National Policy Brief - Secondary Education for Migrant Youth

Success inSecondary Schooland Access toPostsecondaryEducation forMigrant StudentsA Policy Brief

Executive SummaryBackgroundInformationThe most recent nationallyaccepted migrant studentgraduation rate of 50.7 percentwas calculated in 1995 by theNational Project for SecondaryCredit Exchange and Accrual(NPSCEA), funded by a grant bythe Office of Migrant Education(OME) at the U.S. Departmentof Education. This percentagestands in stark contrast to the 86.5percentage calculated in 2000 forthe general student population bythe National Center for EducationStatistics (NCES), the primaryfederal resource for U.S. graduationand dropout data. Reflecting upona difference of 35.8 percentagepoints, many questions come tomind. Why aren’t more secondaryschool-aged migrant studentsearning a high school diploma?What can be done to activelyengage migrant students inthe learning process? How canmigrant educators provide learningopportunities to help secondaryschool-aged migrant youth meetand exceed academic standardsand develop critical social,personal and employability skills?This policy brief outlines strategicfederal, state, and local efforts thatcould greatly improve the nationalmigrant student graduation rate.Mobility AsA DefiningCharacteristicMobility is a particular obstacleto high school success forsecondary school-aged migrantyouth. The need to accrue creditsand finish graduation requirementsthrough consistent completionof sequences of assignmentsand passing of examinationsmeans that late arrivals, earlywithdrawals and attendanceat more than one school canhave a devastating effect. Inaddition, disparities between statestandards, academic content, andgrade promotion policies, alongwith changing assessment andaccountability systems, significantlycontribute to the learning barriersthat mobile secondary schoolagedmigrant students experienceas they move frequently withinand among states during their highschool years.In addition to having to overcomethe difficulties resulting from theirmobility, secondary school-agedmigrant youth often face seriousfinancial and family pressures.These students are often majorcontributors to family incomeand may also bear childcareresponsibilities for their families,which makes achieving successin school difficult. As a group,secondary school-aged migrantyouth exhibit many characteristicsassociated with at risk students.Researchers have analyzeddropout indicators and havefound that such factors as beingolder than one’s classmates,having a poor attendance recordand failing to accrue expectedcredits are indicative of high risk.Many of these indicators can becounteracted by policy decisionsaimed at promoting success for thisat risk population.

EducatorsTackle TheProblems –“How WeMovedForward”Convinced that the challengesfaced by migrant schoolagedyouth could be attackedthrough prioritization of needs andfocused application of resources,since 2006 more than 300 migranteducators representing twentyfour(24) states have participatedin a grassroots effort to discussobstacles, and possible solutions,and identify priorities.Panels, workshops, break outsessions, and discussion groupson secondary school-aged migrantstudent issues took place at thefollowing four national events:• National Association of StateDirectors of Migrant Education(NASDME) Annual NationalConference, Denver, Colorado,2006;• Annual Secondary CreditExchange Workshops, Edinburg,Texas, 2007;• National Association for StateDirectors of Migrant Education(NASDME) Annual NationalConference, Phoenix, Arizona,2007; and• Annual Secondary CreditExchange Workshop, Edinburg,Texas, 2008.At an Invitational Forumpreceding the April 2008National Association of StateDirectors of Migrant Education(NASDME) Annual NationalConference in Orlando, Florida,migrant educators selected bytheir states met to finalize inputusing the “Forging New Beginningsfor Secondary School-AgedMigrant Youth” workbook. Thisworkbook documents output fromthe above meetings and providesfurther detail for federal, state,and local educational leaders asthey assess and redesign migrantprograms and services. It isavailable at www.migrant.net andwww.semy.org.Participating educators’ inputresulted in the identificationof challenges, solutions, andrecommendations in the followingsix key areas:• Credit Accrual TowardGraduation• Inter- and Intrastate/AgencyCoordination• Parental Involvement• Student Engagement and SelfAdvocacy/Student Leadership• Access to PostsecondaryEducation and FundingOpportunities• Out-of-School YouthRecommendations in thesesix key areas promote thecreation of a portfolio of highschool credit accrual optionsthat embrace multiple pathwaysto earn needed credits, flexiblelate entry and early withdrawalstrategies, dual enrollment insecondary and postsecondaryinstitutions, mentorships, internships,full utilization of the newly createdMigrant Student InformationExchange (MSIX) migrant studentdatabase, expanded parentinvolvement opportunities andincreased data collection as wellas instructional/supportive servicesaimed at out-of-school youth(OSY) including those who neverattended school in the U.S. (hereto-workyouth), and those whoattended school in the U.S., butdropped out without graduating.Supporting OME’s SecondaryStudent Initiative and theInterstate Migrant EducationCouncil (IMEC) January 2008policy brief, “A Call for Action:Migrant Students and the HighSchool Redesign Movement”, thispolicy brief summarizes migranteducator input and highlightseducational policies that wouldhave the greatest positive impacton the migrant student high schoolgraduation rate.

