first they flee
While refugees are typically a small percentage of English Learners in the U.S., those that we do have often have complex backgrounds and needs. Do you have students from Congo, Bhutan/Nepal, Burma, Syria, Iraq, Somalia, Afghanistan, Ukraine, or other war-torn countries? If so, this training is for you! Even if your students arrived a few years ago, this course provides valuable information on how you can continue to support your refugee students and families as they integrate and adjust to the U.S. overall, and specifically with education.
"You said many things that made me reflect about our profound ignorance in this topic. We teachers are missing an important piece in the story behind each refugee. How and why they got here and the “now what?”. Thank you for the training and the wonderful resources you shared with is." -High School Educator in Florida
To best support our students social, emotional and academic needs, we must
first understand their stories
During this 5 hour training with Laura you will:
discuss the U.S. Refugee Program as well as the Refugee School Impact Program;
examine best practices and strategies for refugee family and community engagement, addressing social-emotional concerns, and supporting refugee students in school; and
identify the primary refugee populations being resettled by the U.S. government as well as sociocultural and educational characteristics of each.
"I highly recommend Laura as a trainer and resource for those who would like to learn more about developing partnerships with immigrant and refugee families. She is extremely well-versed and passionate about this topic and we all walked away with ideas for how to strengthen practices within our organizations."
The Cultural Proficiency & equity pathway
This course is part of the Cultural Proficiency & Equity Pathway which includes:
Trauma Informed Teaching & Social Emotional Learning
Understanding the Background of Refugee Students & Families
Supporting Unaccompanied Immigrant Youth in U.S. Schools
Enroll in the complete Pathway and save!
"The course was wonderful! Thank you. It offered me a wealth of knowledge. I'm looking forward to many more." – Early childhood educator in Chicago
Introducing Laura Gardner
Laura has nearly 20 years of experience working in education, refugee resettlement, and social work. While in education, she worked as a district level manager for immigrant family and community engagement as well as a school social worker. Laura also worked for Bridging Refugee Youth and Children’s Services (BRYCS) managing their national technical assistance initiative to federal Refugee School Impact Grantees.
Laura has facilitated professional development on building the capacity of teachers and school systems to engage immigrant families in their children’s education, language access, cultural competency, equity, unaccompanied immigrant children, immigrant family reunification, and refugee resettlement. Laura holds a Master’s degree in Social Work from Columbia University and a Bachelor’s degree in Education.
