School of Social Welfare, University of California, Berkeley
SOCWEL 110: Social Work as a Profession, Jill Berrick, Ph.D.
December 2022
Social Problem
Undocumented individuals’ daily experiences of “illegality” can significantly affect their feelings of belonging and trust. This can cause internalizing symptoms like anxiety and fear due to stressors such as possible deportation and the aggressive legal implications of living without papers. Undocumented students are here referred to as children participating in the American public K-12 educational setting who lack the appropriate documents proving legal status in the United States. It has been suggested that these youth face inequalities not just in governmental sectors, but also in academic outcomes. Due to the culture of silence and lack of community support, undocumented students do not have equal access to educational opportunities and resources compared to their legal noncitizen, naturalized, and native counterparts (Rodriguez & McCorkle, 2020). This puts them at a much greater risk of low academic achievement.
Scope
The targeted community here is the undocumented student population in the American K-12 educational setting. The 1982 U.S. Supreme Court ruling of Plyler v. Doe disables school districts from asking about immigration status. This creates a paucity in available information on this type of pupil making it hard to know the true figure of undocumented K-12 students, what programs they are enrolled in, and other discrete statistics on their population. After the 1982 ruling, the unfettered enrollment of undocumented children into K-12 public schools began (Crosnoe & López, 2011). Estimated measurements of their population range from 800,000 to almost 2 million throughout the country (Rodriguez & McCorkle, 2020; Marks, 2014).
Disproportionalities
Those at the most academic disadvantage due to implications tied to legal status are students of a lower-income, Latin background (Crosnoe & López, 2011). This may stem from the fact that half of the Mexican immigrant student population has no parent with a high school degree and their parents often work ‘low-skill’ jobs, usually manual labor (Crosnoe & López, 2011). Although these parents do a lot to provide for their children, their socioeconomic situation usually disables them from promoting an academic environment.
Additionally, students enrolled in the English as a Second Language (ESL) program, which most states offer for K-12 education, are also disproportionately disadvantaged. Enrollment in this program has been shown to increase the odds of dropping out while decreasing odds of applying to and enrolling in post-secondary education (Patler, 2014). While both citizens and legal noncitizens also participate in ESL courses and are similarly affected by these disadvantages, undocumented students experience them along with all the other cumulative adversities they encounter.
Effects
After some time in the United States, many undocumented students start identifying as “American” due to their assimilation: mastering English and participating in educational institutions (Patler, 2014). However, it remains that their immigration status, the negative stereotypes associated with it, and the consequent legal anxieties surrounding it all create ambiguous perceptions of their belonging in school and the broader society (Rodriguez & McCorkle, 2020). The ambiguity of this incomplete incorporation into American life disables undocumented students from feeling fully a part of their community, depriving them of feeling wanted where they live. These feelings dramatically increase the risk of academic failure forcing many to give up on their educational and professional aspirations (Patler, 2014).
There have been many studies that have demonstrated a trend in higher academic achievement in immigrant students. This is widely known as the immigrant paradox and it suggests recent immigrant children and adolescents have more positive developmental outcomes, indicating they do better academically than their native and less recent immigrant counterparts (Marks, 2014). It seems that strong familial and cultural ties (Crosnoe & López, 2011), trust in the value of education, as well as a passionate desire for a better future play huge roles in creating a positive and encouraging environment for students. However, the immigrant paradox tends to affect undocumented students differently. Because of the taboo-ness of ‘“illegality”, their socioeconomic status, and reduced access to resources due to this status, it is much harder for undocumented immigrant parents to provide the space for their children to academically thrive.
Another huge component in the success of students is the building of social capital. This concept is described as the networks and relationships among the people who live in a particular society. Social capital enables individuals to live cohesively: they share values, resources, assets, and information. While social capital can be looked at through many lenses, it is examined here in terms of educational setting. Reinforced by the culture of silence, undocumented students often feel the need to hide their legal status which highly constrains the development of their social capital within the larger society. They often choose to remain unnoticed by peers, teachers, and counselors in order to avoid revealing their legal status (Patler, 2014). This perpetuates their lack of community and disables them from building their social capital to the full extent that is available to documented students. Again, this puts them at higher risk for low academic achievement because of their inability to connect with and learn from their instructors and classmates.
