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Characteristics of Adolescent Sierra Leonean Refugees in Public Schools in New York City

College of Staten Island, New York

The tendency to view immigrant students as a monolithic group has masked the needs of specific groups of students. This study gives visibility to Sierra Leonean refugee students and indicates to policy makers, administrators, and teachers provisions that would facilitate the students' integration into the school system in the United States. The research questions are explored through interviews with teachers and students and observations at the school. The results indicate that a caring school environment is crucial for counteracting the traumatic effects of war, thus promoting learning, and that limited proficiency in English caused by interrupted schooling is the greatest barrier to integration.

Key Words: adolescents • refugees • Sierra Leone • public schools

This version was published on March 1, 2008

Education and Urban Society, Vol. 40, No. 3, 361-376 (2008)
DOI: 10.1177/0013124507304453


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