Teachers as Allies

Learn how to engage and advocate for undocumented children and youth with this new resource written by and for teachers. Teachers as Allies provides educators with the information and tools they need to involve immigrant students and their American-born siblings and peers in inclusive and transformative classroom experiences. The authors show how immigration policies, ICE enforcement, and societal attitudes affect undocumented students and how teachers and school leaders can recognize these influences on the students’ day-to-day lives and learning. Offering teaching strategies that address the needs of DREAMers and undocumented youth as they move through their K–12 and college education, this timely book offers a broad range of curriculum connections and resources.

Book Features:

• Assists educators who work with students from Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean, Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East.
• Provides teachers with information, analysis, and practical approaches to help undocumented students in their classrooms.
• Supports school leadership in higher education and provides recommendations for secondary school educators for supporting the transition to college.
• Outlines practical strategies such as using music, drama, student newspapers, letter writing, and social networks to involve students in current issues relevant to their lives.
• Can be used as a professional development tool to help schools and districts better meet the needs of undocumented students and their families.
• List of resources for allies, activists, and advocates of immigrant children and their families can be found at tcpress.com.

Royalties from the sale of this book will go to United We Dream (unitedwedream.org).

Dr. Shelley Wong and Dr. Elaisa Sánchez Gosnell (retired), George Mason University; Anne Marie Foerster Luu and Lori Dodson, Maryland pre-K–12 educators and TESOL & NEA members.

“ Teachers as Allies is an invaluable guide for ESL instructors and those working with immigrants in the United States. This book also provides specific suggestions to advocate for those students through interactions with content-area teachers, administrations, non-profit organizations, and local and federal governments. Specific recommendations are provided for young students with deported parents, students applying to college, DREAMers of color in STEM fields, LGBTQ students, and beyond… Teachers as Allies can support us in taking better advantage of these resources in our journey to improve ourselves as educators and allies.”

—WATESOL Newsletter

“A heartfelt and at times powerful call to action for educators working with one of our most vulnerable but also promising migrant populations.”

—Teachers College Record

"Teachers are uniquely placed to support undocumented students facing adverse circumstances and to challenge the narrative of immigrant criminality in the public sphere. This book should help enable them to do both."
—From the Foreword by Aviva Chomsky, Salem State University

“Capturing in stark detail the fears and dilemmas faced by undocumented students and their families, the editors of this powerful book provide information, strategies, stories, hope, and sustenance for teachers and other educators working to support some of the most marginalized students in our schools as they navigate their way from kindergarten through college and beyond.”
—Sonia Nieto, professor emerita, University of Massachusetts, Amherst

"In light of the current political climate, it is crucial that this information be available for educators and the community."
—Stewart Kwoh, president and executive director, Asian Americans Advancing Justice, Los Angeles

"This pertinent book is packed with many thoughtful strategies and insights for assisting undocumented students, resilient and ready to start a new life in the U.S. This is a must-read for all educators and counselors, especially as U.S. schools are required by law to provide meaningful schooling for these students."
—Virginia P. Collier, professor emerita, George Mason University

Foreword by Aviva Chomsky

Acknowledgments

Prologue  
Hareth Andrade-Ayala and Natalia

PART I: WORKING WITH UNDOCUMENTED STUDENTS AND THEIR FAMILIES: Understanding the Issues and Strategies

Chapter 1. Undocumented Students, Families and Communities in Our Schools: What Every Teacher Should Know
Shelley Wong and Jennifer Crewalk with Rodrigo Velasquez-Soto

Chapter 2. Embracing Dilemmas: A Framework for Teachers  Working with Immigrant Students and Their Families
Eva K. Thorp, Sylvia Y. Sánchez, and Elaisa Sánchez Gosnell

Chapter 3. Teachers as Allies and Advocates for Students Living in Fear of Raids, Detention, and Deportation
Eva K. Thorp

PART II: REACHING STUDENTS FROM IMMIGRANT FAMILIES THROUGH TRANSFORMATIVE CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE EDUCATION

Chapter 4. Antiracist Practices: Strengthening Students’ Sense of Self to Promote Hope and Confidence for Student Success
Sandra Duval

Chapter 5. An Examination of the DREAM Act from the Classroom to Capitol Hill: Analyzing the Arguments
Tiffany Mitchell and Brett Burnham with Gaby Pacheco

Chapter 6. First-Person Narratives: Recognizing the Hidden Challenges Faced by STEM DREAMers of Color
Anita Bright and G. Sue Kasun with Dario Lopez

PART III: ACCESSING, SURVIVING, AND THRIVING: DREAMers Go to College

Chapter 7. Getting Ready for College: Navigating Undocumented Status, College Applications, and Financial Aid
Samantha Spinney with Danna Chávez Calvi

Chapter 8. Mentoring and Retaining College-Bound DREAMers: Establishing the DREAM Project, A Nonprofit Organization in Virginia
Emma Violand-Sánchez and Marie Price

Chapter 9. DREAMers in Double Exile: Teachers Can Be Allies to LGBTQ Students
Juan A. Ríos Vega and Sonja Franeta

Chapter 10. Using Critical Narratives to Build Relationships with Undocumented Students
Aurora Chang with Nancy Gutierrez

PART IV: FINDING, SHARING, AND TRANSFORMING IDENTITY THROUGH ART: DREAMers PERFORM

Chapter 11. Using Music for Deconstructing Immigrant Discourses:  A Critical Analytic Approach
Gertrude Tinker Sachs and Theresa Austin

Chapter 12. Interview Theatre: An Active Learning Pedagogy for Developing Empathy and Allies for Immigrants in Our Communities
Susan Harden and Robin Witt

PART V: BECOMING AN ALLY

Chapter 13. Teachers as Allies: A Call to Action
Anne Marie Foerster Luu and Lori Dodson with Hareth Andrade-Ayala
and María Verónica Cevallos Rodríguez

Chapter 14. Resources for Allies, Activists, and Advocates for Immigrant Children and Their Families
Elaisa Sánchez Gosnell, Janna Mattson, Doug Hernandez, and Maryam Saroughi

About the Contributors

Index  

Resources for Allies, Activists, and Advocates