketing coordinator for the DOE.

The initiative will put almost 6,200 total books in circulation across the state, to be used as districts see fit, said Kirsten Cappy, executive director of I鈥檓 Your Neighbor Books.

鈥淚f we do not add in a collection of books about modern migrants and new generation communities, we鈥檙e leaving out what our classrooms and communities actually look like,鈥� Cappy said about the importance of the collection, which she thinks will significantly diversify the titles available to Maine teachers.

鈥淭he presence of these books changes teaching, and it changes minds.鈥�

The goal of the project, according to the Maine DOE, is to 鈥渆nhance students鈥� understanding of diverse experiences and foster inclusive school environments,鈥� Carter said in an email. The department will also offer an online training on September 30 to help educators teach the topics the books cover, which includes social emotional learning.

is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Maine Morning Star maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Lauren McCauley for questions: info@mainemorningstar.com. Follow Maine Morning Star on and .

But when she saw that her K-8 school district in rural Appalachia was quietly becoming a refuge for families from Mexico, Central America and Asia, she shifted gears and became an English as a second language teacher, pushing to smooth her students鈥� 鈥� and their families鈥� 鈥� transition to life in the U.S.

Her students鈥� English acquisition is key because many become their family鈥檚 translators, not just in school but elsewhere. 鈥淪o their exposure to the language and their learning the language actually opens up doors and possibilities for their families,鈥� she said in an interview.

Testerman on Wednesday was named the by the Council of Chief State School Officers.

As Teacher of the Year, she鈥檒l spend a year traveling the U.S. as an ambassador to the teaching profession, telling The74 that she鈥檒l urge other teachers to become advocates for their students 鈥� and for their fellow educators.

Testerman was selected from a field of three other finalists for the award: Alaska鈥檚 Catherine Walker, a high school science and career and technical education teacher; Georgia鈥檚 Christy Todd, a middle school music technology teacher; and New Jersey鈥檚 Joe Nappi, a high school history teacher who writes a blog on teaching about the Holocaust.鈥�  

All of the finalists, as well as the other state-level teachers of the year, on Wednesday learned from First Lady Jill Biden that when they visit the White House later this year, as is customary, they’ll also be the guests of honor at a , the first time that diplomatic nicety will be reserved for a group of educators, the Associated Press reported. Typically state dinners are used to woo foreign heads of state. 

Testerman, who earned a bachelor鈥檚 degree in elementary education and a Master of Arts in reading education from East Tennessee State University, teaches in , a K-8 school in a small farming town of about 4,500, located 250 miles east of Nashville. And she serves as the Rogersville district’s ESL specialist and ESL program director. She also coordinates the system鈥檚 summer programs and is a mentor teacher and member of the teacher leadership team.

She鈥檚 not the first ESL teacher to capture the top-teacher honor 鈥� in 2004, it went to Rhode Island鈥檚 , who designed the ESL program for the North Kingstown, R.I., school district. And in 2018, the recipient was , a Washington state ELA teacher who worked at a 鈥渘ewcomer school鈥� for new immigrants. Other recipients have also worked with English language learners, even if the designation wasn鈥檛 in their formal title.

Here are five things to know about Testerman:

1. She has taught her entire career in a single school in rural east Tennessee.

The 53-year-old Testerman is a lifelong teacher, having put in 33 years in the classroom, all of it Rogersville. 

鈥淚t’s a beautiful place,鈥� she said in an interview. 鈥淚t looks like it’s a Hallmark postcard.鈥�

She admits that her long career is 鈥渒ind of unusual 鈥� teachers, as you know, tend to leave the field as soon as they’re able to do so. But I still find a lot of joy in teaching, and I feel like I’m as energized to keep teaching as I was years ago.鈥�

2. Before working in ESL, she had a long career as a classroom teacher. 

Testerman spent most of her career, about 30 years, working as a first- and second-grade teacher before enrolling in Tennessee鈥檚 program and adding an English as a second language (ESL) endorsement to her resume. She has said she wanted to ensure that immigrant students and families in Rogersville had an advocate. 

鈥淚 try to make sure that my children and their families are assimilated here, that they鈥檙e participating in sports and everything, because if they assimilate, people will accept them more easily,鈥� Testerman told when she was named a finalist.

3. While Rogersville is isolated and rural, her students are from all over the world.

Testerman has a full-time case load of 21 students, a mix of Spanish, Arabic and Chinese speakers, as well as a few who speak Gujarati, a language from the western Indian state of Gujarat. It accounts for a of Indian immigrants to the U.S. 

鈥淚t’s a pretty interesting breakup of situations and languages,鈥� she said. 

Her students are divided between first-generation Americans born here to immigrant parents, and newcomers 鈥� many of whom have arrived in the U.S. 鈥渨ithin the past year or so,鈥� she said.

Testerman said her students occasionally face 鈥渟ome unpleasant situations鈥� around discrimination in the mostly white community of Rogersville, 鈥渂ut that’s basically the rarity. My school has embraced them, has embraced their families. I think that I have the luxury of being in the role to kind of be the ambassador, to make that happen.鈥�

She said most people in the area also embrace the newcomer families once they get to know them 鈥渂ecause they see that they’re just like every other family. They love their students. They want them to do well and achieve so that they can create a good future for themselves.鈥�

In her application for the award, Testerman wrote, 鈥淪imple gestures such as sitting with my students鈥� families at high school graduation or a school play goes a long way in helping them find acceptance in our rural area, since I have belonged to this community for decades and others trust my lead.鈥�

Former student Nadeen Aglan told AP that Testerman goes out of her way to develop close ties with the families of her students. 鈥淗er kindness shows. Her compassion is really deep.鈥�

4. She wants teachers to realize their own power 鈥� and fight for change.

Testerman said she is looking forward to advocating for teachers over the next year.

