Blog Archive for September 2024

In recent years Massachusetts schools have seen a surge in newcomer students—a term used to refer to students who have receently arrived in the country and are new to our education system. This group of students, who are often highly resilient and eager to learn, need heightened academic, language, and social supports to thrive in an education system that was not designed for their success. Because many suburban and rural communities have enrolled unprecedented numbers of migrant students in recent years, districts all across the Commonwealth—not just the state’s traditional hubs for newly arrived immigrants—are looking to identify and apply effective strategies for supporting this growing student population. This month we're digging into the data on newcomer students in Massachusetts and looking at how schools can best support our newest residents.

The Rennie Center recently spoke with Iván Espinoza-Madrigal, Executive Director of Lawyers for Civil Rights, to learn more about the protections available to newcomer students under the law. Read the full interview to learn about the rights migrant students have when it comes to accessing public education in Massachusetts, enrollment processes for newcomer students and students experiencing homelessness, ways school districts can help families access information in their native language, and common pitfalls school committees and district leaders should be aware of as they craft policies for enrolling and educating newcomer students.