Newcomers welcome

Amid hallways decked with international flags, more than 200 children from 21 countries—including Afghanistan, Cuba, and Myanmar (also known as Burma)—chatter in a mix of English and 15 other languages at Valencia Newcomer School in Phoenix. As they make friends and learn about American classroom etiquette, they also pick up vital language skills.

“I like this school because they teach you English, and you learn it fast,” said 10-year-old Rebecca Kawa, the daughter of Congolese refugees. Kawa grew up in a Ugandan refugee camp and never learned English before arriving at Valencia. But after two months, she no longer needed an interpreter.

Valencia is one of the few public schools in the country that specializes in helping immigrant and refugee students integrate into the nation’s schools. Public schools typically offer language classes and social workers, but these newcomer programs exist as separate schools or schools within a school.

Programs like Valencia’s teach children American classroom norms like raising their hands, lining up, and even figuring out everyday items like light switches on the wall. The work often goes beyond the classroom, as well.

“We have to be there for them, whether it’s academically or getting them services like immunizations,” said Kristine Jones, a teacher at Valencia.

Some students enter the program possessing a solid formal education and just need help to accelerate their language acquisition. But many students arrive behind academically because war and forced migration hampered their access to consistent schooling.

More than 4.7 million foreign-born children attend pre-kindergarten through post-secondary school in the United States, according to the U.S. Department of Education. That’s about 6 percent of the country’s total student population. An additional 20 million children of foreign-born parents are in classrooms nationwide.

The highly specialized newcomer programs are few and far between. In addition to Valencia, similar schools exist in Texas, Indiana, North Carolina, and Rhode Island.

Education policy expert Anne Wicks described in The Catalyst, a journal published by the George W. Bush Institute, how assimilation for immigrant and refugee children requires a strategic approach: “For immigrants, assimilation into American culture does not happen purely through osmosis. Schools play a key role in this process—much deeper than just teaching English.”

Valencia teaching assistant Samuel Lavi, who is from the Democratic Republic of Congo and speaks seven languages, greets children every day with a hug or high-five. “My most important role is to make sure the students get what they’re supposed to get,” he said.