Competing purposes of education: The case of underschooled immigrant students

Recent global events have led to a striking rise of displaced people and refugees worldwide. Every year, the United States resettles nearly 70,000 refugees, with a large minority resettling in one California school district. Approximately 3000 students from refugee families are enrolled in local schools, many of whom lack prior formal education in their home countries. Further compounding the challenge is the recent onset of rigorous local and state policies. While several studies exist on teachers’ sensemaking of educational policies more generally, no studies deal with the role of teachers in mediating the intersection of policy and underschooled immigrant students. Using a sensemaking perspective, this qualitative study explores how teachers conceptualize their role as mediators between policy and student needs. Analysis of district policy-related documents, classroom observations, and interviews with school and district staff revealed that teachers balanced multiple layers of factors in their sensemaking of broad-based district policy in the case of underschooled immigrant students. Though the district presented a unified policy message related to graduation requirements, participants articulated different purposes of school for underschooled immigrant students. These differing perceptions affected how teachers conceptualized their role. This study’s contributions to research and theory, as well as implications for policy, practice, and future research are also discussed.