Understanding School-Family Engagement Among Refugee and Immigrant Families: A Systematic Scoping Review

Background

In the past two decades, the demographic landscape of the U.S. school system has undergone notable shifts, with over 5 million K-12 students identified as English Language Learners, many originating from refugee and immigrant backgrounds. Research indicates that refugee and immigrant children tend to underperform academically compared to their native-born counterparts, facing obstacles, including language barriers, limited access to educational resources, and discrimination in educational settings. These challenges underscore the need for comprehensive support systems, including robust school-family engagement initiatives. However, the active participation of refugee and immigrant families is hindered by multiple barriers, such as limited understanding of the educational system, language proficiency issues, and cultural differences. Yet, research examining their experiences with school engagement remains fragmented. Our scoping review aims to address this gap by exploring the school-family engagement experiences of refugee and immigrant families. By identifying barriers, facilitators, and existing support programs, we aim to inform the development of effective strategies and interventions to support these families, thereby improving their children's well-being and academic performance.

Methods

We used the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews and followed the Cochrane Review process. An electronic search of the literature was conducted on seven databases: Academic Search Complete, APA PsycINFO, Educational Full Text, ERIC, Social Work Abstracts, SocINDEX, and School Community Journal, using key search terms. Inclusion criteria comprised peer-reviewed articles and book chapters published in English from January 2000 to February 2024. Two authors independently screened 1,232 titles and abstracts and included 53 articles for full-text review. Three authors used descriptive and narrative analysis to review the full text and excluded 38 articles and book chapters based on our inclusion and exclusion criteria. We had a final selection of 15 peer-reviewed articles included in the review.

Results

Results from the scoping review indicate multiple barriers faced by refugee and immigrant families to engaging with the U.S. school system effectively. These challenges include acculturative barriers such as differences in the school environment and home life, socioeconomic hardships, teacher biases, and low academic expectations from these children. Additionally, linguistic and transportation barriers hinder their engagement in school systems. For children of undocumented parents, immigration-related stressors in high school can have a profound impact on children’s mental health, cognitive abilities, and overall academic performance. Amidst these challenges, our scoping review identified several promising strategies and interventions, including culturally and linguistically responsive parent education programs, bilingual outreach efforts, and community partnerships to bridge the gap between school and immigrant families.

Conclusion

Study findings underscore the crucial need for culturally and linguistically tailored approaches to support school-family engagement among refugee and immigrant families. The collaborative efforts of schools, community organizations, and policymakers are vital in addressing the complex needs of these families and promoting positive educational outcomes for their children. Findings also provide implications for future research, which should prioritize evaluating the effectiveness of existing programs and interventions and identifying innovative community-grounded strategies to enhance school-family engagement and support the academic success of refugee and immigrant children.