Next Steps –Federal, StateAnd LocalLeadershipTo be successful, interventiondepends upon supportivepolicies and action at multiplelevels: federal, state, and local. Inthe policy recommendations whichfollow, an attempt has been madeto identify the appropriate federalOffice of Migrant Education (OME),state education agency (SEA)and/or local education agency(LEA) level where implementationof policy is essential. In all cases,the support of educational policymakers and program leaders atall three levels is encouraged andvalued.This policy brief is intended to beused by a variety of people whoprioritize, fund, collaborate, director manage activities to promotethe success of the secondaryschool-aged migrant youth.It is the vision of the developers ofthis policy brief that building uponthe Interstate Migrant EducationCouncil’s 2008 Policy Brief, “ACall to Action: Migrant Studentsand the High School RedesignMovement,” the information andrecommendations presented willlead to the:• Building of a network of federal,state, and local interventionstrategies• Development of consistentpolicies for provision of serviceand data collection at thefederal, state, and local levels• Establishment of a NationalMigrant Secondary School-Aged Students and Out-of-School Youth Initiative by theOffice of Migrant Education• Support by the State Directorsof Migrant Education, Officeof Migrant Education (OME),Interstate Migrant EducationCouncil, and other decisionmakers

Credit Accrual TowardGraduationGoal:To assure that secondary school-age migrant youth are placed in rigorouscoursework so that they may obtain the necessary credits to meet theirhome base school’s graduation requirements.The main obstacles to graduationfor secondary school-agedmigrant youth are credit accrualand placement in courseworklinked to graduation in the homebase district. Late enrollment andearly withdrawal from school areevidence of the migrant family’sdependency upon the growingseasons across the nation. Amigrant student who has missedmany days of school during agrading period and who transfersinto a new school district maybe placed in an alternative highschool or told to wait until thenext grading period to re-enroll inschool. Cumulatively, challengesrelated to mobility affect a migrantstudent’s ability to progress fromone grade to the next, maintainmotivation to remain in school, andaccrue credits and courseworkneeded to achieve high schoolgraduation.While the Migrant EducationProgram (MEP) haspositively impacted the number ofsecondary school-aged migrantstudents completing high school,much still remains to be donein the area of credit accrual.Secondary school-aged migrantyouth should be appropriatelyplaced in coursework thatmatches their home base school’sgraduation requirements andreceive transcripted credit for allpartial and complete courseworkirrespective of school district, stateor national boundaries. Flexiblecredit accrual options that allowstudents multiple ways to earncredits before, during and aftermigrating are needed.

