Community-building for educational equity: fostering relationships between schools and refugee families

Abstract

This paper seeks to understand how one community-based organization, City of Refuge (COR), bridges relationships between refugees and local public and private schools through the work of a K-12 school liaison. Specifically, this research is interested how the liasion1) builds or enhances recognition for refugees in schools to overcome misrecognition or denial of recognition of refugees’ access to education, and 2) the skills and practices she uses to do so. This paper presents the results from a fourteen-month long study that takes a microethnographic approach to case study. The findings show that the liaison attended to basic impediments to refugee students’ educational access; capitalized on pre-established relationships and networks in the community to increase the flow of information to refugee families and connect them with school personnel and resources; and educated teachers and school staff about the refugee communities and also shared learning opportunities with refugee families. The findings in this paper highlight that refugees are still denied recognition of respect and self-esteem, even in districts experienced in working with a variety of immigrant populations. This study provides evidence that liaisons for CBOs who have insights into the varying contexts and natures of schools and communities can be assets to identify how and where gaps exist so that appropriate support can be implemented.