Equity by Design : Examining Law & Policy for Undocumented Immigrant Students through the pK-20 Pipeline

The purpose of this Equity Brief is to provide some guidance for educators with regard to the challenges around supporting undocumented students in the midst of uncertain times and continued concerns surrounding Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). Many youth in the DACA Program have made the United States their home and have lived in the country the majority of their lives. Since its inception, DACA has been a source of contention for many, opponents argue that DACA has decreased the educational budget whereas others proponents of DACA focus on the educational opportunities it presents

State and Institutional Policies on In-State Resident Tuition and Financial Aid for Undocumented Students: Examining Constraints and Opportunities

In this article, we examine policies related to in-state resident tuition and state financial aid policies aimed at undocumented students. To help frame the discussion and spark further debate and research in this area the article seeks to do three things. First, it provides a comprehensive review of state and institutional in-state tuition policies aimed at undocumented students as well as state college or university system responses. Second, it charts the policy landscape for state financial aid access for this population. Third, it examines the numerous implications that such policies engender and highlights the role of the federal government and the proposed Dream Act in mitigating some of these concerns. It closes by underscoring the important financial role played by the critical interaction of state, institutional, and federal policies in making college going a reality for these students while proposing avenues for future study around the issue

Constructed Borders in Higher Education: A Critical Policy Analysis of Undocumented College Students\u27 Access to Study Abroad

Abstract Between 2012 and 2017, undocumented youth in the United States with Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival status were able to apply for Advance Parole permissions to travel abroad for educational purposes. During this time, DACA students attending colleges and universities across the nation engaged in study abroad through established education abroad programs. This qualitative study examines undocumented students’ decision to pursue educational abroad opportunities during their undergraduate education in the context of national, state and institutional policies and climate and compares and contrasts the experiences of the undocumented college students who successfully studied abroad with those who either attempted but did not go or never accessed the opportunity. The study uses a Critical Policy Analysis methodological approach to uncover how the decision to study abroad impacts students’ undergraduate experience and future planning. Critical Policy Analysis examines power and privilege imbalances and goes beyond the linear fashion of a Traditional Policy Analysis approach. This temporary and now halted program shows the three main findings of how 1) the policies that intersect immigration and education can both be empowering and disempowering 2) through the consideration of study abroad, undocumented students question and challenge their place in the hierarchy that exist between them and other documented students and also between them and other undocumented youth, and 3) due to the gap that exists between policy rhetoric and practices, undocumented students exist by living within the limitations of policies while at the same time, finding ways to resist against those limitations

Community college policies affecting undocumented students

This study examined community college policies and practices related to undocumented students in Iowa. Critical race theory’s tenet of interest convergence and the qualitative methods of phenomenological interviewing and document review were utilized to answer the following research questions: (a) What is the legislative and political policy discourse about undocumented students in Iowa? (b) What are the institutional policies and practices regarding undocumented community college students in Iowa? (c) How do institutional policies and practices differ among community colleges in Iowa? Findings indicate that community colleges attempt to respond to changing demographics and workforce needs, but practices regarding undocumented and DACA students are inconsistent and not rewarded at an institutional level. Institutions and their agents take calculated risks when serving undocumented students. Students and their families also navigate significant risks in processes of college-going. Analysis using the Critical Race Theory tenet of interest convergence leads to implications for policy and practice and recommendations for future research. An autoethnographic reflection is also presented

A Dream Deferred: A Study of the Detrimental Effects Associated with a Lack of Legal Status and Denial of Post-Secondary Education to Undocumented High School Graduates

This study documents the quest for a post-secondary education as experienced by unauthorized students entering this country as minor children due to the decisions made by their parents to enter the United States illegally. Using a qualitative and phenomenological approach, the study examined how unauthorized students coped with the discovery and the reality of what it means to be an unauthorized immigrant, and its effects on their lives. Eighteen unauthorized student participants revealed how their unauthorized status affected their opportunity to attend college, and also prevented high school or college graduates from obtaining legal employment. Some participants crossed the border between the United States and Mexico, and described the risks and dangers associated with crossing. Others told stories shared by family members as they were too young to remember the crossing, and how the “discovery” of their unauthorized status affected them. Participants’ stories reveal the anxiety and stress of living and working without the benefit of immigration reform or another remedy to permanently modify their status as unauthorized immigrants subject to deportation with the election of a new president. Their narratives reveal how participants experienced and coped with significant and recurring grief and loss due to the hazards encountered in living outside of the system as unauthorized people. The study includes recommendations for how K-12 educators, counselors, social workers, health care professionals, and college personnel should recognize the emotional trauma and support students seeking advancement in education or employment