鈥淭here are 3.5 million dedicated teachers all over this country who invest time, energy and love into helping our students create the best possible future for themselves,鈥� she said. 鈥淎nd I want to empower teachers by getting them to understand that they are their best advocates and their students’ best advocates. Teachers are the experts.鈥�

Testerman said many times teachers must abide by policies that are 鈥渘ot made by people who spend a lot of time in classrooms. 鈥淚t’s time for teachers to let their voices be heard.鈥�

She wants teachers to advocate for students not just in their school building but, if needed, in their state legislature 鈥渨hen there is either an implemented policy or a suggested policy that you know is just not what’s best for kids.鈥�  

5. She plans to return to the classroom after her year away.

National Teacher of the Year winners often leverage the honor to pursue big dreams outside of the classroom, including and . , the 2016 honoree, is now a member of Congress representing Connecticut. 

Testerman on Wednesday said her plan after her year away from the classroom is to return. 鈥淚 still find so much joy in teaching,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 can’t honestly imagine my life without being a teacher.鈥� That may change, she said, but at the moment she plans to return to the classroom.

Watching a child acquire another language is 鈥渁n amazing, magical transformation,鈥� Testerman . 鈥淭here鈥檚 a level of excitement in a learner when they realize they are able to understand the language they are hearing around them.鈥� 

The state Board of Education unanimously voted Wednesday to adopt a  鈥攁 piece of legislation from the  that will ensure families understand they are entitled to enroll their child in public education, regardless of immigration status, and receive translation services and important documents in their native language. 

The law, which ultimately became part of the omnibus education legislation, , garnered overwhelming  last year, after advocates, many of whom were parents who only speak Spanish,  about their inability to communicate with school officials or receive updates about their children鈥檚 education. 

鈥淭his will ensure that other parents don鈥檛 have to go through the frustrating experience that I have been through,鈥� Flor Galindo, a Manchester resident and parent of two, said in Spanish at the board meeting Wednesday morning. 鈥淔or me, it has been a big challenge to simply be able to speak with any teacher or know about the services that schools provide to our children. For years, I watched as other children participated in extracurricular activities and my children were excluded because their first language is Spanish.鈥�

After passage in the state legislature, the state Board of Education was responsible for drafting a document to 鈥渙rganize and elevate the rights that parents have related to language access through translation and interpretation and to clarify and affirm the access that children identified as [English Learners] have to grade-level content area instruction, language instruction programs and interventions,鈥� according to the bill. 

The state鈥檚 Department of Education plans to provide the document to districts already translated, and starting in July, parents will receive a copy of the bill of rights in their native language. 

Additional copies will be available online on the website of local boards of education. 

The rights include:

• The right for students to attend a public school in the state, regardless of the students鈥� or parents鈥� immigration status and without the need to submit immigration documents.
• The right for parents to have translation services provided during 鈥渃ritical interactions,鈥� including parent-teacher conferences and meetings with administrators.
• The right for students to participate in a bilingual education program provided by the local or regional board of education.
• The right for parents to receive written notice in both English and their native language that their child will participate in a bilingual program.

• The right for students and parents to receive a 鈥渉igh-quality orientation session鈥� in their native language.
• The right for parents to receive progress reports and meet with school staff to discuss the child鈥檚 English language development.
• The right for students to have 鈥渆qual access to all grade-level programming鈥� and core subject matter.
• The right for a student to receive yearly language proficiency testing.
• The right for a student to receive support services 鈥渁ligned with any intervention plan鈥� that districts provide to all students.
• The right for parents to contact the state鈥檚 Department of Education with any questions or concerns regarding these rights and accommodations.

On behalf of the state鈥檚 Department of Education, Irene Parisi, the chief academic officer, told board members that the state 鈥渨ill continue this work.鈥�

鈥淚t doesn鈥檛 stop with just today,鈥� Parisi said.

The department said its next steps will include offering information sessions to stakeholder groups, creating a new page on its website to easily access information regarding the bill and the development of processes to monitor district implementation, as well as a way for families to reach out with concerns.

This was originally published in CT Mirror.

Thousands of miles from home, the group of new New Yorkers walks a few hundred steps.

Attached to a trilingual church and food bank, the campus of VOICE, a K-8 charter school, has become a refuge for newcomer families seeking asylum and new lives from mostly Spanish-speaking countries including Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador and Peru, as well as Pakistan and Egypt, among others.

鈥淢any of them are living in temporary housing and struggling to find work. The families are under a lot of pressure 鈥� It’s just a huge amount of change,鈥� said VOICE social worker Kim Moglia.

Through the Long Island City school鈥檚 proximity to temporary housing and a growing reputation among families, the school is serving 267 migrant students this year, the most of any charter school in New York state, according to federal Title III funding. 

Today, the population comprises nearly a third of VOICE鈥檚 student body, and staff are urgently finding ways to support the students and their families living in eight neighborhood shelters and others in Manhattan and parts of Queens.

But legal experts and child advocates warn a new city policy after 60 days will jeopardize the types of connections being built at schools like VOICE, the most stable place in their lives right now.

鈥淭he idea that in the middle of the school year, they would be transitioning housing and then having to start all over again 鈥� it worries us,鈥� principal Franklin Headley said. 

鈥淭hey would have to make new friends, new relationships with the teachers 鈥� We have the momentum, even in these first two months, to continue with the children that have come to us,鈥� he added. 

Throughout New York City, an estimated 21,000 migrant students have joined the public school system since last summer, according to the Department of Education. In the latest waves, nearly all children have been younger, in K-3 grades or not yet school aged, educators and social service staffers told 蜜桃影视.