Root Causes
This issue is complex and layered making it impossible to pinpoint a sole root cause to the issue of undocumented students in the K-12 setting having systematically lower academic achievement than their documented counterparts. The two main causes mentioned here are the culture of silence as well as the implicit biases held by teachers and enforced by policies.
On many levels of life, enforced secrecy around legal status disables undocumented families from having the most current information on what their status signifies, what they can and can’t do, pathways to obtain legality, and access to resources. Today’s policies, preceded by Plyer vs. Doe, often uphold this culture of silence in schools which makes the subject of immigration status taboo. This collective behavior has a deep and mostly negative impact on undocumented youths’ experience of belonging at the school and community level (Rodriguez & McCorkle, 2020). The inability to discuss immigration and legal matters on school grounds perpetuates a lack of understanding from the larger community completely denying undocumented students of support within elementary, middle, and high schools on their highly politicized academic journey.
Furthermore, this incomprehension of the lifestories and abilities of undocumented folks is specifically seen in teachers. Their ignorance is often due to the word usage and narratives recounted in current state and federal policies which are usually destructive in nature and perpetuate a false and unfavorable image of undocumented immigrants (Rodriguez & McCorkle, 2020). American legislation highly criminalizes immigrants and has consistently used words such as ‘alien’ or ‘illegal’, both of which maintain fear and consequent “Othering” of the undocumented population (Rodriguez & McCorkle, 2020). This type of language, especially when repeated, implements biases in educators and although it may be implicit, it strongly affects their perceptions of students, their abilities, and potential success. Finally, instructors are also more likely to believe false ideas about the path to citizenship. Many believe “it is easy for undocumented immigrants to gain legal status… [and] are able to receive public benefits” which creates completely false attitudes towards their students since teachers believe it is their choice to not seek legalization nor aid (Rodriguez & McCorkle, 2020). These beliefs often make teachers unsympathetic to the needs of undocumented students creating a hostile environment and perpetuating the culture of silence on the end of the students.
Social Justice
According to John Rawls, there is an injustice revealed in the significant difference of educational outcomes between undocumented students and their documented counterparts. Rawls’ distributive theory calls for distribution of resources and opportunities that is determined by fairness and need (Watts-Hodgson). Unfortunately, undocumented students systematically experience unequal access to resources and opportunities available to other groups. Some of these include student-teacher connection, a sense of belonging, and comfortability asking for and finding resources. The current distribution of educational resources and opportunities is a social injustice since these educational inequalities are a consequence of policies and attitudes regarding legal status that affects undocumented students as a social group.
These formal policies and informal attitudes described in the above section characterize this injustice as structural in nature. First, there is the constant stress of having to deal with the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the possibility of deportation, a unique burden undocumented families face. Concerning other legal barriers, many states do not allow undocumented folks from finding work, or at least a high paying job, which keeps undocumented families in poverty. There are also many states that disable undocumented students from attending four-year universities, deterring their academic and future professional goals. The culture of silence taking place informally on school grounds create a high rate of teachers throughout the United States that don’t understand the policies surrounding undocumented immigration. Rawls’ social justice framework on distributive theory demonstrates the resources are unfairly distributed depicting the existence of a social injustice. This is clearly seen in the ignorance and detrimental attitudes of educators that makes them unable to help their students academically and socially.
Micro Intervention
A micro intervention that would change the lives of individual undocumented students is having a case manager working for undocumented youths. They would need to carefully assess their client’s needs in order to expertly inform them of all the resources that are accessible to them as well as to empower them to obtain these resources. As well as being a resource broker, it would be crucial for the social worker to also promote their client’s rights and defend their needs as students in the public education system by increasing the knowledge of and sensitivity to the oppression these youths face (NASW, 2017). This can be through workshops or seminars for school staff, entire student populations, and any associated family or community members.
