Serving Newcomer Immigrant and Refugee Students in Secondary Schools: Comparing U.S. and European Practices

Against the backdrop of the refugee crisis in Europe and the unprecedented numbers of unaccompanied minors entering U.S. schools in the last two years, this webinar considers the particular challenges facing educators and policymakers as they attempt to meet the needs of immigrant and refugee students who arrive during their middle and high school years. Providing these students with instructional, linguistic, and socioemotional supports is especially complex in the secondary grades, due to the rigor of the curriculum and the short timeframe available for students to prepare for postsecondary education and the workforce.

Variations in In-State Tuition, Financial Aid, and Scholarship Policies for Unauthorized Youth

In this webinar, the Migration Policy Institute’s National Center on Immigrant Integration Policy and other national experts discussed patchwork tuition policies, their implications for unauthorized immigrant youth seeking two- and four-year college degrees, and the progress of major new proposals being considered by states this year. The webinar will also mark the release of updated information on the college access, tuition, and financial aid policies in the top 15 states for youth potentially eligible to apply for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. In addition, hear about the new round of scholarships available from TheDream.US, the largest provider of scholarships for youth with DACA or Temporary Protected Status (TPS) who cannot afford to pay for college.

Overcoming WIOA’s Barriers to Immigrant and Refugee Adult Learners

Adult English language, education, citizenship/civics, and workforce training services are critical in supporting the economic, linguistic, and civic integration of immigrants and refugees. Federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) programs and the state partnership and investments they require comprise the central architecture for provision of these crucial services in communities across the United States. In this discussion, experts discussed aspects of the law that will likely limit prospects for immigrants and refugees to receive English language and other services they may need, serious weaknesses in WIOA regulations proposed by the Obama administration that will govern implementation of crucial services for immigrant integration, and strategies that may help ensure more equitable access for immigrants and refugees to services provided under the law.

Left Behind: How the Well-Being of Children Is Affected by Parental Deportation

In two new reports, the Migration Policy Institute and The Urban Institute review the literature examining the effects of parental deportation on children and the broader community and report the results of field visits to five communities with large numbers of parental deportations.In this discussion, MPI authors discuss the effects of parental deportation on the children of immigrants, and the related needs for health and social services. Panelists will discuss U.S. policy responses to protect these children, community responses, and possible directions for future research and policies.

Exploring Innovative Ideas to Strengthen the Global Protection System

This discussion explored the tensions facing asylum systems in Europe and North America, and asked what tools governments have at their disposal to respond proactively to forced displacement and reduce its costs for refugees and host communities alike. Where and when should governments focus their protection investments to have the most impact? What actors and stakeholders need to be engaged, both within a government and internationally? What lessons can be drawn from responses to past asylum flows? 

Growing Up in America: The Extent and Impacts of Discrimination on Young Children from Immigrant Families

While the effects of discrimination against immigrant adolescents and adults have been the subject of much study, discrimination’s impacts on young children of immigrants has gone largely unexamined. During this webinar, three scholars explored the educational, psychological, and social impact of discrimination on immigrant-origin children from birth to age 10. The three presenters discussed the types of discrimination that young children of immigrants may experience, particularly in the school setting, and its consequences for children, their families, and schools. The presenters also offered recommendations for addressing discrimination in school settings and explored ways to promote family and child resilience in the face of discrimination.

DACA at Three: New Data on Potential Applicants and Analysis of the Renewal Process

August 2015 marks the three-year anniversary of the implementation of the Obama administration’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, and approximately one year since U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) began processing DACA renewal requests. Renewal offers current DACA beneficiaries an additional two-year reprieve from deportation as well as work authorization, yet not all those eligible to file for renewal have done so.MPI experts unveiled updated data on characteristics of the potential DACA applicant pool as well as a new brief examining who is signing up for DACA renewal and some of the administrative difficulties surrounding the renewal program in this latest webinar.

Resettling Increasingly Diverse Refugee Populations in the United States: Integration Challenges and Successes

This discussion focuses on the Migration Policy Institute's new report, The Integration Outcomes of U.S. Refugees: Success and Challenges, which uses previously unpublished State Department data among other sources to examine refugee characteristics at arrival for the ten largest national-origin groups resettled between 2002-2013, as well as their integration outcomes. The discussion examines the report's findings with respect to refugee employment and incomes, English proficiency and education levels, public benefit use, as well as differing integration outcomes between refugee groups with similar characteristics at arrival. Read the report here: http://www.migrationpolicy.org/research/integration-outcomes-us-refugees-successes-and-challenges