While there is room 鈥� DOE school enrollment declined by more than 120,000 students in the last five years 鈥� the newcomers are experiencing some of the highest levels of need.聽

Even with the housing concern mounting, VOICE staff has continued to look for ways to work with the new students. To learn from schools serving similar populations, staff traveled cross-country to San Diego over the summer, and are now finishing installation of large washer-dryers for families to use to encourage attendance and remove the financial burden.

School-wide, required music classes help with language acquisition. Newcomers who are struggling are paired with a buddy who speaks their native language. In hallways, it鈥檚 not uncommon to hear whispered Urdu and Portuguese. Teachers regularly use keywords, explanations and translated materials in Spanish. 

Staff have also taken to small innovations 鈥� altering seating charts so newcomers build friendships and teachers can spot if anyone is struggling; bringing in a led by retired players; using the app Language Line to translate messages to families about progress; hiring an art therapist full time.

At VOICE, some students are getting their first introduction to the classroom. 

鈥淵ou hear with your eyes鈥� 

Noticing that many are starting without prior schooling or written literacy in their native languages, ELL teacher Jasmine Calderon leads small groups to build on foundations.

Here, a group of 10 first graders practice saying and writing the letter 鈥減,鈥� as they work through the alphabet to begin phonics, how letters interact with each other to make sound.  

Because many newcomers aren鈥檛 yet used to school life, she gently reminds them to tune in, singing their names and instructing them to pat their heads as they watch and listen for the sound of 鈥減uh鈥� in her sentences. 

鈥淲e鈥檙e moving our bodies in a certain way, there鈥檚 visuals there for you 鈥� You鈥檙e going to start to connect what you hear with what you see,鈥� Calderon said, explaining how she helps students see the importance of watching her closely, especially if they don鈥檛 understand the words.

 鈥淚 tell them all the time, 鈥榶ou hear with your eyes.鈥欌�� 

Building blocks for new language

Across the hall, in a second-grade classroom, a row of books greets students as they walk in, including Dear Primo: A Letter to My Cousin, about two boys growing up in the U.S. and Mexico.

Settling into desks for a career planning activity, students dream of being rock stars and astronauts. When language feels out of reach, they draw.

Posters and tools to support reading and writing acquisition deck the walls: sentence starters, strategies that can help make sense of vowel sounds.  

In third grade, students break down plots into beginning, middle and end in graphic organizers, a tool teachers have utilized more frequently to help build fluency.

鈥淓ven if they鈥檙e not at the point where they鈥檙e reading the words,鈥� Calderon said, 鈥渁t least they鈥檙e engaged in some type of work. We found that having them draw something was more engaging than just giving them the book and taking observational notes.鈥� 

The power of music 

The new population has pushed VOICE, founded in 2008, to emphasize music, singing and social-emotional learning, to find a renewed purpose in its mission.聽

In required music classes, which supports language acquisition, students shed the nerves that can accompany things like reading aloud.

鈥淵ou don’t have to be thinking about producing language, you’re just singing along, and then work on pronunciation and things like that there. You’re not taking the same kind of risk as constructing a sentence,鈥� Headley said. 

In a room brimming with guitars and laughter, students sing a good morning song featuring at least six languages. Alongside a refrain from their teacher鈥檚 guitar, they collectively sing out a common greeting:
鈥淰alentina, Valentina, Valentina, how are you?鈥� 

In a rhyming solo, Valentina responds: 鈥淚鈥檓 tired, I鈥檓 happy, and I hope that you are, too.鈥� 

Soccer: A language of its own 

From choir to soccer practice, the school鈥檚 newcomer students are building social connections that transcend language barriers and help their ability to show up in the classroom.

For Jah, a seventh grader who speaks seven languages originally from Burkina Faso in West Africa, playing soccer brings him back to some of his favorite memories. VOICE helped him with the largest barrier: buying turf shoes.

Migrant student athletes perform better in-season than out, according to Matt Coleman, middle school and athletic director. Eighth-grade leaders help translate plays for their teammates. The 15-minute walk back from the park is never silent.聽

鈥淭hey’re talking and that’s what I’m trying to get them to do, just communicate with each other,鈥� he said. 鈥淚f it’s in Spanish or English, it doesn’t really matter.鈥�

To support alum that go on to play soccer in high school, athletic staff juggle calendars to make good on a promise to attend one of each of their games. 

The soccer program, open to students of any gender, and its connection to local parks and people is one way students find 鈥渙pportunity within the community, which can get overlooked,鈥� in brainstorming ways to support migrant students, said soccer coach Dominic Van Bussell.

Keeping culture in the room 

To Genesis Bolanos, who teaches at least 10 newcomers across two periods of seventh-grade math, using students鈥� home languages in the classroom is what makes all the difference, especially for kids who are sometimes only weeks into living in a new country.聽

In her classes, students work with translated materials provided by the school, allowing them to focus on math without being penalized for their budding English literacy.聽

Bolanos said the approach is too-often resisted. Her last Queens charter school wouldn鈥檛 allow students and staff to speak Spanish, which contributes to a 鈥渓oss of shared culture.鈥� 

Because VOICE encouraged teachers to try out ideas to support the newcomer population, like hosting a Hall of Nations to get to know foods and traditions from students鈥� home countries, Bolanos switched up the seating arrangements to lessen isolation. 

鈥淚n seating them together, they build their own friendships and have their own communities apart from adults, which is obviously what we want,鈥� said Bolanos, a first-generation Ecuadorian-American.