PolicyRecommendations:Recommendations to improvecredit accrual opportunities forsecondary school-aged migrantyouth are as follows:• Fund a National SecondaryInitiative focused onstandardizing studentplacement and credit grantingpractices. Developmentof uniform policies relatedto awarding credit andconsolidating partial workshould be the first priority ofthis national project. Onemajor objective should be tosurvey and review availablecredit accrual alternatives,identify those most suitable formigrant students, and promotetheir uniform acceptance byindividual states. (OME policyrecommendation)• Incorporate migrant studentsas a separate subgroup withinNCLB. Migrant student datashould be disaggregated tohold LEAs accountable forthe academic performanceof migrant students underAdequate Yearly Progress(AYP). Migrant high schoolcompletion rates should bedisaggregated as a separatesubgroup. (OME policyrecommendation)• Promote the utilization of MEP-funded graduation advocates.These advocates wouldsupport placement decisionsthat meet home base schoolgraduation requirements;investigate, document andwork with counselors toconsolidate partial coursework;develop students’ and families’leadership skills; promotecollege and career exploration;and support access to fundingfor postsecondary education.(OME, SEA and LEA policyrecommendation)• Provide year-round accessand support to a variety offlexible credit accrual options.A variety of credit accrualstrategies reflecting lateentry and early withdrawalmigratory patterns shouldbe actively promoted.Technology-based solutionsshould be incorporated,whenever possible, to improveacademic skills, to make upcredit deficiencies, and tohelp students stay on track tograduate. (OME, SEA and LEApolicy recommendation)• Place and support migrantstudents in rigorouscoursework. Migrant studentplacement should be basedon formal assessment ofprerequisite knowledge.Unless migrant students areappropriately challenged inhigh school by demandingcollege preparatorycoursework, they will not beadequately prepared to takeadvantage of postsecondaryopportunities. (SEA and LEApolicy recommendation)• Fully utilize student informationexchange options torecord and transmit studentcoursework and credit accrualinformation. Multiple formsof information exchange,including official transcripts,credit accrual reports, statedatabase systems and,especially the Migrant StudentInformation Exchange (MSIX),should be consistently usedto facilitate educationalcontinuity, clearly documentcourses enrolled and credits(both full and partial) earned,avoid repetition of coursework,and ensure that migrantstudents remain on track forgraduation.• Actively promote migrantstudent participation inextracurricular activities.Migrant educators shouldactively work to recruit andretain secondary school-agedmigrant youth in extracurricularactivities to develop supportivepeer relationships, exploretalents, and build interpersonalskills. (SEA and LEA policyrecommendation)

Inter-Intrastate/AgencyCoordinationGoal:To assure that all schools and other agencies working with inter- andintrastate, secondary school-aged migrant youth combine efforts toidentify needed instructional and support services and form the necessaryconnections to “ensure that migratory children who move among theStates are not penalized in any manner by disparities among the States incurriculum, graduation requirements, and State academic content andstudent academic achievement standards.”(Title I, Pt. C, Sect. 1301(2))Unfortunately, the reality is thathigh school migrant childrenare penalized as they movebetween school districts andstates. State and district policiesand procedures are designedto award high school credit forattendance in the course for acomplete grading period. Highschool graduation depends onearning credits in specific subjects,often covering a precise scopeand sequence, to achieve explicitlearning goals. These requirementsoffer little flexibility for studentswho are prohibited by frequentfamily moves from fitting into thetraditional K-12 structure. Migrantadvocates in both sending andreceiving states/schools mustdevelop and implement creativesolutions within the existingeducational system, so that highlymobile students can overcomethe penalties associated withfrequent moves and graduate fromhigh school. Section 1304(b)(3)of the statute requires SEAs to useMEP funds to promote inter- andintrastate coordination of servicesto migrant children.Coordination is equallyimportant between andamong the various agenciesserving the migrant farmworkerpopulation such as MigrantHealth, Migrant Headstart, andthe Adult Migrant and SeasonalFarmworker Programs plus withother collaborating statewide andlocal organizations and groups inthe public as well as the privatesector.

PolicyRecommendations:Recommendations toimprove inter- and intrastatecoordination efforts between andamong states and collaboratingagencies are as follows:• Establish and maintain inter-and intrastate collaborationefforts between sending andreceiving states and schools.Cooperative relationshipsbetween migrant studentadvocates in sending andreceiving schools are essentialfor educational continuity andto ensure that courseworkmeets home base schoolgraduation requirements.(OME and SEA policyrecommendation)• Utilize the newly createdMSIX network for the benefitof secondary school-agedmigrant youth, including outof-schoolyouth (OSY). MSIXdata for this population mustbe timely, accurate andcomplete. Instructional aswell as health data should becollected. Coursework, stateassessment and graduationrequirement data, alongwith year-round contactinformation for placementquestions, must be included.Data collection for OSY shouldbe reflective of instructionaland support services beingoffered. (OME and SEA policyrecommendation)• Implement out-of-stateadministration of mandatorystate assessments. Provideopportunities for migrantstudents to take their homebase state’s assessmentwhile they are in residencein another state due tomigration. Recruit and traineducators in receiving statesto administer the home basestate’s assessment. Sendingstates should accept thereceiving state’s assessment.Offer assessment instruments inlanguages other than English,especially Spanish. (OME andSEA policy recommendation)• Continue and expandbinational MEP coordinationefforts. Post on a websitegeneral secondary coursedescriptions for 9th – 12thgrade courses from Mexicoand other countries in CentralAmerica with significantmigrant populations. Promoteinternational credit exchangeand acceptance to increasethe binational migrant studentgraduation rate from U.S.high schools. (OME policyrecommendation)• Fund a National SecondaryInitiative to promote interandintrastate coordinationefforts. This project shouldpromote migrant highschool completion throughestablishment of: a) inter- andintrastate collaboration/servicemodels and b) interagencycoordination and serviceactivities for in-school and outof-schoolyouth. (OME, SEAand LEA recommendation)

