The current unsettled global political climate has resulted in an unprecedented number of refugees seeking asylum, with nearly half of these refugees being school-aged children. Host countries have become responsible for providing educational programming, offering language lessons, and developing strategies for bolstering the physical and mental well-being of these children. As a consequence, a dire demand has been created for increased research on the optimal ways to integrate refugee families into mainstream society while simultaneously recognizing and addressing their unique backgrounds and challenges. For most families, particularly the children, schools were the initial and main point of contact during the first few critical years of transition. 

The principal goal of this study was to answer the following research questions: 

1. How did newcomer families’ experience their integration into Canada? 

2. How did newcomer families’ experience their integration into the school systems adopted by various family members? 

3. How did the mental health and well-being of newcomer families affect these processes (integration into the Canadian society and school systems)? 

Through a partnership-engaged grant, stakeholders were brought together to develop strategies to answer these questions. The proposed study used art and film as methods to mediate difficult conversations on challenging topics, particularly given language and literacy barriers. To put a personal face on the numbers and statistics that often dominate the media on the topic of immigration, participants took part in the creative use of film to share their own lived experiences of resettlement. Their stories emerged through a strengths-based, resilient lens that highlighted the depth of these families’ investment in both their future and in their children’s education, which was often cited as driving forces behind the difficult choices and sacrifices these families had to make to come to Canada. 

The specific objectives of the study were: to create a professional development resource for school boards to use when exploring newcomer families’ successful integration into and collaboration with the school system; to incorporate an autonomous, first-person account of the refugee experience and parents’ role as active agents in their children’s education; to foster productive and positive relationships between resettled families and school/university partners; to examine mental health and well-being through film and image work. The research showcased the work accomplished in professional development sessions with educators, also giving the opportunity for parents to show and tell their stories first-hand. Finally, this study helped to develop an enhanced curriculum, encouraging educators to be more culturally responsive through different modalities (e.g., film and storytelling).

Conflicts in the Middle East have resulted in the displacement of thousands of desperate families seeking refuge, with more than half of the refugee population consisting of school-aged children. Research about the experiences of Arabic-speaking refugees is not only essential but necessary for establishing the educational infrastructure and support systems needed to promote integration and learning.

This study examined the ways in which refugee student learning could be enhanced by optimizing parent-teacher collaboration. The research design centred around the use of focus groups to gather data. Through a cooperative inquiry approach based on a shared agenda and interests (Heron & Reason, 1997), we engaged in cycles of action and reflection to elicit and analyze the experiences of parents, teachers, Diversity and Learning Support Advisors and In-School Settlement Practitioners within the LEAD program. The stakeholders who participated in the focus groups were all connected to a unique program within a large Alberta school board that exclusively supports refugee learners: parents, teachers, cultural liaisons and settlement practitioners. The parent focus groups were intentionally segregated according to gender (mothers and fathers) as a culturally responsive measure. All interactions with the parents were held in Arabic and led by Arabic-speaking researchers. Research results uncovered needs for: (1) communication channels with educators to be adapted in order to be more accessible to families, (2) increased informal opportunities for parent participation at school, as well as (3) increased engagement between refugee families and educational administrators to better understand the families’ needs and circumstances. This research not only explored challenges but offers valuable insights on how the parent-teacher-school relationship may be realistically optimized. Building on a comprehensive review of the relevant literature, parents and educators identified logistical, cultural, and linguistic challenges to optimal parent-educator collaborations with respect to refugee children’s learning. These parents and educators also offered useful recommendations to address the identified learning challenges