Kerri Evans, Assistant Professor
One in four children in the US are part of an immigrant family (Brookings Institute, 2021).
What do you know about the journey to the US for immigrants? What about for forced migrants? How do these experiences influence their ability to engage in community? And for children to actively participate in school?
Dr. Evans’ research centers on inclusion and welcome for immigrant children in the US, with foci on school settings, and forced migrants. School personnel (social workers, teachers, counselors, psychologists, nurses, janitors, administrative staff, lunchroom staff, etc) as well as parent volunteers, all interact with immigrant students regularly and can all play a role in creating a welcoming environment for them. Parents can also work with their children to be more open towards their immigrant classmates. Policy makers at the local, state, and national level have a role in making our public schools more welcoming. As you can see, it is OUR collective responsibility to ensure that we are welcoming to new immigrants.
Dr. Evans has recently undertaken a two-year project funded through the Hrabowski Innovation and Implementation Research Grant in collaboration with two colleagues in the Department of Education, Keisha Allen and Jiyoon Lee, in order to develop and test a training tool to increase cultural sensitivity/anti-oppressive practices and empathy for working with immigrant students in K-12 educational settings. During academic years 2021/2022 and 2022/2023, the project engaged three undergraduate and three graduate research assistants in the development of the game and another 39 students who volunteered to “play test” the game. In spring of 2023, Dr. Evans and Dr. Allen co-taught an upper level elective class looking at issues of diversity, equity and inclusion for immigrant students that intentionally focused on collaboration and advocacy, teaching students to be active and to fight for change in these systems. At the conclusion of the class, a few students were featured on a podcast about their experiences in the class which can be heard here. Now, Dr. Evans is working with UMBC students to implement (and evaluate) the training module.
Wait, is it a game or a training?
What do you mean by a “Research-Based” Game?
What do the participants have to say about their experiences in this training session?
Related publications:
Evans, K. (2024). Measuring student perception of college welcome for foreign-born students: Validation with pilot data.International Journal of Changes in Education. https://doi.org/10.47852/bonviewIJCE42022498
Evans, K., & Reynolds, A. (2024). Welcoming crisis migrants to community schools. In T. D. Fitzgerald & M. B. Harris (Eds.), The School Services Sourcebook (3rd ed.). Oxford University Press.
Evans, K., Casellas Connors, I., & Unangst, L. (2023, November). Higher education can be elusive for asylum-seekers and immigrants https://theconversation.com/higher-education-can-be-elusive-for-asylum-seekers-and-immigrants-208643
Evans, K., Oliveira, G., Hasson III, R. G., Crea, T. M., Neville, S. E., Fitchett, V. (2022). Unaccompanied children’s education in the United States: Service provider’s perspective on challenges and support strategies. Cultura Educación y Sociedad, 13(1), 193-218. https://doi.org/10.17981/cultedusoc.13.1.2022.12
Hasson III, R. G., Corbett, C., Diaz-Valdez, A., Evans, K., Crea, T.M. & Underwood, D. (2022). Educational services for unaccompanied immigrant children in the United States. Journal of Social Service Research, 48(5), 606-616. https://doi.org/10.1080/01488376.2022.2096746
Evans, K., Perez-Aponte, J., & McRoy, R. (2019). Without a paddle: Barriers to school enrollment procedures for immigrant students and families. Education and Urban Society, 52(9), 1283-1304. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013124519894976
Lee, J., Evans, K., & Pereira, A. (revise & resubmit). Micro, meso, and macro challenges facing immigrant students in US public schools: A systematic review.