PolicyRecommendations:The following arerecommendations to increasemigrant parent involvement:• Expand definition of parentalinvolvement. Migrant parentinvolvement should includeopportunities for participationin schools that value migrantfamilies’ knowledge/skills/experience, are culturallyappropriate, and financiallyfeasible. Parents should beprovided with opportunitiesfor meaningful involvementin the planning, operation,and evaluation of all programcomponents. (SEA and LEApolicy recommendation)• Develop culturally appropriate,high quality migrant parentinstructional bilingualmaterials. Parent materialsand activities should provideanswers to migrant families’questions about their children’seducation, and leadershipdevelopment activities insupport of Parent AdvisoryCouncil (PAC) activitiesin MEP-funded programs.(OME, SEA and LEA policyrecommendation)• Eliminate language barriers.Provide signage and verbal/written communications inthe native language of non-English speaking familiesbeing served by schools.Develop, fund, and endorseprofessional developmentand cultural awarenessopportunities to increasesensitivity and understandingof the challenges of themigrant lifestyle. (LEA policyrecommendation)• Involve the communityin parent involvementactivities. Promote supportiverelationships between migrantfamilies and caring adults whoknow both the communityand education system andcan help parents accessneeded instructional andsupport services. (LEA policyrecommendation)• Involve migrant families ofsecondary school-agedchildren in supporting highschool completion andpostsecondary education.Provide opportunities formigrant parents to learn aboutpostsecondary opportunitiesand available funding, talkingwith peers whose childrenare succeeding in collegeand technical schools, visitingcampuses, and obtainingaccurate information fromadmissions and supportstaff. (SEA and LEA policyrecommendation)• Provide home base districtassessment information andgraduation requirements.Provide migrant parents,through personal discussionsand in writing (English andtheir preferred language),information regardingmandated state assessmentsand graduation requirements.(SEA and LEA policyrecommendation)

Student Engagement andSelf Advocacy/StudentLeadershipGoal:To assure that secondary school-aged migrant youth and their familiesbecome self advocates through confidence building activities, possessionof accurate information, and the ability to effectively plan, overcomeobstacles, and communicate.Mobile students are oftenexcluded from access toextra curricular and enrichmentactivities available to ‘mainstream’students educated in one districtfor many years. Opportunitiesfor migrant youth to benefit fromformal student engagement/self advocacy and leadershipdevelopment must beincorporated into each state’soverall Migrant Education Program.Mobile students have limitedaccess to long-term schoolprojects, extra curricular activities,special school orientations,assemblies, clubs, and culturallyrelevant role models. They alsohave limited opportunities to sharetheir talents with teachers andcounselors who might becomeadvocates. Mobility too frequentlylimits the student’s vision of what ispossible, permits low expectationsto flourish, and tends to create an“invisible” student whom educatorsneither know nor appear to careabout.With supplemental supportfrom the Migrant EducationProgram, migrant students canand do develop their leadershipskills. Mobile students becomeself-advocates and gain skillsto access mainstream serviceswhen they envision a planbeyond high school, participatewith peers in career and collegeexploration events, and identifywith educationally successful rolemodels.

