Factual description of the scenario
The story takes place in a secondary school located in an area with a large immigrated and underprivileged population.
An Albanese family with a refugee status arrives at school in January to enrol their 16 year old daughter.
The family arrived six months earlier. After spending time in a refugee centre, the family obtained a refugee status.
The parents do not speak the national language. The girl knows it a little; she had lessons in the refugee centre.
The girl has diplomas, but these must be validated by the Ministry of Education. As this procedure usually takes several months, the temporarily enrols her in the fourth year. The student thus starts school uncertain about the level she will be allowed to join.
In this school, a social assistant welcomes newly arrive students. During the interview, the girl becomes withdrawn, she cuts the interview short, she does not want to talk about her family.
Since her command of the language is insufficient, including in reading, the social assistant sends her to the teacher in charge of bringing newly arrived students up to date. The follow-up (2h/week) turns out to be insufficient. Because of the student’s poor command of the language, she cannot do her tasks. Moreover, she does not work enough. Yet she has potential.
In class, she quickly displays an aggressive behaviour. After a mere four days at school, the social assistant notices problems of violence in the class. The girl slaps other students, she is insolent, arrogant, she addresses inappropriate comments to her teachers and classmates. She is rejected by the whole class group and expelled from the lessons by the teachers. She tells the social assistant she does not like school.
Early February, the social assistant contacts the refugee centre where the girl used to live. She realises there too the girl was aggressive. A meeting is organised with the manager of the centre in the presence of the girl to straighten things out. There’s something unclear in the family, she does not want to talk about, but obviously suffers from.
Attitude and behaviour of the protagonist student
The girl has diplomas but these have to be validated, which can take several months. She has potential, but she arrives without motivation. Because of personal problems, she does not commit to learning.
She does not understand what she has to do and does not work enough. Without help from the school, she will fail this year.
The girl suffers. She has personal difficulties she does not want to talk about. She is withdrawn. She has an aggressive behaviour toward students and teachers.
Attitude and behaviour of the classmates
The students complain to the counsellors. They reject the girl, who is isolated in the class.
Attitude and behaviour of the teachers
The teachers know nothing about personal difficulties on the girl’s part.
They expel her from the lessons when she has an inappropriate behaviour and think she will not succeed the year.
Attitude and behaviour of the parents
The parents are aware of their daughter’s school difficulties. They doubt her chances to succeed. They do not know about her aggressive behaviour until they are informed by the social assistant.
They meet the headteacher to request a follow-up for their daughter. They know they are not able to help her understand the subjects taught because they do not know the language and their level of schooling is not high enough. They cannot afford individual lessons.
Attitude and behaviour of the school director
The headteacher knows about the situation. She has met the parents and received the teachers’ complaints. She is regularly in contact with the social assistant.
Attitude and behaviour of other actors
The social assistant suspects personal problems. She would like to help the students. She contacts the refugee centre and organises a meeting with its manager and the girl.
Attitude and behavior of the protagonist
The participants’ reactions
The transition between the refugee centre and the school was not prepared. Therefore, the girl’s aggressive attitude seems understandable, even normal.
Indeed, not knowing the language of the host country can influence the newly-arrived student’s behaviour (aggressiveness, early school leaving, loss of self-esteem...).
Strategies to be implemented
The girl’s difficulties are evidence of the many obstacles immigrant students often meet when they start school.
To integrate and succeed at school, we think this girl should carry out several things:
It means she has to become aware of the
obstacles to integration (step 1 “Guidelines for immigrant students”
http://schoolsafetynet.pixel-online.org/GL_guide01.php?ta=2&tg=4&st=1) and accept the
cultural shock of her new environment (step 2 “Guidelines for immigrant students”
http://schoolsafetynet.pixel-online.org/GL_guide01.php?ta=2&tg=4&st=2).
She will thus have to develop resilience (ability to adapt), she will learn to manage her emotions and feelings in her relations with others (steps 2.4, 9 and 10 “Guidelines for immigrant students”)
http://schoolsafetynet.pixel-online.org/GL_guide01.php?ta=2&tg=4&st=2
http://schoolsafetynet.pixel-online.org/GL_guide01.php?ta=2&tg=4&st=9
http://schoolsafetynet.pixel-online.org/GL_guide01.php?ta=2&tg=4&st=10.