Networks of Transformative Resistance: How Community College Educators Support Students with an Undocumented Status

Students with an undocumented or DACA status continue to fight for access to higher education across the U.S. Their struggle is particularly courageous in Arizona, where these student populations are forced to pay nonresident tuition and subjected to laws that separate, detain, and deport immigrants with an undocumented status. Student Services Professionals (SSPs) at community colleges, where most students with an undocumented status attend, can support or block these student populations from accessing college because of their roles in recruitment, orientation, and retention. In contrast to literature that centers educators’ individual work to support students with an undocumented or DACA status, I seek to understand how community college SSPs use social networks to support these student populations in Arizona. I conducted a qualitative case study design that centered SSPs’ social networks. I grounded my methodological approach in Social Network Analysis (SNA) which helped visualize individuals and strength of relations in SSPs’ networks. I used the Critical Agency Network Model (Kiyama, Lee, & Rhoades, 2012) and concept of transformational resistance (Solórzano & Delgado Bernal, 2001) in the conceptual framework that guided my research. My findings indicate that to be in a network which supports students with an undocumented or DACA status, network actors must show visible and explicit support for the students. Networks are built among actors who have strong ties based on trust and a shared resistance to policies harming these student populations. Networks, especially with actors external to the college, offered places of support, care, and knowledge sharing for SSPs. The more SSPs were engaged in transformative resistance efforts in their networks, the lower they perceived their personal risk in supporting students with an undocumented or DACA status

Dreambuilders: Undocucompetence Among Educators In The North Carolina Community College System

Previous research studies have demonstrated the impact of validation by institutional agents, on the success of undocumented students. How do community college educators within NC provide support and validation for this student population? Do they have the knowledge to assist undocumented students to effectively cope with the challenges they face? Do they have the positive attitudes toward this student population that enable them to genuinely validate their strengths and ease the fear they often experience? This study examines the development of individual undocu-competence and what methods participants suggest to build ‘undocu-competence’ within NC. The research design was a concurrent mixed methods study with 274 survey respondents and 24 interviewees

DEVELOPMENTAL STUDENTS’ PERSISTENCE TOWARDS GRADUATION IN PAIRED COURSEWORK PROGRAMS AMONG AFRICAN AMERICAN & LATINO MALES IN COMMUNITY COLLEGES

This quantitative causal-comparative research study investigated the effect of participation in accelerated paired course programs on the persistence of African American and Latino male developmental education students at Lone Star College, a community college system in Houston, Texas. Seeking to reduce high rates of attrition among its developmental education students, the college introduced paired courses, in which developmental education students could pair their developmental courses with college-level courses or other supplemental programs. Using Tinto’s Model of Student Integration and Expectancy-Value Theory as a framework, the researcher hypothesized that accelerating the completion of developmental education course sequences through course pairings would reduce time towards graduation and costs associated with degree completion, thus increasing persistence towards graduation among the college’s male students of color. Archival data consisting of enrollment records for an academic year were analyzed using Fisher’s Exact Test to test the null hypothesis, with persistence defined as students who were enrolled during the fall semester and re-enrolled the following spring semester. Results indicated that both paired-course African American and Latino male developmental education students showed higher rates of persistence compared to their counterparts who were enrolled in both mainstream with supplemental support courses and unpaired courses. Results also indicated that while any type of course pairing increased persistence for African American male developmental students, the same relationship was not present among their Latino male peers. The study’s findings contribute to literature on community college student persistence and have implications for how methods of accelerating developmental education sequences can impact the persistence of students of color

Academic engagement of international students at community colleges: a culturally sensitive measurement model

The focus of this quantitative study was academic engagement of international students at community colleges. By highlighting the role of cultural heritage in students’ engagement preferences, this study sought to create a culturally sensitive measurement model of academic engagement of international students linking research-based knowledge about college student engagement and the influence of culture on educational processes. The proposed culturally sensitive model of academic engagement of international students was tested against data from 184 international students at community colleges, and the results indicate a good fit. The findings suggest that academic engagement of international students can be defined as a construct of interactive and noninteractive academic engagement practices. The model also includes classroom experience, parental support, and persistence in academic pursuit as background factors linked to academic engagement of international students. The results are discussed with regard to their general theoretical implications for research on academic engagement of diverse student population and in relation to specific suggestions for educational leadership and practice