December 19, 2024
Sophia Rodriguez, PhD
After November 5, educators around the country went to work the next day facing threats to dismantle the federal Department of Education, and with it the very systems and structures that make their work possible. As an education policy researcher and educator, I have witnessed the need for federal policy to improve educational access and opportunities for some of the most vulnerable groups in the US, particularly immigrant youth.
Threatening structures like the DOE, or cutting funding from programs administered through it, will limit educational opportunity, social and economic mobility for many marginalized groups, such as the immigrant, language learning youth I have worked with in the past.
Educational Fragility and Immigrant Contributions Under a Trump Presidency
The Department of Education (DOE) disburses federal funding to state and local entities. Some scholars and politicians believe that the purpose of education is to fulfill economic needs in the labor market. The relationship between education and the economic needs in society, especially since much rhetoric during the 2024 election has been targeting the economy, immigrant labor and the threats to deport them. Schools play a role in preparing young people for educational and employment opportunities.
The threats to dismantling public education systems and mass deportations warrants discussion of how Latino immigrant youth, especially the 5 million language learners, experience school and the benefits of educational programs administered through the DOE, not to mention the office of civil rights is within the DOE which offers a pathway for parents to ensure educational rights are being abided by. Research has shown the benefits of DOE administered programs, including that they reduce dropout rates of immigrant youth and increase belonging and diversity in schools.
As a former K-12 teacher of multilingual learners, many of whom are immigrants or from immigrant households, and now an academic researcher, I witness school benefits for immigrant youth. Youth have shared how belonging is important for their “solidarity” and learning how to navigate US society, acquire skills such as civic knowledge and awareness about democracy and American politics, and language skills that can support their educational and employment aspirations beyond K-12.
Schools rely on federal funds that trickle down to state and local entities to support some of the most vulnerable groups, e.g. multilingual learners in English language and bilingual instruction through Title III of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). Dismantling the DOE does not necessarily mean these programs will be demolished also, but the Trump administration with its lack of knowledge about policy and education, could make other attempts to cut funding, or limit educational protections.
Public Schools' Role in Supporting Immigrant, Multilingual Learners
My recent research examines how schools and out-of-school, or community-based organizational spaces foster a sense of belonging, such as my study of a public library-school district partnership for multilingual language learners. What I hear from youth is how the ability to have their immigrant and linguistic, i.e. Spanish-dominant, bilingual identities affirmed in educational spaces feels caring.Spanish is the most common language spoken at home among language learners in US public schools, approximately 4.6 million of public school language learners; but Latino students are not all labeled as language learners or immigrants.
For a diverse group of Latino youth, who are immigrants or who have parents that are immigrants, and who are born here in the US or foreign-born, or who may identify as Indigenous, language is a large component of their identity and culture. Having positive schooling experiences along with opportunities to speak in their native language through federally funded programs that provide language services, i.e. dual language programs, bilingual instruction, or English as a second language instruction, is critical for their positive sense of self and agency.
Federally supported and locally administered language-learner programs that recognize the importance of the native language as a cultural marker that strengthens immigrant youth's self identity in their journey to becoming Americans, are the ones that we should be pushing for, particularly in this anti-immigrant, inhumane political context. Research shows that young people not only build proficiency in English, which is important for their academic success, they build strong bonds with peers and teachers who speak Spanish or who affirm languages other than English, particularly in language classes despite not always feeling connected to the larger school community. In my research, newcomer immigrants have said about their language learning classes, “We are all in the same boat here; it [our learning new languages] connects us.” I have learned that teachers ought to and do value immigrant youth languages, cultures, and identities, and their immigration experiences as assets in the classroom.
Youth Perspectives on Language Learning
Through Title III, language services for learners are prioritized, including ESL and bilingual programs. Additionally, it is supposed to provide support for language instruction and supplemental activities for youth and parent and community engagement: to facilitate a sense of belonging at school. By supporting teachers’ work through professional development about the academic and social/emotional needs of immigrant students, relationships with students and their sense of belonging increases. While language learners are particularly vulnerable to a lack of belonging in larger school climates, belonging in language learning classrooms is evident and a need for opportunities to leverage their native language and learn English is too.
Thinking ahead
We must continue to utilize evidence-based research to inform policy and practice. While the importance of the DOE is evident in research, policy, and practice, we also must continue to center youth and families’ voices, and equip them with information and support in the face of threats to dismantle the DOE and advocate at local levels through school board elections family engagement as well as leverage community-based action to support immigrant youth and their families for what lies ahead. We know that community-based supports are thriving spaces that will be even more critical in the months to come. Continuing to encourage schools and districts to provide services through community-school partnerships and providing safe, welcoming spaces for immigrant learners and families will be vital.
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Suggested Citation*: Rodriguez, S. (2024, Dec). How the Trump administration’s threats to eliminate the department of education might impact multilingual immigrant youth . Immigrant Ed Next.
*Introduction by Sophia Rodriguez, PhD
Copyright 2022: Sophia Rodriguez, Immigrant Ed Next-All Rights Reserved
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