She will have to bounce back to regain the
self-esteem and confidence she seems to have lost.
To achieve this process, she will need to be supported by education and mental health professionals.
To learn the language of the host country
If the student has difficulties to learn the language, she should not hesitate to talk to a teacher. Individual extra lessons are always possible.
She should also seize every opportunity to learn the national language watching television, reading, writing shopping lists, going to the library, etc.
To accept the cultural shock
It is important that she be proud of her language and culture and share them with others (food, objects, songs, instruments, festivals, etc.).
Likewise, she should also be interested in the language and culture of the host country and share with others what she finds different and difficult in this new culture. It is thus important that she do not shut herself away, but on the contrary that she exposes herself to different contexts so that she can positively adapt to her new environment.
To feel good at school
If the student does not feel she belongs in the school (she does not understand the lessons, she needs help for her homework, she feels isolated in the class, she has different aspirations regarding studies and work...), she must dare to talk to the teachers or school counsellors, with the help of a mediator/interpreter if needed. They will help her find appropriate support. There are programmes she can enrol in. There are social centres that can help her better integrate in the school through various activities, associations and public organisations that support individual projects. There are also cultural associations where she can learn not school-related communication techniques. To receive those supports, she can ask advice from the teachers or school counsellors.
To go towards the others
Migrating requires great efforts to go meet other people.
This student needs to meet other people, to make new friends, to feel she is part of a group. It will help her strengthen her self-esteem and identity.
For example, she could join various networks (sport clubs, youth organisations...), participate in the school life and activities (class representative, events, theatre troupe...), participate in community initiatives and activities (sport club, community centre …)
To discuss with the parents
She must also be able to discuss with her parents about what she learns at school and share information about the school culture. It will be an opportunity to identify stress moments and learning difficulties that can then be solved together.
Attitude and behaviour of the classmates
The participants’ reactions
The class group’s rejection is understandable since they lack information on the new student’s specific situation. Besides, the classmates can legitimately ask for a peaceful and harmonious environment in the classroom. Those conditions are necessary to develop serenely and progress in one’s learning.
Strategies to be implemented
Proposing strategies addressed directly to the classmates is hard because it is the school stakeholders’ responsibility to create conditions that foster a harmonious integration of immigrant students in the class and school.
Therefore, we think the headteacher and the teachers in particular will have to
work on “coexistence” in the class group to foster the young girl’s integration: welcoming the girl in the class, fostering group work, cooperation between students, building a class culture student would be proud to belong to...
(Step 7 “Guidelines for teacher”
http://schoolsafetynet.pixel-online.org/GL_guide01.php?ta=2&tg=4&st=7).
Working on “coexistence” also mean
cultivating difference, highlighting immigrant students’ characteristics and cultural heritage and developing
empathy in students.
This support will be needed all along the students’ school path and all school actors (teachers, educators, counsellors...) will have to take part.
Attitude and behaviour of the teachers
The participants’ reactions
The teachers’ behaviour is striking, although not unusual; they are not always informed on a student’s specific situation.
The teachers’ role is not only to teach (and to expel disruptive students). They should be curious about her past and background, she could suffer from a trauma (related to her home country and/or her family).
Expelling the disruptive student, they only answer violence with violence. Empathy, human contact, dedication would certainly be more appropriate answers.
Strategies to be implemented
We think the teachers should first get information on the girl’s problem:
With these tools and information, they could adapt their teaching, work “differentiation” in the class group:
- To pay particular attention to this student who expresses her misery and school difficulties in an awkward way (step 8 “Guidelines for teacher”).
http://schoolsafetynet.pixel-online.org/GL_guide01.php?ta=2&tg=5&st=8
- To try to know and valorise her interests, the teacher could make her feel more at ease, which could lead her to express her personal problems and reduce her aggressiveness regaining self-esteem.
- To act on conceptions and attitudes in the classroom (step 7 “Guidelines for teacher”)
http://schoolsafetynet.pixel-online.org/GL_guide01.php?ta=2&tg=5&st=7: working in class with communal and solidary values and mutual respect, to build a school and class culture all students would be proud to belong to.