Some newcomers, just a few weeks in, have started to ask to follow along with English materials, keeping their Spanish sheets as a reference point as they learn integers and foundational arithmetic. 

鈥淭his is just what newcomers deserve,鈥� Bolanos said. 

鈥淪omething we couldn鈥檛 predict鈥� 

Some newly enrolled VOICE charter families, after beginning a relationship with the school over the summer, were moved without warning cross-city to shelters in Jamaica, Queens just days before classes started, forced to find other schools.

鈥淭hat’s something we couldn’t predict, that the city made a decision to start moving people,鈥� principal Headley said. 鈥�… I didn’t understand why families would [be ordered to] leave this housing, which is close to the subway and close to facilities.鈥� 

The practice of moving families with little notice has continued into the school year, according to . 

Mayor Eric Adams’s administration has limited migrant family stays in Manhattan hotel shelters run by Humanitarian Resource and Relief centers, home to about 15,000 students, to 60 days. The majority of families, staying in shelters run by the city鈥檚 Department of Homelessness Services, .

City officials did not return requests for comment.

, threatening to uproot them from their one place of stability.

That stability was so important to one VOICE family with four children, that they commuted to the school two hours each way after being moved to a Coney Island shelter, the southernmost tip of Brooklyn. 

鈥淭hose kids, including a kindergartner, wouldn’t give up,鈥� Headley said tearfully. He and other staff ultimately traveled to Coney Island to help the family find a nearby school. 

The city鈥檚 60-day policy stance, he added, will require schools to take on that kind of 鈥減lacement work鈥� after moves.

鈥淚f that鈥檚 what it takes, that鈥檚 the reality,鈥� Headley said. 鈥�… We have to make sure that they’re OK 鈥� that they’re going to be some place where they feel comfortable and safe.鈥�

All photos by Marianna McMurdock

Shaheen fled Iraq in 1998 during Saddam Hussein鈥檚 regime, made a harrowing escape to Jordan and eventually settled in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Shaheen is now a substitute teacher for the Lincoln public schools, but not without the financial burden of enrolling in courses to meet English language requirements and taking student loans because her Iraqi degree wasn鈥檛 recognized.

鈥淚t was almost impossible for me to start from the beginning, which is very difficult for someone learning a new language,鈥� Shaheen told 蜜桃影视.

A new program launched by for internationally trained immigrants and refugees who want to become teachers in the U.S. aims to ease the challenges Shaheen faced. 

According to the , more than one in three educators, or 34 percent, are unemployed or not using their degree.

Yet, thousands of teacher vacancies across the country persist 鈥� with more than , according to Kansas State University’s College of Education.

鈥淓ven as we experience the Great Resignation, which heavily impacted the education sector, there鈥檚 still individuals who want to be part of this workforce,鈥� said Mikaela Santos, senior program manager of World Education Services.

鈥淭he cultural perspectives and new ideas immigrants and refugees bring to the table becomes wasted talent because of the many regulatory and systemic barriers in the American education system,鈥� she added. 

To combat this problem, three organizations were awarded a $100,000 grant in July 2023 to create pathways for foreign trained teachers to become educators in the U.S.

In the next year, the in Lincoln, Nebraska; the in Tulsa, Oklahoma; and in Chicago, Illinois will place more than 150 teachers trained in their home countries at schools in their communities.

Here is a snapshot of each organization’s effort to help internationally trained teachers and address racial disparities in the classroom.

Asian Community and Cultural Center

Nearly 50% of Nebraska鈥檚 school districts had unfilled teacher positions during the 2022-23 school year 鈥� with 66% saying there were either unqualified or no applicants, according to the .

Lee Kreimer, the CareerLadder director at the Asian Community and Cultural Center, said the organization is looking to place at least 35 foreign trained teachers into Nebraska鈥檚 Lincoln public schools and South Sioux City public schools.

The need for diverse teachers is especially great in rural areas like South Sioux City that have had a high influx of Latino families immigrating partly because of the that has historically relied on foreign-born workers, Kreimer said.

The reported a growing 47.8% Latino population in South Sioux City with more than 63.6% Latino students .

鈥淲e see this as a great opportunity to tackle multiple challenges at one time and it鈥檚 truly a win-win way to help everybody,鈥� Kreimer told 蜜桃影视.

The organization recently set up programs at schools in both districts for immigrants and refugees to be mentored as they finish up their U.S. teaching licenses.

鈥淚nvesting in schools by providing teachers that look like their students helps them succeed,鈥� Kreimer said. 鈥淎nd from a racial equity standpoint, children seeing teachers that look like them and have experiences like them helps with retention, staying out of trouble and getting better grades.鈥�

Mayor鈥檚 Office of Resilience and Equity

In Oklahoma, there were nearly 180,000 unfilled teacher positions in 2022 鈥� more than twice the average a decade ago, according to the .

The Mayor鈥檚 Office of Resilience and Equity estimates nearly 650 internationally trained teachers in Tulsa have education degrees but don鈥檛 work in the field.

Chief resilience officer Krystal Reyes said the city wants to hire at least 65 teachers trained in their home countries 鈥� largely from Latino, Afghan and Ukrainian backgrounds to reflect the families immigrating to Tulsa.

鈥淏ecause we have a diverse student body, we need our teachers to reflect that,鈥� Reyes told 蜜桃影视. 鈥淪o we know that our immigrant community can help us meet that language and cultural need.鈥�

Programs include expanding job training with ESL courses and creating free courses for those seeking alternative certification.

鈥淲e need to do more as a government to make sure that there’s full participation, representation and economic opportunities from all our communities,鈥� Reyes said. 鈥淭here may be a money barrier or an English barrier, but they鈥檙e still trained educators that could be filling a great need in our schools.鈥�

Richard J. Daley College

In Illinois, 73% of districts report teacher shortages 鈥� with 30% saying positions remain unfilled or filled with someone less qualified, according to the .

