SOL Association: Improving the Landscape for Newcomers in the American Educational System
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Migration flows have significantly changed the composition of classrooms; and the influx of immigrant children has led to the emergence of social, cultural and linguistic diversity within the American educational system. The substantial and growing number of newcomer students has raised attention to increasing rates of psychiatric morbidity, deteriorating medical conditions and poor academic functioning--which significantly impact community engagement and integration. Unfortunately, existing policies, programs and procedures are not systematically equipped to meet the unique needs, challenges and barriers of this vulnerable population. It is imperative to mitigate academic barriers, improve intercultural communication and facilitate the integration of newcomers within the school system. To ensure that newcomer students are receiving appropriate educational services in their respective schools, a community engagement and social innovation model has been used to create a non-profit corporation, SOL Association. SOL Association is a visionary and provocative project in support of the educational equity and excellence of newcomer students. SOL Association will not only mobilize and empower the school community to strengthen and ameliorate existing programs and services for newcomers; but it will also analyze and disseminate data to inform policy, practice and research at all government levels. This comprehensive project includes a detailed business plan for the development, implementation and evaluation of this corporation. SOL Association has a distinctive, narrative and alluring vision with the potential of creating a paradigm shift nationally and internationally—keeping in mind that student achievement, satisfaction, engagement and integration is paramount.