- To act on their own conceptions (Step 5 “Guidelines for teacher”):
http://schoolsafetynet.pixel-online.org/GL_guide01.php?ta=2&tg=5&st=5
- To believe all students can be educated
- To realise immigrant students have different values from those of the school
- To learn to get rid of one’s prejudices and stereotypes, try to know and understand the other’s culture
- To adapt their teaching methods and learning objectives (steps 6 and 7 “Guidelines for teacher”) http://schoolsafetynet.pixel-online.org/GL_guide01.php?ta=2&tg=5&st=6
http://schoolsafetynet.pixel-online.org/GL_guide01.php?ta=2&tg=5&st=7: managing learning time and pace, clarifying the objectives and meaning of the activities, trusting the students’ potential, caring for the relationship, leaving room for emotional skills… In the curriculum, to make links with the history of migrations and origin cultures of immigrant students, use and give value to the cultural heritage, encourage relational abilities.
- To propose individualised help to the student at the school level: update in language and other lessons, help to study (working methods, planning, ordering the sheets and schoolbooks...)
- Ask other immigrant students to help the girl in subjects they are good at (peer training)
Trying to better
know the girls’ skills and professional ambitions, the teacher could guide her towards more appropriate sections.
The teachers could also
discuss this student’s case with colleagues and other school stakeholders. Their action can only benefit from it.
Teachers are not always trained to manage multicultural classes. To rectify it, they should have
in-service training opportunities on those issues.
Attitude and behaviour of the parents
The participants’ reaction
Emotional issues are an important lever in this type of situation, because school is not always a priority for newly-arrived people.
The girl’s parents (confronted to the language barrier and their financial situation) seem to rely entirely on the school for the school follow-up of their daughter.
Strategies to be implemented
The link between the school and family is crucial. The parents need to do their best to maintain it, overcoming the obstacles related to language and culture and participating in school life (step 1 “Guidelines for parents”).
In the described situation, the following ideas can be suggested to the parents:
- The parents could ask the school to call an interpreter and translator service to make communication and dialogue easier (step 2.3 “Guidelines for parents” http://schoolsafetynet.pixel-online.org/GL_guide01.php?ta=2&tg=2&st=2 and step 8.3 “Guidelines for headteachers” http://schoolsafetynet.pixel-online.org/GL_guide01.php?ta=2&tg=1&st=8). Unfortunately, this type of service is not always free.
- They could also use other options, for instance “intermediary parents” with whom they share a same background (idea mentioned at step 7.1 “Guidelines for parents”). http://schoolsafetynet.pixel-online.org/GL_guide01.php?ta=2&tg=2&st=7
- The parents could ask to benefit from adult language training (step 6 “Guidelines for parents” http://schoolsafetynet.pixel-online.org/GL_guide01.php?ta=2&tg=2&st=6). The school should be able to guide them to organisations that provide this type of training. Moreover, learning the language at the same time as their daughter, the parents could better support her in her school path.
- The parents and/or the school could call a school mediation service (step 2.3 “Guidelines for parents” http://schoolsafetynet.pixel-online.org/GL_guide01.php?ta=2&tg=2&st=2 and step 8 “Guidelines for headteachers” http://schoolsafetynet.pixel-online.org/GL_guide01.php?ta=2&tg=1&st=8) that will create trust with the family and see the family’s regarding “values”. Indeed, the school is often perceived as an “enemy” by immigrant families. It is not always a priority for parents who have other problems to care about: accommodation, health, employment... There is often a cross-sector collaboration between schools, social aid and health and accommodation services. Therefore, if parents mention their difficulties, several services can be notified and bring specific help. “Win-win” solutions must be found with the parents.
- The parents could participate in parent meetings organised by the school (step 3.6 “Guidelines for parents” http://schoolsafetynet.pixel-online.org/GL_guide01.php?ta=2&tg=2&st=3). If they cannot help their daughter learn and do her homework, they can still be informed about support systems through the teacher and ask for help.
- The parents should try their best to participate in the meeting activities organised by the school to foster integration, for example, the “parents’ café” (step 9.3 “Guidelines for parents” http://schoolsafetynet.pixel-online.org/GL_guide01.php?ta=2&tg=2&st=9). It is important that they accept to share their culture with the school and show interest and respect for the culture of the host country. For this purpose they could also, for example, participate in local activities and initiatives that encourage the integration of families in the community. The school could suggest local families invite the immigrant family to discover the country’s culture and language.