PolicyRecommendations:Recommendations to promotestudent engagement, selfadvocacy and student leadershipfor secondary school-aged migrantyouth include the following:• Provide an individual highschool graduation plan.Beginning with migrant middleschool-aged children, thehome base district shouldprovide an individualizedgraduation plan for eachstudent to be updated bycounselors in successive schoolsas the family migrates. Thisplan should include placementin rigorous coursework andactivities which lead topostsecondary education.Migrant students and familiesare more likely to advocate forcompletion of a graduationplan they possess, understand,and support. (OME, SEA andLEA policy recommendation)• Incorporate leadershipdevelopment opportunitiesinto the SEA’s Service DeliveryPlan. OME should identify andactively promote nationwideaccess to proven leadershipdevelopment curriculumand delivery models now inuse in individual states. SEAsshould incorporate leadershipdevelopment opportunitiesfor all middle and highschool migrant students thatare culturally relevant andpertinent to students’ specificneeds. (OME, SEA and LEApolicy recommendation)• Provide student engagement/leadership opportunities andmodels. Involve migrantyouth and their families inexperiences that teacheffective problem solvingand leadership skills, that helpto develop clear personaland educational goals, andthat promote resilience inpersisting until needed helpand information is obtained.(OME and SEA policyrecommendation)• Incorporate career andcollege exploration activitiesin SEA Service Delivery Plans.SEAs should establish linkageswith colleges and universitiesto develop bilingual studentpostsecondary recruitmentevents as an integral part ofevery secondary school-agedmigrant student’s educationalexperience. (OME, SEA andLEA policy recommendation)• Use exemplary migrantstudents as role models.Recruit migrant role models,and make their inspirationalstories and encouragementreadily available to migrantyouth, in written format as wellas through national and statemigrant education activities.(OME, SEA and LEA policyrecommendation)

Access to PostsecondaryEducation and FundingOpportunitiesGoal:To assure that when migrant students graduate from high school, theyare academically prepared to succeed in, have been admitted to,and know how they will fund at least the first year of their postsecondaryeducation.The college admissions processand the procurement of fundingfor further education are morecomplicated for the migrantstudent. Family members andeducational personnel, such asmigrant counselors, must provideongoing support to overcomethese and other obstacles tocontinued education. The roleof local educators in supportingthe migrant student’s progressionthrough a series of essential stepstoward participation in furthereducation is invaluable. Skilledguidance and support from theschool and local community areneeded to assist secondary schoolagedmigrant youth to enroll incollege preparatory coursework;participate in activities that willhold sway with college admissionboards; investigate postsecondaryopportunities and careers; preparecollege admission and financial aidapplications; and prepare parentsfor their roles in this process.

PolicyRecommendations:• Increase funding to the HighSchool Equivalency Program(HEP) and College AssistanceMigrant Program (CAMP).Educate Congressional leadersconcerning the urgent needto increase funding for HEPand CAMP and to expandthese programs to underservedregions in which migrantfamilies reside. (OME policyrecommendation)Recommendations for access topostsecondary education andfunding opportunities for secondaryschool-aged migrant youth are asfollows:• Provide current, accurateinformation to Congressionalleaders. Involve Congressionalleaders in soliciting supportfor students who areundocumented and/or whosemigrant eligibility has expired,as they prepare to graduatefrom high school so that thesestudents may be able toparticipate in postsecondaryeducation. The end resultwould be to make scholarshipsand financial aid for collegeaccessible to all migrantstudents in the U.S., regardlessof legal status, throughinitiatives such as the DreamAct. (OME, SEA and LEA policyrecommendation)• Recruit guest speakers.Provide migrant parentsopportunities to interact withculturally relevant, inspirationalrole models who can helpmigrant families obtainaccurate information aboutpostsecondary opportunitiesand experiences. (SEA andLEA policy recommendation)• Support access to andexploration of Internet or webbased resources. Developresources, incorporatingfamily activities that addressmigrant families’ needs andquestions about postsecondaryeducation opportunities andfunding sources, beginningin middle school years. Enlistthe assistance of the stateand local PAC to encourageparent participation andinvolve school counselors, localbusinesses and communityorganizations. (OME, SEA andLEA policy recommendation)• Involve the community.Promote Memoranda ofUnderstanding (MOUs) andother forms of alliance in orderto partner collaborativelywith community colleges,universities and technicalschools to offer tuition waivers,scholarships, and work/studyopportunities targeting migrantstudents. These opportunitiesshould include supportservices aimed at helpingstudents transition into collegeand be successful onceenrolled. (SEA and LEA policyrecommendation)

