When schools work well, the parents or guardians, teachers, and administrators work together to teach and encourage students to learn and grow. This becomes more difficult to do well when the parents or guardians and the students come from a different country or have different cultures than the prevailing one of the country they live in. The issues cover a broad range from basic communication to understanding each others’ cultures to adopting policies that accommodate differences to the day-to-day issues of transportation.
Welcoming Plan Goals
Increase teacher and administrative staff understanding of multicultural competence, race, equity, and social justice.
Create and deepen partnerships between school districts and immigrant and refugee community organizations, families, and students that remove barriers that hinder student and parent engagement.
Expand safe transportation options to schools and resource centers.
Strengthen connections and communication between schools and resource centers.
Welcoming City Strategies
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Establish a centralized countywide "Welcome Center" for immigrant and refugee students and families to facilitate a welcoming school experience and facilitate the enrollment and transitioning processes.
Foster community wide support for immigrant and refugee families through a coordinated peer to peer mentorship and ambassadorship program utilizing a common systemwide toolkit for immigrant and refugee students, parents, and guardians.
Include professional development requirements for teachers, administrators, and school staff about multicultural, race, equity, and social justice issues in K-12 education.
Encourage professional development providers to create and certify training on multicultural, race, equity, and social justice issues curriculum in K-12 education.
Create a centrally managed guide that is published in easily accessible forms (that may include print, online and phone apps) for the 15+ local school districts to share programs, tools, and expertise. This will deepen partnerships between school districts and immigrant and refugee community organizations, families, and students and serve support teachers, teaching assistants, and school administrators.
Coordinate safe transportation options for students (and families) who must travel long distances in and through dangerous locations and contend with heavy traffic and an absence of sidewalks and safe walkways.
Work with school districts to develop bilingual videos that review guidelines on parents’ and guardians’ roles and responsibilities through concise and respectful communication
Create or expand ESL classes for students, parents, and guardians, that include childcare options.
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Establish a countywide Parent Ambassador Exchange Mentorship Program for immigrant and refugee parents and guardians by pairing them with local parents who will help them navigate school systems more effectively and gain access to community resources more readily.
Foster a space of intercultural exchange, resulting in peer-to-peer learning, greater understanding, and a sense of belonging via mentorship. Create a toolkit to provide training for local parents to become Mentor Ambassadors, serving as a resource for immigrant and refugee families.
Develop a uniform set of standards for determining residency countywide to remove barriers for immigrants and refugees to enter the U.S. education system.
Re-examine school enrollment policies for immigrant and refugee students who arrive in Central Ohio near the age of 18.
Explore options and develop alternative pathways for immigrant and refugee youth facing this serious obstacle to accessible educational opportunities.
Expand financial aid workshops in multiple languages for traditional and nontraditional higher education degrees.
Develop parent and student educational engagement sessions for those immigrant and refugee students who have an interest in STEM, Building Trades, and Manufacturing.