Aspirations, Schooling Experiences, and Educational Outcomes of African Migrant Children in Canada

Abstract

Although Africa is the second highest source region of immigrants to Canada, very little research has been conducted on the postmigration experiences of African immigrant children. This paper explores the schooling experiences of African migrant children and their families in Alberta, Canada. We center the voices of African migrant children and their parents and illustrate the ways in which systemic racism in schools manifested in negative stereotypes about African people and curriculum marginalization impacts on children’s education. Further, we highlight the support mechanisms in schools and in African migrant families, such as tutoring and parent engagement in education, that help students to overcome the challenges they face and do well academically.