Schools should lead way welcoming immigrants
Hispanic Heritage Month was a time to celebrate the contributions of Hispanics, who are now the biggest share of the population in Texas.
In San Antonio, Hispanics make up 64% of the population. With celebrations, also comes education and awareness — when students across the city see themselves in the lives of the Hispanics we have honored. This matters here and now, as demographics continue to change in San Antonio. The city is becoming more of a welcoming town. The Migrant Resource Center run by Catholic Charities is averaging 750 migrants per day from countries such as Venezuela, Honduras, Haiti, Guatemala and Colombia.
While many migrants will leave San Antonio to reach their destination elsewhere, others will stay, further changing the composition of San Antonio’s student body. All eyes, then, focus on how San Antonio’s school system will develop to meet the needs of newcomer students. Historically, assimilation through public schools is the process where immigrant students become “American,” often at the cost of losing one’s language and culture. Evidence shows that children who receive negative messages about themselves, including their cultural identity, in school may be less likely to achieve academic success, graduate or surpass their parent’s economic position.
It doesn’t have to be this way. Schools can take a different approach, where both schools and students evolve together to create a common culture that celebrates their heritage. Local San Antonio nonprofit Immschools is leading on this front. To have the most impact, Immschools centers its work on school district partners who serve 10% multilingual learners, at least 50% low-income students and at least 50% minorities. Then, collaboratively, the
school district and Immschools assess the current school culture to determine at what scale administrators implement inclusive policies, to what degree educators employ culturally informed curricula and how students and families participate in the school system. Based on these results, Immschools tailors its training to bridge those gaps. For these partnerships, success is when immigrant students and families are active leaders in their school community, and educators and school staff are front-line champions for all students, regardless of their immigration status or cultural background. Success is when school administration systematizes policies that transform the school culture into one that supports, uplifts and fuels the social, emotional and academic success of undocumented and mixed-status students and families.
This is how institutional change can truly transform the trajectory for immigrant students in the most meaningful ways and in one of the most important spaces in a child’s life. The models Immschools are implementing in San Antonio is happening at a critical time, not only for the city but for Texas, where 1 in 8 students are undocumented or living in a household with one undocumented immigrant parent. Schools across the state should model these innovations to ensure parent engagement is strong and student success is approached holistically by educators.
Finally, the work of Immschools also reminds us that Hispanic Heritage Month is not just an opportunity to celebrate our culture, but to have our culture reflected back into our lives positively at all times, starting in the classroom.