ImmSchools

From crossing the Arizona desert at 11 years old to having a school counselor call immigration when I told him I was undocumented, my immigration experience has been a critical part of my identity and educational journey. I am applying for The Elevate Prize because as an immigrant, I am creating the world that my mother envisioned when we left Mexico. A world where our worth is measured by our determination, resilience, and strength, and not by our immigration status. I co-founded ImmSchools along with two other formerly undocumented women, to transform our schools into safe, welcoming and inclusive learning spaces where every student, no matter their immigration status, can thrive. 

 ImmSchools is at a pivotal moment in time for catalytic impact.  If awarded, The Elevate Prize will directly support our expansion efforts as hire four additional team members who will support in the implementation of our programs across our regions of San Antonio, Dallas, New York City and Camden. In the next three years, we seek to partner with over 10 school districts serving more than 1.5 million students, provide training to 10,000 teachers, and direct services to more than 5,000 undocumented students and families in our schools.

Within a week of arriving in the U.S., I was enrolled in 7th grade in Dallas, Texas.  Aside from giving me her blessing, my mother reminded me on the first day of school that I was to not share our immigration status. It didn’t take long to witness and experience how immigrant students were treated. How unsafe and unwelcoming I felt when teachers couldn’t communicate with me or my parents. The fear that took over me when the front office clerk said that parents needed a driver’s license in order to come inside the school. No child should ever be afraid of the same places that are meant to protect them. Undocumented students are not receiving an equitable education and this is one of the greatest injustices of our world. I believe that enduring change can only occur when it is dreamed, developed and delivered by our own impacted communities.

I have worked as an immigrant activist fighting for pro-immigrant policies and supporting undocumented students for the last 15 years. I co-founded ImmSchools in 2018 to ensure that every student, no matter their immigration status, has the opportunity to receive an equitable education and reach their fullest potential.

While all children have the right to a K-12 education in the U.S. regardless of their immigration status, the promise of an equal education is not being upheld in our classrooms today. Currently, more than 4.1 Million K-12 students have an undocumented parent or are undocumented themselves, yet, 1% of our nation’s 132,000 schools have enacted pro-immigrant policies and practices protecting the rights of undocumented students. Additionally, the external pressures facing immigrant families affect a child’s ability to thrive in the classroom. Educators that have participated in our programs have shared how fear over students’ immigration status manifest in the classroom through absenteeism, emotional and behavioral problems, and low academic achievement.

ImmSchools is harnessing the power of immigrant students and their families to center K-12 schools as the leading entity for the protection and advancement of immigrant rights in the U.S. ImmSchools’ programs includes facilitating workshops for immigrant students and families about their rights in and outside of schools, strengthening the leadership capacity of educators in order to holistic support undocumented students, and consulting with school districts to adopt and implement pro-immigrant policies that enables them to become accountable to serve, protect, and provide an equitable education to all children.

ImmSchools work is innovative in the following ways:

Leadership: ImmSchools knows the fight towards educational equity must be led by those directly impacted by oppression. Immigrant families and educators lead and drive every aspect of our development from our board to our staff. 

Focus: We are the only proximately-led immigration organization focusing exclusively on the K-12 education system as a pathway to equity. Most pro-immigrant efforts are focused on undoing damage by providing legal aid. Our solution offers a proactive, intersectional approach to enact solutions before an injustice occurs. 

Community Approach: Unlike organizations that focus solely on the student, thereby erasing their parents and perpetuating a white supremacist narrative, we take a whole-family approach, treating and including parents as the leaders they are. 

Program Design: Because of our personal experiences, our team translates the complexity of intersecting systems into highly engaging, asset-based programming, that leads to enduring change in our schools. 

We know our approach to this work is effective because of immigrant parents like Ms. Nereida, a mother of four school-age children. After learning about ImmSchools through a local organization, Ms. Nereida has participated in six ImmSchools’ sessions covering topics including, the rights of immigrants in the K-12 system, early childhood programs and college access. As a result of these sessions, she has increased her attendance and engagement in parent teacher conferences, she has connected her son to scholarships and has facilitated professional development training for parent coordinators in NYC public schools. Since our founding, more than 4,300 families like Ms. Nereida have attended our programs, with 100% of them indicating having greater trust in schools and knowledge of their rights as a result of our programs.

We know immigrant families will lead the way in the creation of inclusive and equitable schools which deeply values the rich and diverse experiences of immigrants in this country and where their liberation is palpable. Finally, each of the more than 56.6 million U.S. K-12 school children will experience a more just and diverse education system, with real policies in place, ensuring each one can live free from systems of oppression and injustice.