The recent passage of Arizona's SB 1070 has shed due national light on immigration as an issue that affects all Americans and needs to be addressed. At NDN, we have said for five years now that our immigration system is broken and needs to be fixed. That it has taken a draconian measure such as the passage of this bill to give this important issue the attention it deserves is unfortunate but not surprising. The legislative arm of our government has had a beefy calendar trying to address healthcare, jobs and the economy, environmental concerns, and education.
In a democratic bureaucracy that was designed to work slowly so as to prevent any person or group from taking over quickly or easily, we must strategically inspire our leaders to take action. Issues such as education, which affect more people more directly, are often addressed in a timelier manner because constituents put more pressure on their leaders to do so. In the Fall of 2008, according to the Census, 55.8 million children were enrolled in elementary school through high school - that's nearly 20% of the population.
The slow rate at which our government works is not its only downfall. In addition, issues such as education and immigration are often addressed with tunnel vision, eliminating the chance to account for factors outside the issue's scope. Most education policy only directs money towards schools. Most proposed immigration policy focuses on toughening the border, providing pathways to citizenship for immigrants already in the country, and managing future flow. The DREAM Act is an exception that takes a two pronged approach, providing an educational incentive for immigrants by qualifying undocumented youth to be eligible for a six-year long conditional path to citizenship that requires the completion of a college degree or two years of military service.
The recent wave of education activists that have pioneered immigrant charter schools provide another example of efforts that address the multi-dimensional world in which we live. These schools, such as the Twin Cities International Elementary School in Minneapolis, MN and the Folk Arts-Cultural Treasures Charter School in Philadelphia, PA work to provide a rigorous education in a culturally sensitive environment. In Stanford University's 2009 study of charter school performance in 16 states, results suggested that over a third of charter school students performed at a lower level than their public school counterparts. While this is somewhat disconcerting considering the increasingly substantial role of charter schools in education reform, there were two subgroups in the nationally pooled sample that fared better in charter schools than in the traditional system: students in poverty and English Language Leaners (ELLs). It should be noted that not all ELL students are immigrants and that the study did not focus solely on immigrant charter schools, but even with these variables, one can reasonably hypothesize that immigrant charter schools would likely be a good place for immigrant students.
After teaching two years of elementary school, I feel I can say that, students at the elementary school level need more nurturing than those in middle or high school. As with most people, if they are uncomfortable for any reason, they are less likely to reach their full learning potential. It seems, then that these immigrant charter schools are a fantastic idea - but only to a certain point. In the middle school years, when most children are more influenced by their peers than by their teachers, it would be limiting and perhaps debilitating for students to remain in an immigrant charter school. If we want our children to achieve their dreams in this country, they must not only be able to read, write, and compute. They must also be woven into the cultural fabric of American society. There is no better way to do this than to be immersed in it, and an immigrant charter school seems not to be able to provide that opportunity. Additionally, if this model became pervasive, wouldn't we face the danger of once again segregating our schools?
Ultimately, I believe in doing what it takes for students to succeed, and I support immigrant charter schools. However, I encourage policy makers, education activists, entrepreneurs, and the like to approach these innovative models with a long term focus and to lead periodic conversations, reflect on positive and negative implications of their work, and make adjustments as they are necessary.
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NDN/NPI is pleased to announce that Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs, 
On Monday, May 24th, at noon ET, I hope you will tune into NDN/NPI for a special event looking at a vital new initiative - a newly announced joint US-Mexican vision for a "21st Century Border." 
This Monday, President Obama met with President Mauricio Funes of El Salvador to discuss trade, security, the environment - the three central elements of the administration's agenda for Latin America. President Obama commended President Funes for taking bold steps to "break down political divisions within the country and move it forward with a spirit of progress" and for his "pragmatic and wise approach to the situation in Honduras".