Expected benefits:
It is important that parents believe in their child’s chances of success, that they encourage and help them increase their self-esteem.
Attitude and behaviour of the school director
The participants’ reaction
The headteacher cannot just “keep up-to-date” about the student’s situation, like it seems he does in this situation. He must be in charge. He must initiate replies to the girl’s and her family’s difficulties (as it is stated in the introduction of the “Guidelines for headteachers”
http://schoolsafetynet.pixel-online.org/GL_guide.php?ta=2&tg=1 and step 8.6 of the “Guidelines for policy makers”
http://schoolsafetynet.pixel-online.org/GL_guide01.php?ta=2&tg=3&st=8
Strategies to be implemented
In this situation, the headteacher should suggest working leads and concrete practices to the education team:
- To guide the young girl to a system such as the “bridging class” organised in Belgian schools to welcome a large immigrant population. This is an intermediary step in the school path to make update in language and basic subjects easier and enter the appropriate level of studies as soon as possible. Indeed, despite the work done in refugee centres, everything has to be done again when the student starts school (idea mentioned at step 1.4 “Guidelines for teacher”) http://schoolsafetynet.pixel-online.org/GL_guide01.php?ta=2&tg=5&st=4
- To guide the girl to studies best suited to her skills and aspirations: this means establishing a constructive dialogue with the girl, preferably in her language (possibly with a mediator), knowing her school background and acquired skills, checking her abilities and skills with adapted tests to guide her to the most appropriate section (including alternation between classes and professional practice). This guidance must be carried out by the educational team with the help of professionals or specialised services.
- To organise activities that encourage “coexistence” in the glass group of the girl, such as involve students of all origins in projects, exercises and workshops to discover the treasures and heritage of each represented culture
- To organise remediation sessions to prevent early school leaving (catching up, help to study, help for homework, follow-up in language...) in tandem with the parents
- The headteacher could launch a more ambitious project such as an “internal reschooling service”, in partnership with external agents and local associations (mentioned at step 8.3 of the “Guidelines for parents”). http://schoolsafetynet.pixel-online.org/GL_guide01.php?ta=2&tg=2&st=8 The main objective of such an initiative is to “reconcile the student with school”: fighting early school leaving and demotivation, helping students in difficulty change their representations of school and of the authorities.
The headteacher will have to care about the educational team cohesion:
- To maintain constant dialogue with the teachers to make sure they accept to work on “differentiation” and commit to it
- To call additional resource people to support the teachers (social assistant to work on well-being, educators of various nationalities, school mediation, mentorship, homework clubs...) because some teachers can feel helpless and discouraged
- To assess with teachers the measures carried out
- To propose training to teachers so they can adapt their teaching to students of various nationalities
Those ideas are part of steps 2 to 7 of the “Guidelines for headteachers”.
http://schoolsafetynet.pixel-online.org/GL_guide01.php?ta=2&tg=1&st=2
http://schoolsafetynet.pixel-online.org/GL_guide01.php?ta=2&tg=1&st=7
The headteacher should also maintain a constant dialogue with the family to foster their involvement in their daughter’s success (step 8 “Guidelines for headteachers”):
http://schoolsafetynet.pixel-online.org/GL_guide01.php?ta=2&tg=1&st=8
- To regularly meet the parents
- To inform them on the school system and objectives in their language, calling translators or interpreters if needed
- To propose them language learning modules
- To request external resources: school mediation, interpreters and translators, psychologists, local associations...
- To initiate specific activities to overcome the language barrier, foster contacts and knowledge of the school and establish a trust relationship with the parents (e.g. “parents’ café” and “intermediary parents” already mentioned in the paragraph dedicated to parents, welcome days, trips with families, holiday lessons, resource centre...)
It is important that every school define its strategy to integrate immigrant students, making sure to involve all the school and community actors, and evaluate this strategy:
- First of all it is necessary to develop in the school a welcoming policy for immigrant students and their family: organising a visit of the school, explaining the organisation of studies, lessons and degrees, informing the students and parents on the school rules and values, informing them about people they can turn to in case of problems or questions.
- Immigrant students also need an adapted program and non-school solutions: establishing specific supports for newly-arrived students, adapting educational practices and increasing language development and national language learning.