Out-of-School Youth (OSY)Goal:To assure that secondary school-aged migrant youth who are notattending school and have not received a high school diploma areoffered flexible, quality educational opportunities that address theirinterests and needs, and the essential supportive resources to participatein them.Out-of-school youth (OSY)served by the MEP can bestratified into two groups: thosewho never attended school inthe U.S. (here-to-work youth), andthose who attended school inthe U.S., but dropped out withoutgraduating.Migrant Education Programrequirements mandate thatyouth up to age 22 who havenot graduated from high schoolor obtained a GED be identified.Although OME has providedguidance for conducting a MEPspecificStatewide ComprehensiveNeeds Assessment, the agencyhas not included out-of-schoolyouth in its model. As a result,state SEAs have developedtheir own protocols or, morelikely, do not include OSY in theirComprehensive Needs Assessmentsor Service Delivery Plans. OSYcontinue to be one of the fastestgrowing subgroups within the MEPas well as the one least served.Policies are urgently needed toextend opportunities to out-ofschoolmigrant youth who wish tocontinue their education as well asto develop service delivery modelsfor states to assist them in meetingthe instructional and supportservices needs for those OSY whoare here-to-work.Improving educational accessand making connections tomuch needed support services forboth groups of OSY migrant youth– the here-to-work youth and thedropout – will require the leadershipof OME and the coordinatedinitiatives of state and local schooleducational agencies.

Miguel Acosta, Nelda Agado, Gloria Aguirre, Sylvia P. Alaniz, Rich Alberta, Diana Alejos,Hilda Aleman, Noemí Almaraz, Jacinto Alvarado, Maria Andujar, Dalinda Anzaldua,Linda Aranda, Cristina Avila-Gonzalez, Angelica Valdivia, José Luis Baron, Irene Benitez,Cynthia Bernal, Kathleen Bibus, Ramon Billescas, Jr., Glenn Bowers, Lynda Bradford, WendyBranstine, Yolanda Caballero, Roel Caceres, Imelda Cadena, Cheryl Call, David Campbell,Ester Campos, Michael Campos, Hilda Cantú, Melba Cardoza, Mary Ellen Cash, JessicaCastaneda, Jaime Castrejon, Patsy Caudill, Mary Lou Cavazos, Miguel G. Chacón, MariChavana, Mary Collins, Joel Brian Corona, Marta Corpus, Hector Cuevas, Bruce Day,Howard De Leeuw, Susan Delao-Flores, Carol Hansen Devine, Pat Doucet, Carol DuBois,Linda Easterling, Patricia Edwards, Elma Escobar, John Farrell, Cindy Ferdin, Luis Fernandez,Kim Fioramanti, Jamie Fleming, Janie Flores, Virginia Flores, Sally Fox, Paula Gaddis, MinervaGalvan, Arandina Garcia, Belinda Jo Garcia, David Garcia, Hermila Garcia, Jose G. Garcia,Roberto V. Garcia, Santa E. Garcia, Estela Garza, Inocencia Garza, Maricela Garza, MayraGarza, Rosie Garza, Rubén Garza, Sonia D. Garza, Isabel Gonzales, Maricella P. Gonzales,Annie Gonzalez, Dolores Gonzalez, Frances Gonzalez, Nora Gonzalez, Oralia Gonzalez,Pablo Gonzalez, Ramiro Gonzalez, Renee Gonzalez, Sandra Gonzalez, Jesusa Guajardo,Lourdes Guevara, Malena Gutierrez, Idolina Guzman, Juan Guzman, Maggie Guzman,Tom Hanley, Oliver Harwas,Sue Henry, Alma Hernandez,Gabriel Hernandez, Martha Educators N. Hinojosa, Olga Hinojosa,Sigi Huerta, Idalia R. Ibáñez, Minerva Ibarra, KathleenJackson, Diana Keller, Harold Nationwide Kirchner, Maria Lara, CeliaLeo, Enid Lindsey, SusanaLopez, Herminia Lopez, MaryAnn Losh, Robert Lynch, Contributing Alfred Magallanes, Jr., DebbieMargenau, Casimiro Martinez, Claudia Martinez, José L.Martinez, Matilde Martinez, to This Patricia Martinez, Sergio A.Martinez, Alice Matthews, Beth McCarty, Tomás Mejia,Ray Melecio, Rosie Mendez, Initiative Rosie Mendoza, RebeccaMesa, Patricia Meyertholen,Emilia Moreno, Nora Moreno,Abel Muñoz, José F. Nolasco, Aurora Ochoa, Noemi Ochoa, Amalia Ochoa-Garcia,Griselda Ornelas, Dawn Osborne, Edith Padron, Barbara Patch, Maria Paz, CuahutemocPaz, Sheila Peck, Laura Iris Pedraza, Janie Peña, Olga Peña, Sandra Peña, Joel Perales,Adela T. Perez, Elma Perez, Sandra Perez-Jaimes, Jack Perry, Brenda Pessin, CourtneyPiatt, Falacia Pier, Lydia Prieto, Guadalupe Pruneda, Claudia Quintanilla, Isabel Quintero,Arminda Ramirez, Diana Ramirez, Patricia Ramirez, Ramiro Ramon, Richard Ray, MarlaRea, Mike Rea, Cristina Richardson, Anna Rinaldi, Debra Rios, Rene Rios, Linda Roberts,Francisco Rodríguez, Melissa G. Rodríguez, Griselda Rodríguez, Irma Rodríguez, Maria C.Rodríguez, Penny Rodríguez, Robert Rodríguez, San Juanita Rodríguez, Teresa Rodríguez,Eleazar J. Romero, Angelica Rosales, Roger Rosenthal, Connie Saavedra, Irma Saenz, JoséSalazar, Esteban Salinas, José P. Salinas, Manuel Salinas, Maria Salinas, Rosaelia Salinas,Leonor C. Sanchez, Olman Sanchez, Sergio Sanchez, Gary Schmucker, Jennifer Shackles,Desiree Skinner, Darlene Slaby, Becky Smith, Johnny Snell, Jorge Solis, Gracie Soto, Timothy(TJ) Sparling, Cathy Tamayo, Linda Taormina, Brenda Thompson, Roel Tovar, Karina Valdes,Peg Vamosy, Cynthia Vasquez, Mary Vaughn, Jesús Vela, Jose A. Velásquez, Mimi Vidaurri,Sandra Villagomez, Delia Villarreal, Ginjer Villarreal, Earl T. Wiggins, Peggy Wimberley, ElvaWylie, Tomas Yañez, Martha Zamora, Cynthia Zamora, Fabiola Zarate, Fidencio ZavalaAR, AZ, CA, CO, DC, FL, IL, IN, KS, LA, MD, MN, MO, MT, ND, NE, NH, NY, OH, PA, TN, TX, WA, WI