Janine Janosky, president of Richard J. Daley College, said the school aims to connect at least 50 foreign trained teachers to schools across Chicago.

鈥淲e鈥檙e seeing many immigrants and refugees coming with professional experiences already from their home country,鈥� Janosky told 蜜桃影视, adding how more than 10% have teaching licenses.

Trish Aumann, vice president of academic and student affairs at the college, said the need to hire diverse teachers is especially great because of the influx of immigrant families 鈥� particularly Ukrainian refugees.

鈥淲e need multicultural and multilingual individuals in positions in our schools,鈥� Aumann told 蜜桃影视. 鈥淪o it鈥檚 that bigger picture of supporting K-12 schools that will in turn help immigrants and refugees with their economic mobility.鈥�

Janosky said the college is creating a pilot program for internationally trained teachers to fill vacancies in Chicago鈥檚 schools.

鈥淲ithin the middle part of the United States, there鈥檚 very few of us doing this work,鈥� Janosky said. 鈥淭hat gives us a huge responsibility, but also a huge opportunity, to make a big difference for Chicago, Illinois, and the entire country.鈥�

The book, which called an 鈥渋nspirational must-read for educators, policymakers, and parents鈥� and 鈥渆mpathetic call for change鈥�, brings to life historic struggles to improve immigrant education, profiles innovative classrooms across the country, and shares inspiring stories of Lander鈥檚 own students’ immigrant journeys and how they created their own American identities. 

In the below excerpt, adapted with permission, Lander shares the inspiring story and advocacy of four Texas families who, in the 1970s, risked deportation to establish the right of undocumented children to attend public schools: 

***

The sun had yet to surface when L铆dia and Jos茅 Lopez gently shook their five children from their slumber, dressed them in their Sunday best, and tucked the family into their white Dodge Monaco. The sedan was piled high with books, clothes, pots, even the family鈥檚 small TV, but the Lopezes were not embarking on a road trip. Their destination was a mere two blocks away, at the federal district courthouse in Tyler, Texas.

Alfredo, nine and the oldest, remembers little. It was a Friday, the week after the start of school, the year 1977. The little black-haired boy should have been entering second grade, his sister should have been starting first. But just as classes were set to resume, their parents received a letter informing them that tuition was required if they wished their children to study in the public schools. For the Lopez family, the fee was unaffordable.

Just over two years earlier and more than two hundred miles south, in Austin, the legislature had revised the state鈥檚 education code. But before the final vote was cast, the border city of Brownsville slipped in a provision that, at the time, went largely unnoticed. Going forward, public schools would no longer be obligated to educate their community鈥檚 undocumented children. and, the state would contribute no funds to support those children鈥檚 academic futures. Public schools were left with a choice: cover the cost themselves, charge tuition, or exclude such students altogether.

In the blistering summer heat of 1977, the Tyler school Board, arguing that the city was on the precipice of becoming 鈥渁 haven鈥� for undocumented families, voted to charge tuition for every student who could not prove legal residence鈥攐ne thousand dollars per child, roughly one-fourth of most undocumented texans鈥� annual income.

The city of Tyler, in the eastern corner of texas, was founded in the mid-1800s, built by enslaved Black Americans, and named for a Us pres- ident who initiated the annexation of the Lone Star State. Surrounded by vibrant blooms, it was a city that proudly proclaimed itself the 鈥渞ose capital of America.鈥� and it was here, in 1969, where Jos茅 Lopez found work tending rosebuds after crossing the southern border. Within a few years he sent for his wife, and then for his children, who left their home in the small Mexican city of Jalpa and traveled hundreds of miles north to reunite.

On arriving in the United States, Alfredo was enrolled in elementary school and attended dutifully until, in the summer of 1977, the school board changed its policy. of the city鈥檚 nearly 16,000 students, less than 60 were undocumented, and they were suddenly ineligible to study in the city鈥檚 schools.

Growing up in Mexico, neither Jos茅 nor L铆dia Lopez had been able to stay long in school. Their families needed them in the fields. But, for their children they wished for a different future. And so, a week later, a little before 6 a.m., the Lopez family pulled into the parking lot of the federal district courthouse, the sky just beginning to bloom pink. There they met three other undocumented families. Together they had made the perilous choice to sue the city鈥檚 schools. It was a decision the parents made knowing what might happen. That was why, the night before, L铆dia and Jos茅 Lopez had packed the Dodge Monaco to the brim. as L铆dia would recall years later, in walking into the courthouse they were prepared to be immediately arrested and deported. But for their children, it was a risk they chose to take鈥�

***

鈥he judge assigned to the case was William Wayne Justice. As the Washington Post would write of Justice a decade later, 鈥淛ustice in Texas is not an abstraction, but flesh and blood and, as only real life can render it, a federal judge.鈥� The descendant of Norwegian immigrants and confederate soldiers, Justice was born in east Texas at the dawn of the Roaring Twenties. He grew up destined for a career in law. His father, a lawyer, left little to chance, designating his son his official legal partner when Justice was just seven years old. A child of the Great Depression, Justice credited his father with teaching him the essence of his name. As Justice would recall, for his father, 鈥渁 farmer in bib overalls was entitled to no less dignity than the president of a bank in a pinstriped suit.

