Abstract
One of the most important tools in an educational leader’s tool kit, be it a researcher, high-level policy maker, district, or building leader, is an awareness of best practices and the learning experiences of colleagues. However, due to the vastness of this topic, it is often difficult for educational stakeholders to gain an in-depth view of global educational issues. Education, Immigration, and Migration: Policy, Leadership, and Praxis for a Changing World, edited by Khalid Arar, Jefferey S. Brooks, and Ira Bogotch provides such a resource for deepening our understanding of how educational practice is both affected by migration and immigration and is the main actor in the story of equitable schooling experiences for some of the world’s most vulnerable students.
Arar, Brooks, and Bogotch are well positioned to edit this text and embody within their own careers their mission to “awaken, invigorate and expand the empirical literature” in this realm as well as bring to life the stories and experiences of displaced people (p. 4). The editors hail from the Middle East, Australia, and the United States, representing different cultures and continents. Each editor invited contributors from within their scholarly networks, which forms a collection of articles that harnesses both Western and non-Western thinking. Consequently, the 15 unique chapters cast a wide net, sharing research with depth and breadth, leaving readers with a clear snapshot of the inner workings of global migration currently and historically, its impact on educational systems as experienced by migrating individuals and the recipient host countries, and some strategies that have been gleaned as a result.
Chapter 1 is foundational as it discusses how discourse about migrants, immigrants, and refugees is categorized, labeled, and framed, especially in relation to resources and wealth. This is a nice entrée as it provides some general statistics as well as the concept of immunology as an analytical lens for anti-immigration ideology. Chapters 2 to 4 outline the largely successful efforts of the Canadian educational system to welcome, support, and integrate Syrian refugees into the Western society. There are many factors listed, but chief among them is Canada’s perception that refugees are framed as “gifts” who have skills and experiences that enhance Canada. Chapter 5 explores the pitfalls of Foreign Qualification Recognition (FQR), a tool the Australian government uses to measure the desirability of immigrants. The construction and complexities of socially just practice, and the necessity to tailor them to the needs of refugee populations, are outlined in Chapter 6. In Chapters 7 to 8, the focus is on the experiences of Syrian refugees in the Turkish school system. These studies can be seen as a foil to the Canadian research in Chapters 2 to 4, not because of a lack in the Turkish school system, but because of the monumental differences in experiences due to the sheer volume of traumatized students these organizations encounter. Continuing the discussion of the realities faced by Syrian students, Chapter 9 offers a rare glance at the trials of attaining higher education both before and during the war, and currently in postmigration. Notably, it ponders who will rebuild Syria if this generation is not well prepared academically. Chapter 10 outlines the challenges and insights of Palestinian principals trying to lead while serving two cultural masters. Chapter 11 discusses how Malta, the largest recipient of asylum seekers in Europe, has addressed the large influx of irregular migration as an educational community. Chapter 12 studies how the American media’s portrayal of immigrants influences the identity development of undocumented Latinx people. Chapter 13 explores student rights in Spain and outlines a path to supporting social justice in schools through six steps. Chapter 14 utilizes two studies to emphasize the importance of high expectations by school leadership for the successful transitions of refugee students into new educational communities. Finally, Chapter 15 gives a detailed overview of the history of Muslim immigration and schooling in the United Kingdom, providing insight into extinguishing the concerns of nativists who fear a loss of values and culture because of immigration.
Many of the highlighted studies emphasize that while their results are limited because of small sample size or replicability barriers, they are in many cases pioneers in their line of thinking, providing a much-needed voice in the dearth of educational research surrounding the impacts of migration on educational systems. As such, while this book is not quite accessible enough for the needs of practitioners and doesn’t directly address the adult educational sphere, it is an excellent resource to inspire and guide educational researchers who wish to push out on this understudied topic.
