Running head: TEACHER PREPARATION FOR IMMIGRANT EDUCATION

Article Review #4 Preparing Teachers to Educate Immigrant Children Trinity University Kate Olden

TEACHER PREPARATION FOR IMMIGRANT EDUCATION Teachers must be prepared by their training programs and professional development activities to support the optimal development of all children, even those from populations that are rarely in the spotlight. However, immigrant children are often left out of teacher preparation

programs, despite being an ever-growing section of the population. This is the issue addressed by Goodwin (2002), who found that immigrant children were rarely treated as a group separate from native children of color (p. 160) and that the information available to teachers and teacher candidates was almost solely focused on language issues, especially second-language acquisition. In light of the need for cultural relevance of programming in order to maintain important ethnic and lingual identities in young children (Copple & Bredekamp, 2009; Couchenor & Crisman, 2011), and the variety of cultural, economic, and social factors that many authors cite (Brandon, 2004; Lahiae, 2008; Takanishi, 2004) as influencing immigrant parents childcare and education decisions, it is important to make sure that teachers are ready to work with children in the wide variety of educational settings that exist in this country, but especially in early childhood and elementary settings, both public and private. Goodwin (2002) points out many reasons that information regarding immigrant students is unavailable, starting with the fact that it has not been a priority for schools to collect data on childrens and parents birth places. This is compounded by cultural reasons, such as the history of trying to be color-blind in what the author calls a misguided belief that such behavior is appropriate and fair (p. 161) and the fact that there are few immigrant teachers or native teachers who have adequate life experiences to be able to instinctually consider and empathize with the experiences of their immigrant students. There is also the issue that the academic issues of immigrant children are also likely to be experienced by children native to the US, coming from minority groups or immigrant families. All of this renders the population marginal or

TEACHER PREPARATION FOR IMMIGRANT EDUCATION invisible, or paradoxically, too visiblethey find that they simultaneously stand out and are overlooked by U.S. society (p. 165). This sentiment runs throughout the literature on immigrant students and children of immigrants. Ruby Takanishi (2004) takes a clearly progressive view on the subject of educating

first- and second-generation US-Americans.i Takanishi refers repeatedly to the American value of equality of opportunity (p. 62) and puts the issue of access to public services such as healthcare and education within the realm of social justice (p. 74). Goodwin (2002) examined some of the issues likely to be faced by immigrant children, and maybe even children of immigrants. These included previous schooling experiences and schooling disruptions, a sense of dislocation and cultural disorientation, as well as language issues that must be dealt with in much greater depth than simply as an instructional issue. Goodwin specifically recommends that teachers be trained in instructional differentiation, informal diagnosis and assessment, positive learning and behavioral supports, funds of knowledge, culturally responsive pedagogy, second-language acquisition, and building close relationships with diverse families. While many of these may have previously been services provided by specialists, this is less and less likely in the contemporary school climate and economy. These recommendations for a well-rounded approach to teacher preparation for educating immigrant children fit well with the other available literature on this subject. Takashini (2004) and Brandon (2004) argue that universal access to early childhood education is important for preparing immigrant children and children of immigrants to succeed in elementary and secondary school. Lahaie (2008), Takashini (2004), and Brandon (2004) all point out that the data suggests that immigrant families often have a lot to offer their children, especially when

TEACHER PREPARATION FOR IMMIGRANT EDUCATION their ability to support their childrens learning is optimized by school factors. Takanishi (2004) and Goodwin (2002) also point out that there is a lack of research and information about this population of children and recommend that in addition to actually intervening in educational

settings, from schools to teacher preparation programs, to begin working more appropriately with this immigrant students, more in-depth research must also start to take place to expand our working knowledge of what works. Goodwin (2002) ends her article with a striking comment, saying that her recommendationsand those of all the authors cited hereare moot points are futile if society and educators do not have the will to do the right thing (p. 170). Perhaps this is one of the vital roles of teacher preparation programs, too, to prepare teachers whose professional dispositions are toward advocacy for their students, towards the necessary self-examination and motivation to do the right thing.

TEACHER PREPARATION FOR IMMIGRANT EDUCATION References Brandon, P. D. (2004). The child-care arrangements of preschool-age children in immigrant families in the United States. International Migration 42(1), 65-87.

Goodwin, A. L. (2002). Teacher preparation and the education of immigrant children. Education and Urban Society, 34(2), 156-172. Lahaie, C. (2008). School readiness of children of immigrants: Does parental involvement play a role? Social Science Quarterly, 89(3), 684-705. Takanishi, R. (2004). Leveling the playing field: Supporting immigrant children from birth to eight. The Future of Children, 14(2), 61-80.

The author chooses to use US-American to describe citizens and permanent residents of the United States without reference to their ethnicity (European, African, Latino, etc.). This is to show respect for the right of those in the rest of the Americas (North, South, and Central) who to should be able claim the moniker American without being mistaken for citizenns of the United States.