Decades later, President Kennedy appointed Justice as a US attorney, and then President Johnson appointed him a federal district judge. He joined the court two months after reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in Memphis and arrived in Tyler to a segregated city firmly rooted in the Deep South. Two years into his tenure he definitively ordered the desegregation of Texas schools. When he ordered the city鈥檚 own Robert E. Lee High school to take down its profusion of confederate flags, incensed white students took their flags and circled the courthouse shooting epithets. As one student would recall, 鈥淛ustice was blamed for everything.鈥�

In Texas, Justice was hated and revered. A shy, slightly stooped, bookish man, Justice spent a lifetime, as he would share years later, trying to live up to his name.

On Friday morning the families filed into Judge Justice鈥檚 court. They were joined by the state鈥檚 bleary-eyed assistant attorney general, sporting blue jeans; she had arrived in the wee hours of the morning and the airline, she apologized, had lost her luggage. (As Justice would recall twenty-five years later, 鈥渟he plainly thought that the whole proceedings were insane, being there early in the morning like that and being confronted with these extraordinary allegations, that the children of illegal aliens would be entitled to a public education. She obviously thought that was such a ridiculous proposition and it really didn鈥檛 deserve her appearance there.鈥�)

As the Tyler parents offered testimony, their children, four-year-olds, six-year-olds, eight-year-olds, watched silently. Their lawyer, Larry Daves recalled, 鈥淭hey were the cutest, quietest, most unbelievably disciplined children I鈥檝e ever seen. They were probably mystified, but they sat for hours, quiet as mice, watching the proceedings.鈥� It would be the last time Daves would see the children at the center of his case. While the full trial would not take place for months, following the Friday hearing, Judge Justice ordered the schools, in the meantime, to readmit their students. The following Monday, Tyler鈥檚 undocumented children were back behind their desks. They had missed only a week of school鈥�

***

鈥lfredo Lopez, who had been set to start second grade when he sat in Justice鈥檚 courtroom, had just begun third grade when Justice handed down his ruling in September 1978. 鈥淎lready disadvantaged as a result of poverty, lack of English-speaking ability, and undeniable racial prejudices,鈥� wrote the judge, 鈥渢hese children, without an education, will become permanently locked into the lowest socio-economic class.鈥� as both sides affirmed, 鈥淭he illegal alien of today may well be the legal alien of tomorrow,鈥� acknowledging that many undocumented immigrants might eventually be granted permanent residency. Of the school district鈥檚 argument that its policy would discourage migration, the judge was dismissive: such a plan was 鈥渓udicrously ineffectual,鈥� he wrote. Justice was disdainful too of the district鈥檚 attempt to slim educational costs by 鈥渟hav[ing] off a little around the edges.鈥� It was a policy, the judge openly suggested, that might have been made because the 鈥渃hildren of illegal aliens had never been explicitly afforded any judicial protection, and little political uproar was likely to be raised in their behalf.鈥�

In his ruling, for the first time in US legal history, Justice afforded these children explicit protection based on the Fourteenth Amendment of the Constitution. The amendment stated that no state could 鈥渄eprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.鈥� A century earlier, in a San Francisco case involving the discrimination against Chinese business owners, the Supreme Court, pointing to the drafters鈥� choice of the word 鈥減erson鈥� and not 鈥渃itizen,鈥� ruled that the Due Process clause applied to everyone. In a case a decade later, the Court found constitutional protection for four undocumented Chinese men. Building on this logic in 1978, Judge Justice ruled that undocumented people were also protected under the Fourteenth Amendment鈥檚 Equal Protection clause. As he would describe years later, 鈥淚 guess I made my own little contribution.鈥�

In the decades to come, In the coming years, the case would make its way up to the Supreme Court. In its 1982 decision in Plyler v. Doe, the Court would conclude undocumented children were protected under the Fourteenth Amendment and that no matter their legal status, children were entitled to study in American public schools. In classrooms across the country, many undocumented children came to see themselves as American. But that belonging was bounded. With no path to legalized status, as Harvard Professor Roberto Gonzales has written, 鈥渇or undocumented youth, the transition to adulthood is accompanied by a transition to illegality. . . . Youthful feelings of belonging give way to new understandings of the ways that they are excluded from possibilities they believed were theirs.鈥� And so new families took up the mantle. They marched, testified, organized. Texas became the first state to allow undocumented students access to in-state tuition for college in 2001 and the Deferred Action for childhood arrivals (DACA) program was announced on the thirtieth anniversary of the Supreme Court鈥檚 decision in Plyler v. Doe.]

***

In the living room of his parents鈥� home hangs a framed copy of the Supreme Court鈥檚 synopsis of its decision in Plyler v. Doe. L铆dia and Jos茅 Lopez have lived in the same house for more than forty years. It is the same house where, before sunrise one morning in 1977, they woke their children and bundled them into their packed Dodge Monaco to drive two blocks to the federal district courthouse.

Near the end of his life, looking back over nearly four decades as a federal district judge, Judge William Wayne Justice singled out one case out of hundreds he had decided: Plyler v. Doe. 鈥淚 feel that鈥檚 the most important case that I鈥檝e ever had.鈥� Justice wasn鈥檛 sure how many children had been able to study because of the decision; he reckoned a hundred thousand at least. In actuality, the count is more than a million. Of his career, he had one wish: 鈥淚 hope people remember me for someone trying to do justice. That鈥檚 what I鈥檝e tried to do.鈥�

Excerpted from by Jessica Lander. Copyright 2022. Excerpted with permission from Beacon Press.

Previously, she had almost never missed school. A doctor鈥檚 appointment here, a sick day there, but save for those rare occasions, she was always in class.

Her parents, immigrants from Mexico, had instilled in her a belief in the value of education as a path to a better life.

鈥淪chool was one of my priorities,鈥� the California teenager, now in eighth grade, told 蜜桃影视.

