2019 Annual Conference

Community, Minority, and Non-Formal Education

Concurrent Session (45 minutes)

In this session, educational stakeholders will learn more about the Migrant Education Program (MEP), its student population, and the specific challenges they face in high school before pursuing postsecondary education. A study on MEP teachers will be covered to help higher education professionals advocate for MEP students and themselves.

The target audience for this presentation would are educational stakeholders in adult and career education which serve a migrant and/or other underserved youth/adult population.  Additionally, district administrators, program directors, classroom teachers, and students alike would benefit from the findings of the research study and its implications.  Finally, community and business leaders who work with educational institutions would learn how to better support faculty and staff of the organizations they support.

By the end of this session, learners will be able to:

1) Accurately define, identify, and substantiate the need for cultural pedagogy and culturally-rich initiatives geared to targeting incoming migrant students within an organization
2) Apply the Seven Areas of Concern to current institutional goals and provide a holistic approach for working with migrant students
3) Initiate change through two proven theoretical approaches to support the organization's long-term goals of migrant students' success
4) Know how to increase support to administrators, faculty, staff, and students that are supported in migrant education efforts in an adult and career educational setting

The session's importance is reinforced by the current political and educational trends and issues regarding Deferred Action of Childhood Arrivals (DACA), the Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015, and the current achievement gap disparities between White and Non-White students in the United States.  Due to these issues, along with the decline in traditional college enrollment, current and future students are impacting the educational system's status quo by seeking certifications and other programs rather than postsecondary degrees.  Innovative ideas that support the need for growth and expansion in adult and career education programs can be substantiated by the increase in Latino students.  Nevertheless, Latino migrant students, who struggle to make academic gains due to social mobility, often fall between the cracks.  As a result, the timeliness of this session is intentional and well-substantiated by a number of social systems that directly affect this underserved student population.

Depending on the type, time limit, and number of participants in the session, I will conduct a pretest about their knowledge associated with the Migrant Education Program (MEP).  I will then present information I will also a handout they will be able to complete to further reinforce learning objectives associated with the session.  Finally, the participants will take a short post-test to see how much has been learned during the session.  I will make sure to ask questions during the talk to engage with students and encourage discussion.  The presenter will have students give immediate feedback during an online poll.