Welcoming newcomer English learner students and their families into the school community is crucial. Schools play a pivotal role in supporting newcomer students, ensuring that their families feel respected, supported, and empowered as they navigate their new environment. Research shows that fostering positive, two-way communication and cultural understanding between schools and families enriches the entire community and leads to better outcomes for students. This article explores the importance of welcoming newcomer families and supporting newcomer students. Explore practical tips for educators to create an inclusive and supportive environment where families can thrive.
The Power of a Warm Welcome for Newcomer Families
As Epstein (2019, p. 11) noted, “the ways schools care about children is reflected in the ways schools care about children’s families.” With the recent influx of newly-arrived newcomer English learner students and families in recent years, the ability to care for those families and effectively welcome, engage, and empower them is more critical than ever.
We know that when schools and teachers collaborate with newcomer families in ways that respect and value their cultures, aspirations, and needs, as well as focusing on the cultural assets they bring, the entire community, including schools, are enriched (U.S. Department of Education, 2016). In addition, two-way communication and collaboration that result in positive home-school partnerships lead to more positive outcomes for newcomer English learner students.
Defining Important Terms
It is important to note that there are unique and varying circumstances for people who come to the U.S. and not all students come with their parents. Some are unaccompanied minors while others come with parents or other relatives, join relatives already living in the U.S., or end up living with a sponsor or in foster care (Mora-Flores & Dewing, 2023). That said, the terms “parents,” “newcomer families” and “two-way communication” are meant to encompass all those who are caring for the child.
Five Tips for Educators Welcoming Newcomer Families
While it is important to acknowledge that time and resources can be challenging, there are small steps you can take to make a powerful impact in helping newcomer students succeed and newcomer families feel welcome. The following 5 tips will support teachers in taking these small steps.
Get to Know Newcomer Families and Communicate In Their Preferred Language
As Nelson Mandela once said, "If you speak to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you speak to him in his own language, that goes to his heart." It would be amazing if we had the ability to speak everyone’s language. However, due to the rich linguistic diversity of our schools, that may not be possible, which is why we need to get creative.
First and foremost, just showing a genuine interest in communicating is the most important step in this process. We all want to feel seen, heard, and cared for. Most of our communication is nonverbal, so even just smiling can set a positive tone. Make an effort to get to know the families, their stories, and backgrounds. Express to them that you are all on the same team to support the child. Ask them what they want you to know about their child and their family. All of these steps show genuine and “authentic care” (Valenzuela, 1999), which is powerful.
You might be asking yourself, “What if we don’t share a common language?” Fortunately, we have technology at our fingertips. While we don’t want to over-rely on technology or use students as translators/interpreters, technology can be helpful in supporting our goal of communicating in their preferred language.
AI platforms are growing more advanced every day when it comes to translation. In addition to AI, translation apps, and school-based interpreters, we can seek out those in the community who speak the family’s language. This could include other families who have been in the area longer, a local refugee organization, universities that offer advanced language classes, or other organizations that operate in multiple languages. Again, sometimes we need to get creative!
Keep Newcomer Families Informed
Studies have shown that parents appreciate the efforts of schools and teachers to keep them informed of their children’s schoolwork and activities (Epstein, 2016). As noted above, it is essential to do this in the family’s preferred language.
There are tools and programs that can help us achieve this goal. Many programs that schools use can send out messages in different languages. For example, programs like Talking Points, Class Dojo, and the Remind app can push messages out about classroom activities in the preferred language of the recipient.
We don’t want to only reach out or send messages when there is an issue or a problem. Let’s focus on the positive whenever we can. Sending positive notes home and/or making positive phone calls home can be one of the quickest and most powerful ways we can make an impact. What parent (of any linguistic or cultural background) doesn’t want to hear good things about their child? I know I do!
Creating a class-based social media page is also something worth exploring. You could have some fun with this and include pictures of students engaged in different activities in class. Just be sure to get the appropriate permissions to photograph or video record students. Students themselves can even create videos in their home languages to inform their parents/caregivers about the school and their activities, which is a win-win for all involved (Mora-Flores & Dewing, 2023).
Help Newcomer Families Navigate the School System
As someone who grew up in the U.S., has taught in the U.S., and is a parent of kids in the U.S. school system, there are times when even I get overwhelmed with how the school system works. Just imagine trying to navigate everything in a new country, in a language that is unfamiliar.