Note of AppreciationThis Policy Brief and associated workbook were made possible throughthe efforts of hundreds of experienced and dedicated migranteducators who pooled their time, energy, and resources to support thesuccess of migrant high school-aged students.Special recognition goes to the National Association of State Directorsof Migrant Education (NASDME) whose leadership in hosting worksessions at the national conferences and supporting secondaryeducation experts to participate in efforts to improve the graduation rateof migrant students is commendable.The Florida Migrant Interstate Program and Texas Migrant InterstateProgram joined the National PASS Center in funding the April 2008Invitational Forum. Their generosity and support is appreciated! Inaddition, the Texas Migrant Interstate Program played an essential roleby sponsoring work sessions at its annual Secondary Credit AccrualWorkshops.The January 2008 policy brief, “A Call for Action: Migrant Students andthe High School Redesign Movement,” developed by the InterstateMigrant Education Council (IMEC) was an invaluable resource duringthe Invitational Forum. Many of IMEC’s policy recommendations aresupported in this Policy Brief.Special appreciation is extended to contributing authors PatriciaMeyertholen of Texas, Linda Roberts and Carol Hansen Devine of theWashington State Migrant Education Program, and Robert Lynch of theNational PASS Center, as well as to Eva McKendry of the National PASSCenter for her layout and design talents.Published January 2009National PASS Coordinating Committee (NPCC)Linda Roberts, NPCC ChairpersonRobert Lynch, National PASS Center Director27 Lackawanna AvenueMt. Morris, NY 14510-1096(800) 245-5681