Migrant student challenges in education as perceived by teachers and migrant parents.

Abstract

The number of migrant students that are being educated in schools across the United States continues to increase. Migrant students are defined as the child of a parent who works in an agriculturally culturally related field or employed in those categories which the federal government has identified as qualifying as migrant work (Title I, Part C Education of Migratory Children, 2003). The following mixed-methods study focuses on identifying the challenges that migrant students face in regards to education in two school districts in Western New York. The study further investigates the perceptions that parents and teachers of migrant students have of those challenges and whether or not the perceptions are aligned with each other. Data’s were solicited from teachers through an electronic survey and extended through semi-structured interviews. Data from parents were gained through a series of semi-structured interviews. The results determined that the parents and teachers of migrant students most often perceive the same types of challenges in education for migrant students. However both the parents and the teachers felt that the other party was more responsible for helping the student overcome the challenges. Future research and implications are discussed.