Rethinking Integration for the Age of Superdiversity: How to Adapt Public Services? Session 3: The Future of Integration Policy

This Migration Policy Institute Europe public discussion explores how a coordinated approach to immigrant integration may create more effective and inclusive approaches to diversity across the policy-making spectrum. It also covers the findings of the UPSTREAM project, a multicountry study funded by the European Integration Fund that looks at the practice of mainstreaming in early childhood education, multilingual classrooms, antiracism, and equality strategies, and neighborhood and housing policy. Session 3, "The Future of Integration Policy," includes speakers  Elizabeth Collett, Director of Migration Policy Institute Europe, Carmen Blanco, Spanish Deputy Director of Legal Affairs, and Laura Corrado, Head of Legal Migration and Integration of the European Commission Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs.

Rethinking Integration for the Age of Superdiversity: How to Adapt Public Services? Session 2: Inclusive Urban Spaces

This Migration Policy Institute Europe public discussion explores how a coordinated approach to immigrant integration may create more effective and inclusive approaches to diversity across the policy-making spectrum. It also covers the findings of the UPSTREAM project, a multicountry study funded by the European Integration Fund that looks at the practice of mainstreaming in early childhood education, multilingual classrooms, antiracism, and equality strategies, and neighborhood and housing policy. Session 2, "Inclusive Urban Spaces," includes speakers Patrick Simon of the French National Institute of Demographic Research, Di Robinson of the Bristol City Council, Jean-François Fougnet of the Centre for Social Development, Clémentine Vooren of the Dutch Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment, and Lorraine O’Deaof the U.K. Department for Communities and Local Government.

Rethinking Integration for the Age of Superdiversity: How to Adapt Public Services? Session 1: Rethinking Public Services for a Diverse and Mobile Age

This Migration Policy Institute Europe public discussion explores how a coordinated approach to immigrant integration may create more effective and inclusive approaches to diversity across the policy-making spectrum. It also covers the findings of the UPSTREAM project, a multicountry study funded by the European Integration Fund that looks at the practice of mainstreaming in early childhood education, multilingual classrooms, antiracism, and equality strategies, and neighborhood and housing policy. Session 1, "Rethinking Public Services for a Diverse and Mobile Age," includes speakers Peter Scholten, Associate Professor of Public Policy and Politics at Erasmus University, and Elizabeth Collett, Director of Migration Policy Institute Europe.

Ready to Meet the Needs of All Children? A Closer Look at Diversity in the Early Childhood Workforce

In this webinar, Migration Policy Institute analysts discuss their report, Immigrant and Refugee Workers in the Early Childhood Field: Taking a Closer Look, which shows that just as the number and share of children of immigrants have grown substantially, the foreign born also now represent nearly one-fifth of the overall early childhood education and care (ECEC) workforce. However, these immigrant workers—and the linguistic and cultural diversity that they bring to the field—are over-represented in lower-skilled and lower-paid positions. The discussion covers diversity within the existing ECEC workforce, along with recommendations for addressing barriers to entry and advancement that many immigrant workers appear to face. Read the report here: http://www.migrationpolicy.org/research/immigrant-and-refugee-workers-early-childhood-field-taking-closer-look

The New National Integration Plan: Making the Most of a Historic Opportunity

On April 14, in a historic first, the recently convened White House Task Force on New Americans unveiled a report to the President that aims to improve and better coordinate federal strategies that support the successful integration of immigrants into U.S. communities. At this Migration Policy Institute event, Director of the Domestic Policy Council and Co-Chair of the Task Force on New Americans, Cecilia Muñoz, discusses the plan’s promise and implementation goals. The conversation also includes remarks by Director of MPI's National Center on Immigrant Integration Policy, Margie McHugh, and President Michael Fix, along with Executive Director of the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition, Eva Millona, and Special Assistant to the President for Immigration Policy, Felicia Escobar. For more information about the White House Task Force on New Americans, visit our webpage.

Child and Family Migration to the United States: Continuing Flows and Evolving Responses

The number of Central American unaccompanied children and family units arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border has surged in recent years, reaching a peak of 137,000 in 2014. In this Migration Policy Institute webinar, experts from MPI discuss the shifting pattern of Central American migration and expectations for 2015; why inflows present a particularly acute policy challenge; and how states, localities, the federal government, and other countries in the region are responding. Speakers Marc Rosenblum, Margie McHugh, and Doris Meissner provide recommendations on policies that advance both critical protection and enforcement goals in situations of complex, mixed-status flows as well as means to address impacts in communities where child migrants have settled.