Social Worker Tasks
A first step for the social worker to take is helping their client get started with their Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) application if they haven’t already done so. This is an important step since being given DACA status protects students from deportation as well as giving them eligibility for a work permit (Rodriguez & McCorkle, 2020). The social worker would also find a way(s) for their client to pay for the application fee of $495 or get it waived. Crucial to remember, DACA qualification only lasts two years, so the social worker would need to stay in contact with their clients in order to help them renew their recipiency. Additionally, the case worker may also want to coordinate care with skills coaches in order to aid their client increase their confidence and ability in finding the resources they need on their own especially at school, but also within the larger community.
Connection to the History of Social Work
This approach to managing a client’s case connects to the settlement house movement of the last century. Because it is empowerment oriented, this intervention is meant to be a sort of personal liberation for the undocumented student (Berrick, 2022, Week 2 Lecture). Getting clients qualified for DACA and increasing their abilities and confidence in accessing resources is definitely more of a progressive approach to social work which tries to extend any and all opportunities available to clients.
Connection to Values of Social Work
The values of the social work profession are reflected when case managers take up an undocumented student case, especially those of service, social justice, and upholding the dignity and worth of people (Berrick, 2022, Week 5 Lecture). These values are translated into action by helping undocumented youth in need, challenging the social injustice this marginalized group is facing in public schools, and respecting their inherent dignity and worth as humans (NASW, 2017). Service is represented in the case worker’s abilities to obtain DACA certification for their clients. Social justice is reflected in the seminars they will offer to the school community and the dignity and worth of their clients is upheld through their connections with skills coaches encouraging confidence and capability in the clients.
Beneficial Outcomes of this Approach
There are two main positive outcomes from this micro social work intervention: decreased anxiety regarding living as undocumented in the States as well as increased confidence in accessing resources. Being qualified for DACA should ease anxiety regarding deportation of oneself since the program protects recipients from being deported. It also increases the range of work opportunities since they may obtain a work permit. Being connected by the social worker to a skills coach will allow clients to become more confident in asking for, and therefore accessing, the educational resources that schools usually end up rendering to documented students. This allows the students to obtain opportunities not as feasible before the intervention.
Power and Privilege
Social workers hold a lot of power and privilege in their relationship with their clients. Regarding this issue, social workers are working with students which involves a power dynamic related to age, education level, and social status (student vs. worker). Most importantly however, the biggest power difference between the two is legal status. Social workers are legal while their clients are not. Because social workers work under the government, clients may refrain from discussing with their assigned case worker out of fear and distrust. Because of this, it is crucial for case workers to demonstrate they will maintain confidentiality. Finally, social workers are the ones that hold information about legal processes and resources. Their job is to pass on this knowledge to their clients in an anti-oppressive manner. It is critical for them to use discourse that is respectful, egalitarian, as well as empowering in order to build a trusting relationship with their clients (Berrick, 2022, Week 11 Lecture).
Macro Intervention
A macro intervention that would change the lives of undocumented students across the nation would be the crucial implementation of a policy at the federal level that would require teachers across the nation to learn and comprehend federal, state, and local policies surrounding and affecting undocumented youth. This policy would have educators expand their knowledge on this student population’s situational context, their familial circumstances, and the adverse effects of non-documentation. Improving teachers’ awareness and empathy towards their undocumented students would increase equity and advocacy as well as help build trust between themselves and their students (Rodriguez & McCorkle, 2020). This trust would eliminate fear and uncomfortability regarding students’ own status in the school environment, allowing them to be a part of a supportive academic and social community, something they are currently lacking.
