Friends smiling together in classTo create truly inclusive and supportive schools, educators must consider the diverse experiences of all students, including those from immigrant backgrounds. By incorporating immigrant perspectives into school climate assessments and improvement efforts, schools can better foster belonging, safety, and academic success for this growing student population.

  • Impact

    School climate significantly impacts students’ sense of belonging, academic achievement, and overall well-being.

  • Perspectives

    Standardized school climate assessments rarely ask about immigrant generation or origin, overlooking the perspectives of these students.

  • Invisible

    Qualitative research reveals that immigrant students often report feeling unsafe, excluded, or invisible in their schools.

  • School Environments

    Growing xenophobia and anti-immigrant sentiments are increasingly affecting school environments, making this issue even more pressing.

  • More Than A Quarter

    Immigrant-origin students represent more than a quarter of all U.S. students, yet their voices and experiences have been largely overlooked in standard school climate assessments. These assessments, used by schools and districts nationwide for improvement planning, often miss crucial aspects of immigrant students’ educational experiences.

  • Emerging Research

    We have been carefully engaging with immigrant youth, parents, and school administrators to understand how schools can better measure and support immigrant student climate experiences. Our work included exploring sensitive and respectful ways to incorporate questions about immigrant origins while ensuring student privacy and safety. These conversations were designed to develop recommendations for more inclusive approaches to school climate assessment.

TO LEARN MORE

  • School Climate & Immigrant Students

    This EdBrief offers practical strategies for educators to improve school climate, including assessing from diverse perspectives, addressing discrimination, cultivating strong relationships, and implementing culturally sustaining approaches. Learn more: School Climate & Immigrant Students

  • School Climate Matters for Students of Immigrant-Origin: Why Including Immigrant Generations in School Climate Assessments is Critical

    This Policy Brief argues that immigrant‑origin students face distinct risks in hostile climates and makes a concise case for including immigrant generation in school climate surveys so policymakers and educators can better target supports, reduce bullying, and strengthen belonging. Learn more: School Climate Matters for Students of Immigrant-Origin

  • Assessing School Climate for Immigrant-Origin Students in "Fearsome Times"

    This EdBrief examines how intensified immigration enforcement is reshaping school climate for immigrant‑origin students and rendering them largely invisible in standard climate data. Drawing on interviews with school administrators, it offers insights and cautions, outlining practical, ethically grounded strategies for assessing safety and belonging that include immigrant origin students. Learn more: Assessing School Climate for Immigrant-Origin Students in “Fearsome Times”: Insights from Administrators

  • Assessing School Climate for Immigrant-Origin Students: Multistakeholder Insights in “Fearsome Times”

    This IIH White Paper draws on 60 interviews of immigrant youth, immigrant parents, and school administrators and examines how immigrant‑origin students experience school climate in an era of intensified immigration enforcement. Bringing together insights from multiple stakeholder groups, it offers research‑based guidance to help educators and leaders better understand, assess, and support safety and belonging for immigrant‑origin youth. Assessing School Climate for Immigrant-Origin Students: Multistakeholder Insights in “Fearsome Times”