Cross-Cutting Needs and Opportunities: Language Access, Funding, Multi-Level Partnerships, and Planning for the Long Term

This Migration Policy Institute webinar, the final in a series on the development of the National Integration Plan by the newly-formed White House Task Force on New Americans, addresses cross-cutting topics (across agencies and across different levels of government) raised by a number of key stakeholders in their input to the task force. Speakers Margie McHugh of MPI, Charles Kamasaki of the National Council of La Raza, Nisha Agarwal of the Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs in New York City, and Cuc Vu of the Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs in Seattle discuss suggestions for greater leadership by the federal government in efforts to meet state and local language access needs, possible designs for a national Integration Success Fund, and building new partnerships between federal agencies and local governments to effectively address integration needs. The webinar also covers recommendations for creating a robust framework of integration goals and indicators to guide the work of each agency participating in the task force.

Integration Challenges and Opportunities in the Economic Development and Refugee Resettlement Arenas

This Migration Policy Institute webinar addresses two distinct, significant areas—economic development and refugee resettlement—that were a focus of robust discussion in recommendations submitted by a number of leading organizations and networks to the White House Task Force on New Americans. During the webinar, Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service Annie Wilson shares thoughts on how to better support the integration of refugees and the refugee resettlement process, Global Detroit Director Steve Tobocman talks about the WE Global Network and recommendations for the task force in the areas of international student retention, immigrant entrepreneurship, and rural economic development, and MPI’s Margie McHugh discusses recommendations on education and training, language access, and late-arriving immigrant and refugee students. 

Adult Education, English and Skills Training: Opportunities for Action and Investment in the Most Vital Integration Services

In this Migration Policy Institute webinar, part of a series exploring issues likely to be addressed by the new National Integration Plan, speakers examine the role of adult education and English language and skills training in the immigrant integration process. Margie McHugh, Director of MPI's National Center on Immigrant Integration Policy, and representatives from the National Partnership for New Americans and the National Skills Coalition discuss their recommendations to the White House Task Force on New Americans, covering topics such as: meeting the particular needs of parents of young children and immigrants in the early childhood education and care (ECEC) workforce; ensuring equitable access to services for those with low levels of underlying education; meeting the unique needs of those who received advanced education or training overseas; and ideas for ensuring more generally that implementation of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) and the increasing emphasis on postsecondary transition and career pathways results in improved, rather than reduced, access to needed education and training opportunities for immigrants and refugees.For more information, visit http://migrationpolicy.org/events/adult-education-english-and-skills-training-opportunities-action-and-investment-most-vital

The Skills of Immigrants: What PIAAC Tells Us

This Migration Policy Institute event marks the launch of the report Through an Immigrant Lens: PIAAC Assessment of the Competencies of Adults in the United States, which uses data from the 2012 Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) to describe the literacy, numeracy, and computer skills of adults in the United States, including both immigrants and the native born. Report authors Jeanne Batalova and Michael Fix of MPI present their findings and discuss what their analysis reveals about the literacy of the first- and second-generation immigrant population in the United States, the U.S. education and workforce training system, and the implications for the future of the U.S. labor market and its role in the global economy. Panelists Demetra Smith Nightingale of the U.S. Department of Labor and Andy Van Kleunen of the National Skills Coalition present commentaries setting the results in the context of the United States workforce and education policies. Finally, MPI’s Demetrios G. Papademetriou sets the results in the global context. 

The County-Level View of Unauthorized Immigrants and Implications for Executive Action Implementation

This Migration Policy Institute (MPI) webinar marks the release of new data profiles of unauthorized immigrants for counties in the United States with the largest populations potentially eligible for the expanded Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program or the new Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents program (known as DAPA). Experts from MPI discuss some of the interesting county-level findings, and top officials from Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc. and the National Council of La Raza talk about the implications of the data for implementation of the DACA and DAPA programs. The 94 detailed county-level profiles, along with topline estimates of unauthorized immigrant population size for 117 counties, are available here: http://www.migrationpolicy.org/programs/data-hub/unauthorized-immigrant-population

Lessons from DACA’s Implementation and its Impact on Education and Training

Given the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program’s unique position at the convergence of the immigration and education fields, the Migration Policy Institute's National Center on Immigrant Integration Policy has sought to capture the ways in which local educational institutions, legal service providers, and youth advocates have responded to DACA’s first phase. In this webinar, authors of the report Lessons from the Local Level: DACA's Implementation and Impact on Education and Training Success discuss key challenges facing legal service providers and educators serving DACA youth, along with lessons for new and ongoing efforts seeking to support the implementation of the DACA and Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents programs. Read the report here: http://migrationpolicy.org/research/lessons-local-level-dacas-implementation-and-impact-education-and-training-success