Finally, it is the headteacher’s responsibility to
integrate the school policy in a larger community policy to integrate immigrant students, to work with various local agencies, to communicate with the local community and the education sector, and to let them know what the school does in this field.
Attitude and behaviour of other actors
The participants’ reaction
The social assistant tries to gather other actors to solve the girl’s personal problems.
Since the language update lessons organised by the school are insufficient, who will support the young girl?
Diploma recognition takes too long and could have terrible consequences for the girl: she could pass the year she is temporarily enrolled in, but not be allowed to go to the next level because of a lower equivalence that arrives late.
Strategies to be implemented
Various field actors need to be gathered by schools confronted to the integration difficulties of newly-arrived students and their families:
- The student’s personal difficulties: social assistant, psychologist, mental health professionals...
- The student’s school difficulties: language update and welcome structure, a benevolent adult who will help and support the student in her school work (teacher, parent, volunteer in a NGO or a religious community…), homework support (such as homework clubs) or some form of peer mentorship. Peers can be other students of the school or higher education students. Those students are closer in age and many are immigrants. They have been through the same path and are perceived as “older brothers” by students in difficulties, a pal they can talk to and share their difficulties with. Those students give a positive image and are models for an optimistic future, which is necessary to fight school failure and early school leaving.
- Relations with the family: school mediators or parent mediators, interpreter services, language training organisations...
- Education team’s cohesion and well-being: resource people, continuing training...
The decision makers’ role is to support and amplify integration activities carried out by the schools for newly-arrived students and their families, through funds and legislative framework.
This situation gives good hints regarding public authorities intervention approach:
- Designing policies that encourage schools to make immigrant students’ integration a priority in their educational project.
- Cooperating with field actors (school and non-school agents) to propose replies best adapted to immigrant students. A good coordination between the different professionals involved would also be suitable.
- Taking into account the financial situation of immigrant families and searching solutions (grant for children, organising the trip to school, support for accommodation, delivering meals and school supplies...)
- Developing welcome structures to help newly-arrived students “land” in the class-group (such as the “bridging classes” mentioned in the paragraph dedicated to headteachers). At the same time, improving the transition between the refugee centres and schools, and supporting the families when they leave the centre.
- Making resource people available. The school and the family need to be supported by field professionals. Ideally, this support should be free.
- Making pedagogical resources available to teachers confronted to students of various nationalities and cultures (such as this leaflet of the Ministry of education in French-speaking Belgium explaining how to “Teach to students who do not command the school language”)
- Continuing training for teachers and headteachers
- Taking into account the problem of teachers’ initial training
- Simplifying procedures to recognise diplomas, to shorten the wait due to communication difficulties between the ministries of the countries concerned.
- Integrating the issue of immigration in official communications with families translating them in the language of those families
- Language learning for parents in order to overcome the language barrier.
Those intervention approaches are part of steps 7 and 8 in the “Guidelines for policy makers”.
http://schoolsafetynet.pixel-online.org/GL_guide01.php?ta=2&tg=3&st=7
http://schoolsafetynet.pixel-online.org/GL_guide01.php?ta=2&tg=3&st=8
Finally, it is necessary that decision makers carry out a
continuing evaluation of the strategies implemented to guarantee their effectiveness. Disseminating the results of this evaluation would be desirable, as well as identifying the best practices that could inspire others.
Conclusion
It is always difficult to quickly integrate immigrant pupils.
“There is not a magic bullet but only a strategic mix of more actions and more social agents”.
Indeed, this situation shows the girl’s and her family’s integration, like her school success, will be possible only implementing concrete actions and with personalised support (based on the girl’s skills and aspirations).
Such initiative means involving many internal (headteacher, teachers, councellors, other parents...) and external (interpreters, psychologists, doctors, mediators, NGOs, associations...) stakeholders. There is one more difficulty: all those actors need to be coordinated so that the student will not be reduced to a “file” that actors forward to each other.
It is the headteacher who will need to manage the different stakeholders. He will need to search synergies and transversalities that are necessary to the girl’s and the family’s integration.
This strategy conducted by the school, co-built with the different school actors, should be part of the school project to include immigrant families.
This strategy is costly and energy-consuming. It can be applied only with the support of policy-makers through legal frameworks and funds.