I encourage you to do a little research about the education systems of your newly-arrived students’ and families’ countries of origin. Or, even better, have that conversation directly with the students and/or families, if they are comfortable sharing. This background information could provide a foundation upon which to build and can help the family navigate this new system.
And, of course, it is important to provide resources related to accessing grades, procedures for when the child will be absent, conferences, opportunities to get involved, and so forth in the family’s preferred language and method of communication (e.g., paper copies, videos, text messages, visuals). This navigational support should be a team effort among the teachers, administrators, and other school personnel. Fostering successful two-way communication also involves providing opportunities for families to ask questions and clarify confusion about school policies and procedures. Check in with them and ask what additional support they may need.
Create Opportunities for Newcomer Families to Engage with School
We want families to feel welcome in our schools and classrooms and to be comfortable communicating with their child’s teachers and other school staff. One of the best ways to do this is to invite them! This may include asking them to volunteer, to read a book in their home language, or to share stories, artifacts, music, or a special skill or talent in the classroom. They could even teach the class a few phrases in their home language. Most of these activities can be adapted for any grade level.
Beyond the classroom, other opportunities include family literacy nights, multicultural nights, parent informational nights, or other school-based events. Be sure to have interpreters available.
It is important to note, though, that due to various circumstances it may be challenging for some families to attend. Therefore, it is imperative to have other ways for families and caregivers to feel connected. One idea would be to schedule informal opportunities at the school or online for families to stop by, say hello, ask questions, and meet other families. Be sure to have interpreters available for these opportunities, too. If the meeting is online, you could likely access translation support. For example, Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and PowerPoint live offer real-time transcriptions in a variety of languages. Offering these opportunities on different days and at varied times throughout the year will be important to honor the different schedules families are navigating.
Create Opportunities for Newcomer Families to Have a Voice
In addition to feeling welcome, supported, and connected, we also want families to feel empowered and to have a voice (Mora-Flores & Dewing, 2023). This is an essential component of two-way communication.
That said, we must be mindful of cultural backgrounds, education-based familial expectations in other countries, and personality differences. Some will be more comfortable with this than others. Focusing on the strengths and assets our families bring is necessary for this to be successful. Ways for families’ voices to be heard include, but are not limited to, inviting them to contribute to a class or school newsletter, encouraging them to join a committee, or even having them start a group (Mora-Flores & Dewing, 2023).
It can be intimidating to navigate the U.S. school system to begin with, but the thought of writing articles, joining a committee, or starting a group could be overwhelming for some. Therefore, our support, personal invitations, translation/interpretation services, and encouragement will be paramount. Plus, it will be an excellent opportunity for others to meet new people and learn something new!
To sum up, while considering linguistic differences, welcoming and engaging newcomer families goes beyond language. It is about embracing cultural diversity as a strength, building trust, making connections, and creating a sense of community. Two-way communication, with schools and families as partners, is essential to this process.
Fostering positive partnerships will enrich our classrooms, schools and communities. So, how can we do this? We can take intentional steps to get to know families, communicate in their preferred language, keep them informed, help them navigate the U.S. school system, invite them to engage in our schools and classrooms, and empower them to have a voice. And most importantly, we can show genuine care. This is how we will create environments in which newcomer English learner students and families can thrive.
Start small and build as you can. Gather a team of colleagues to engage in these efforts collaboratively. Enjoy the process, knowing that every effort we make to connect and collaborate with newcomer families helps us elevate our schools as places of belonging and opportunity.
Learn how to best support English learners and address the needs of newcomers in Teaching and Supporting English Learners: A Guide to Welcoming and Engaging Newcomers. This professional resource provides step-by-step instructional strategies for teachers of English learners.
References:
Epstein, Joyce L. and Associates. 2019. School, Family, and Community Partnerships: Your Handbook for Action. (4th edition). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.
Epstein, Joyce L. 2016. TIPS: Teachers Involve Parents in Schoolwork: Manual for Teachers. Johns Hopkins University. Retrieved from: www.cde.state.co.us/uip/tips_literacy_k_3_final_manual_for_teachers_cde
Mora-Flores, Eugenia and Dewing, Stephanie. 2023. Teaching and Supporting English Learners: A Guide to Welcoming and Engaging Newcomers. Shell Education.
United States Department of Education, Office of English Language Acquisition. 2016. Newcomer Toolkit. Washington, DC.
Valenzuela, Angela. 1999. Subtractive Schooling: U.S.-Mexican Youth and the Politics of Caring. State University of New York Press.