But when COVID-19 forced instruction to move online, her absences began to rack up 鈥� sometimes due to a faulty laptop charger and sometimes due to her teachers failing to mark her present even when she had logged in, Miron said. Her grades fell from B鈥檚 and C鈥檚 to D鈥檚 and F鈥檚.

Miron鈥檚 mother, Yosadara Carbajal, speaking through a translator, told 蜜桃影视 that other families had experienced similar attendance problems, but when she raised the issue to school leaders in November 2020, they did not resolve the discrepancies. Pomona Unified School District, however, insisted that they maintained a lenient policy through remote learning toward parents vouching for their children鈥檚 attendance on Zoom and initiated multiple measures to re-engage disconnected students, including door-knocking and free one-on-one tutoring, which, as of this school year, Miron now receives.

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Across the country, the obstacles posed by remote learning may have triggered a disproportionate jump in absenteeism among English learners like Miron, new data indicate, despite the group having sported some of the nationwide before the pandemic compared to other learners.

Ten out of 11 school systems that provided data in response to public record requests filed by 蜜桃影视 reported surges in chronic absenteeism among English learners in the 2020-21 school year. In all but one district, the percent change in absenteeism was higher among ELs than the overall student population.

For example:

鈼� Chronic absenteeism among all 197,000 students in Houston increased 88 percent over the average rates for 2017-18 and 2018-19, but more than doubled 鈥� climbing 158 percent 鈥� among English learners.

鈼� In Centennial School District in Pennsylvania, the overall absenteeism rate barely nudged upward, increasing just 2.8 percent, while the share of English learners missing a critical mass of classes jumped 42 percent.

鈼� In an especially severe case, the rate of chronic absenteeism among all students in Huntsville School District in Arkansas dropped off slightly while the rate for English learners increased more than four fold.

鈥淭he pandemic hit immigrant families very, very hard,鈥� Xilonin Cruz-Gonzalez, deputy director of , a coalition that advocates for English learners in the Golden State, told 蜜桃影视.

When the restaurant where Miron鈥檚 father worked closed due to COVID last year, her family was without its primary source of income. They launched a business over Instagram as a way to bring in some cash.

鈥淸School] was no longer our primary concern. We had to do anything to survive 鈥� to pay bills, rent, everything, before anything else,鈥� said Carbajal.

But despite the disruption, the middle schooler was lucky: She had the WiFi and devices that she needed for remote learning, save for a finicky charger. She also speaks English confidently, although her school has not yet re-classified her out of English learner courses.

Many other English learners over the past 18 months, however, have , juggled child care duties and for platforms like Google Classroom or Zoom, according to reports through the pandemic. Still, COVID-19鈥檚 full impact on this vulnerable population has remained blurry.

With finalized nationwide counts of chronic absenteeism from last year still not expected for up to three months, these new figures offer a sneak peak into long-awaited data that helps bring the picture into clearer focus.

Students are typically defined as chronically absent when they miss more than 10 percent of school days, a benchmark for the typical 180-day school year that researchers say determines whether students have lost so much instruction that they may be academically at risk. Missed school days predict academic difficulties such as trouble reading in third grade, lower grades in middle school and higher dropout rates in high school.

蜜桃影视 requested absenteeism data from 30 districts nationwide, including the largest school systems and a sample of randomly selected suburban and rural districts. Some, such as New York City and Douglas County, Colorado, had not yet finished compiling absences and a handful, including Hillsborough County, Florida, were non-responsive. But 13 districts fulfilled the request, including 11 that delivered data disaggregated by factors including race, income, disability and English learner status.

The increased share of English learners missing class may reflect a breakdown in schools鈥� communication with non-English speaking families through the pandemic, said Melissa Castillo, Arizona associate state superintendent of diversity, equity, and inclusion.

鈥淲hen we shut schools down, the challenge in communicating was taken to another whole level,鈥� she told 蜜桃影视.

The immigrant families Castillo works with are resilient and believe strongly in the value of education, she said. But with many lacking internet and devices, remote learning was very difficult.

鈥淪chools weren鈥檛 equipped,鈥� she added. 鈥淚t was a structural issue.鈥�

In the two rural districts in the sample, jumps in chronic absenteeism among English learners were especially pronounced, more than doubling in Firebaugh-Las Deltas, a rural district between Fresno and Salinas, California and more than quadrupling in Huntsville, Arkansas 鈥� likely reflecting a double disadvantage created by simultaneous linguistic and digital divides.

The Arkansas district did not have an explanation for the troubling pattern. Superintendent Audra Kimball wrote to 蜜桃影视, 鈥淚 don’t feel like I have enough knowledge 鈥� to give you an accurate answer.鈥� She did not answer whether the district was aware of the high levels of absenteeism among English learners in the district before 蜜桃影视鈥檚 inquiries.

Neither Houston ISD nor Centennial School District responded to 蜜桃影视鈥檚 requests for comment on their disproportionate increases in English learners missing class.

Contrary to initial reports on absenteeism through the pandemic that have found , the numbers delivered to 蜜桃影视 tell a story that鈥檚 less clean cut. Five out of the 13 districts actually reported small drops in overall chronic absence, but often with glaring differences between sub-groups. On top of jumps in the rate of English learners missing class, Black and low-income students tended to also have greater increases in absenteeism. White and Asian students often saw less severe jumps 鈥� and sometimes dips 鈥� in their rates.

Students with disabilities, who had some of the of chronic absenteeism nationwide before the pandemic, saw 2020-21 rates that remained elevated, but did not represent as large of a proportional increase as that of English learners or low-income students. In fact, five out of 11 districts reported drops in the share of students with disabilities persistently missing class.