Social Worker Tasks
As a policy advocate, the social worker will use their gathered information on the topic to discern the people and organizations related to the issue, and specifically who could be supporters and who could be detractors (Berrick, 2022, Week 10 Lecture). Detractors could definitely be assumed to be those strongly against integrating undocumented folks into the community while supporters would be those wanting to increase pathways to citizenship as well as those wanting the most equal education for all, no matter the legal or socioeconomic status. With a team of other social workers, the advocate would craft a message about the problem, cause, possible solution, and a goal in order to appeal to the public, politicians, and policymakers in place (Berrick, 2022, Week 10 Lecture). This strategic messaging along with testimonies from clients, statistical and/or qualitative evidence, and ethics will be used when launching a media campaign as well as when approaching elected officials (Berrick, 2022, Week 10 Lecture).
Connection to the History of Social Work
This approach to managing this social injustice on the macro level connects to the settlement house movement, similarly to the micro intervention mentioned. The policy has the causal goal of dealing with a major root cause in the perpetuation of restricted access to educational resources and opportunities for undocumented youth (Berrick, 2022, Week 2 Lecture). The idea of training teachers to look out for their undocumented students has a collectivist nature and responds to a feeling of societal responsibility for these students (Berrick, 2022, Week 2 Lecture).
Connection to Values of Social Work
A macro policy advocate taking up this social injustice issue regarding the educational inequalities of undocumented student case represents the values of service and social justice (Berrick, 2022, Week 5 Lecture). These values are translated into action through implementing a policy that challenges the nationwide status quo in school districts which will consequently aid the community of undocumented students by ensuring all have access to their needed information, services, and resources (NASW, 2017).
Beneficial Outcomes of this Approach
There is a huge benefit for undocumented students in having caring teachers that are aware of the different legal statuses of children and the policies that may affect them. Being instructed by educators who are aware and ready to advocate for them is crucial in keeping students in school, having their needs met, and developing a sense of belonging both in school and the larger community (Rodriguez & McCorkle, 2020). Teachers will be equipped with the training to create a more inclusive environment for all statuses in which they will be able to aid undocumented youth access resources, start their path to college, or direct them to legal counsel (Rodriguez & McCorkle, 2020).
Power and Privilege
Social workers who work as policy advocates hold a lot of both power and privilege in terms of their educational and professional status. They are able to create structural change that impacts the undocumented community as a whole, whether positively or negatively. This creates a huge power imbalance in view of the fact that the undocumented population cannot vote in response to proposed legalisation regarding them and their status. The only say they may have is through campaigns, but many do not want to expose themselves so publicly. In order to mitigate this power imbalance, it is imperative that policy advocates find a way to include undocumented folks as full participants in the policy making process (Berrick, 2022, Week 11 Lecture). This empowers the undocumented community to have and maintain self-determination regarding laws affecting their group.
Suggested Intervention
The macro social work policy intervention would be the most successful in making a long lasting difference. While aiding individual students become DACA recipients would make a huge difference in their individual lives, many are ineligible to be qualified or it remains financially unobtainable. Having this policy implemented would eliminate the root causes: the culture of silence and the implicit biases held by teachers and enforced by current policies. This policy would promote a positive large-scale change in how educators in the public education system view and interact with undocumented students. While this change will take time to implement and is a huge ask in terms of re-educating folks, it will have the most large-scale effect on undocumented students and their current academic and future professional goals.
References:
Berrick, J. D. (2022). Week 2: What is social work? Foundational Ideas and Debates Over Time.
Personal Collection of Jill Duerr Berrick, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley,
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Berrick, J. D. (2022). Week 5: Values and Ethics. Personal Collection of Jill Duerr Berrick,
University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California.
Berrick, J. D. (2022). Week 10: Policy Advocacy for Change. Personal Collection of Jill Duerr
Berrick, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California.
Berrick, J. D. (2022). Week 11: Professional Power. Personal Collection of Jill Duerr
Berrick, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California.
Crosnoe, R., & López Turley, R. N. (2011). K-12 Educational Outcomes of Immigrant Youth.
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National Association of Social Workers (2017). Code of Ethics.
Patler, C. (2018). Citizen Advantage, Undocumented Disadvantage, or Both? The Comparative
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Watts, L., & Hodgson, D. (2019). Distributive theories of justice. In Social Justice Theory and
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