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Newcomer Middle & High School Students

Roduel Enamorado
English IV
Mrs. Fender
December, 15, 2016

The bosom of America is open to receive not only the Opulent and respected Stranger,
but the oppressed and persecuted of all Nations and Religions; whom we shall welcome to a
participation of all our rights and privileges George Washington (Citizen Path 2016). Every

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year thousands of youth immigrate to the United States of America for a chance at a better future.
Matter of fact, according to research conducted by Bridging Refugee Youth and Childrens
Services, nearly one-fifth of American students are newcomers (BRYCS 2008). This group is the
fastest-growing segment of the youth population. This transition is extremely difficult for those
trying to learn a new language and acclimate to an educational system that is often different that
the one in their home country. It is important for newcomer students to have at least one year to
learn the English language and get use to the different culture. That is why it is most beneficial
for newcomer students to have the opportunity to go to a newcomer center school where them
main focus is on learning the English language. Then they can transfer to a typical four year
high school.
A newcomer is someone who has immigrated from one country to another and is not a
citizen of that country. For example, if someone moved from Honduras to Asheville, North
Carolina they would be considered a newcomer. According to USA Today (2014) over 50,000
newcomer students started school in the fall of 2014. This number continues to increase year by
year. Newcomers migrate to the United States for many reasons. The most common reasons are:
to get a better education, for better economic opportunities, political unrest and violence and to
have a better future (Global Immigration 2016}. There is a growing number of both middle and
high school newcomer students entering schools in the United States. Adolescent newcomer
students have a very unique set of social, cultural, and academic needs that need to be met
(Francis & Rivera 2006). One of the challenges is that there students have been speaking their
native language longer than elementary aged students. Also research reveals that the older you
are the harder it is and the longer it takes to to learn a second language. The academic content
for middle and especially high school students is more challenging even without the language

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barrier. Also, it is not uncommon for older newcomers to have had a break in education because
they had to work. Newcomers may have a break in education because they dropped out of school
in their home country due to the different laws concerning attending school. For example, in a
country such as Honduras, where I am from, if a student is tardy to school they tell that student
to not even bother coming to school at all, but in the U.S. teachers and administration would
rather a student come to school late than not come at all.
There are a variety of experiences that a newcomer have to go through in a new school.
They have to get use to a whole different culture by learning another different and difficult
language. They have to make social adjustments meeting new people and make new friends
which can be hard, especially speaking another language. Finally, there are the academic
adjustments in terms of learning academic language, homework, and grading. Immigrant and
refugee newcomers face many challenges adapting academically to schools in the U.S. because
many have minimal formal education, limited English speaking skill, or interrupted schooling
due to their parents being migrant workers (BRYCS 2008). Before becoming successful
academically, newcomer students usually go through a period of cultural adjustment, such as
learning the new language, different schools rules and customs. For newcomer teens, the social
adjustment can be quite challenging. For instance, trying to make new friends which is hard
because of the language barriers as well as striving to belong to their new school, community,
and country. Matter of fact research shows that students who have a positive socio-cultural
school experience do better academically (BRCYS 2008).
There are several reasons why positive cultural and social adjustment for newcomers
contribute to a successful academic adjustment. Newcomers grades increase when they have
supportive school-based relationships. These positive relationships include peers, teachers, as

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well as Administration. Many newcomer students report that relationships with their school
counselor is very important for academic success. This relationship when cultivated provides a
safe person to go to when they have any questions concerning classes they need to take for
graduation, extra support learning English, or help with classes they are struggling with. It is
also important to connect with school counselors and ESL teachers because they help the
newcomers learn about the school rules and guidelines such as the importance of attendance,
making up absences and the consequences of not going to school or working hard. They also
provide outside supports in order for the newcomer to do well in school and be able to graduate
and eventually go to college.
In many States around the U.S. federal and state money goes towards providing a
separate newcomer center for recently arrived immigrants and refugees (BRYCS 2008). These
newcomer programs are typically about a year then students transfer to a typical school. As
stated earlier many of the middle and high school students have little education in reading and
writing even in their own language. So for some school districts that solution has been to create
a newcomer center. A newcomer center is an entirely separate English immersion program with
the goal that within 6 months to a year the student can transfer to a mainstream school (Thomas
2014). Some controversy exists regarding separate newcomer facilities because many feel that
this results in segregation.

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l Immigration 2016).