鈥淎 student with ADHD might have found it easier to focus (during online learning) or a student with autism might have found it easier to interact with their educators,鈥� Lindsay Jones, president and CEO of the , wrote in an email to 蜜桃影视. 鈥淣ow, we need to better understand what worked for the students who found remote learning easier or more engaging.鈥�

Further patterns included elevated rates of absenteeism among younger learners. Although persistently missing school was much more common among high schoolers before the pandemic, some districts saw the pattern shift to younger grades during remote school, perhaps due to elementary schoolers struggling with Zoom when they lacked proper supervision.

In Miami-Dade County Schools, for example, which did not disaggregate their data by student group but did break down results by age, chronic absenteeism increased 6 percentage points among the district鈥檚 110,000 elementary school students and 11 percentage points among its nearly 52,000 middle school students. It also increased 7 percentage points among its 101,000 high school students, but that jump represented a proportionally smaller increase due to higher pre-pandemic absence rates.

Inconsistencies in how schools took attendance through the pandemic confound direct district-to-district comparisons. Some schools, like Huntsville High School, told 蜜桃影视 they did not track daily attendance among virtual learners because instruction was asynchronous, effectively lowering the pool of students who could be considered chronically absent, while others, like Olathe Public Schools in Kansas, said they took note of exactly how many online learners had missed class each day.

Chandler Unified School District in Arizona, the only school system in the dataset where proportional increases in chronic absenteeism were higher among the overall student body than among English learners, said differences in how attendance was coded for online versus in-person learners may have impacted the numbers. Districts also differed in whether they counted quarantined students as absent, whether they relied on families to proactively mark their kids present and whether webcams were a requirement for online learning.

鈥淎 lot fell through the cracks鈥� in attendance counts last year, Paige Kowalski, executive vice president of the , told 蜜桃影视.

In districts where students missed less class last year than before the pandemic, Executive Director Hedy Chang worries that the numbers might tell a misleading story. During remote learning, it was often hard to tell whether students were truly engaged in class, especially when cameras were off.

鈥淭he data from last year masked, often, a loss of instructional time,鈥� she told 蜜桃影视.

In Gwinnett County Public Schools outside Atlanta, where about half of all 181,000 students learned remotely last year and chronic absenteeism fell roughly 1 percentage point below pre-pandemic levels, the reasons for the drop 鈥� and exactly what that reduction represents 鈥� remain unclear.

鈥淲e would just be guessing at this point,鈥� admitted district spokesperson Bernard Watson. He did point out, however, that teachers worked hard to engage students, driving through young people鈥檚 neighborhoods during lockdown for socially distanced greetings.

But even in Gwinnett, as overall absenteeism trended downward, days of missed schooling among English learners ticked up. To re-engage those students, experts say schools need to be proactive in connecting with their families.

鈥淩each out in 10 different ways: texts, phone calls, home visits, flyers, direct mail 鈥� all the ways you can think of,鈥� suggested Conor Williams, senior fellow at and a frequent contributor at 蜜桃影视. 鈥淭hen once you make contact, ask鈥� 鈥榃hat鈥檚 the best way to [stay] in touch with you?鈥欌��

A recent U.S. Department of Education study from Providence, Rhode Island supports this approach, finding that texts, calls and mentorship could , although the data were collected before the pandemic. And last year, sending teachers door-to-door proved an effective 鈥� if labor-intensive 鈥� strategy to coax students back to class in districts across the country.

To mark the start of National Hispanic Heritage Month, a category to which , the White House on Sept. 13 launched an all-new to address the 鈥渟ystemic causes鈥� of barriers to Latino achievement. It鈥檚 not yet clear how much the initiative will focus on English learners, who make up only about a quarter of the wider Latino student population in the U.S.

The U.S. Department of Education granted waivers for states鈥� 2019-20 federal data reporting requirements, but for 2020-21, the it鈥檚 requiring all states to . Those numbers will likely be available by spring 2022, a department spokesperson told 蜜桃影视.

As the Biden administration underscores the importance of a safe return to in-person school, many families of English learners feel trepidation about sending their children back into classrooms, said Rosario Quiroz Villarreal, policy director at The New Teacher Project. They, like any family, want to understand schools鈥� COVID safety protocols, especially because many live with older relatives, she explained, but oftentimes schools鈥� translation of these protocols can be lacking.

鈥淚t鈥檚 exclusion by omission,鈥� the specialist on immigrant education told 蜜桃影视.

In a school year already riddled by tens of thousands of student and staff quarantines, and as students no longer have the convenience of rolling out of bed and clicking into Zoom, researchers are worried there may be even more students missing class in 2021-22 鈥� and not just English learners.

鈥淲e鈥檙e hearing about huge increases in chronic absenteeism in many of the districts that we鈥檙e speaking to,鈥� said Chang, of Attendance Works. Oakland, California, for example, which publishes real-time data, has already seen the share of persistently missing students jump from .

鈥淲e’re going to have to really expand our personalized outreach and supports to families to make sure that their kids can get access to make up for whatever they lost,鈥� said Chang.

Miron, in Pomona, is among the students who went back to in-person learning this fall, and her case underscores the importance of returning English learners to classrooms. Last year, she said, she 鈥渨asn鈥檛 really learning anything online.鈥� But now that she has returned in person, 鈥渋t鈥檚 a complete change for the better,鈥� her mother reports. The teenager agrees.

鈥溾�嬧�婭 feel like I’m actually learning something right now,鈥� she said.

Editorial Fellow Marianna McMurdock contributed to this report.

Lead image: New data exclusive to 蜜桃影视 show that English learners saw disproportionate surges in the rate at which they missed class during the pandemic. (鈥嬧�婮ohn Moore/Getty Images)