Silence Is Not an Option: Why Immigrant Students Need an Active Welcome Now

The Evidence Is Clear: Belonging Is Essential for Learning

In 2000, Karen Osterman published “Students' Need for Belonging in the School Community,”. an examination of research on teaching practices that either strengthen or weaken students' classroom belonging. Since that time, a wide range of researchers have demonstrated that belonging is foundational to academic success. While researchers have made the case, the gulf between research and practice is vast. The gap is even wider for immigrant-origin youth whose sense of belonging declines the longer they are in U.S. schools. A particularly devastating finding from a longitudinal study of immigrant youth by Carola Suárez-Orozco found that only 6 percent of immigrant students could name a teacher as someone they’d go to with a problem, and just 3 percent could identify a teacher who was proud of them.

A 2022 survey of over 3,000 students—conducted by the Immigration Initiative at Harvard (led by Carola Suárez-Orozco), YouthTruth, and Re-Imagining Migration—exposes a stark two-tiered reality in American schools. Immigrant students encouraged to share their backgrounds thrive with a high sense of belonging and strong teacher relationships. Those silenced face systematic barriers: cultural invisibility, limited support, academic struggle.

This research isn't academic—it's urgent. Last winter and spring, as immigration enforcement intensified, attendance from immigrant youth plummeted because families no longer felt safe—not at home, not in their communities, and not in schools. As students return this fall facing continued uncertainty, schools must actively counter the broader societal messages questioning whether they truly belong in America—or become complicit in the damage.

What Silence Actually Communicates

Administrators who choose "neutrality" toward immigrant families aren't avoiding politics. Paradoxically, they are making a political statement. Silence communicates that some families matter more than others. It tells immigrant students their presence is “controversial” rather than valued.

This administrative abdication has educational consequences. When students can't focus on learning because they're worried about family safety, academic achievement suffers schoolwide. When teachers can't build trusting relationships with all families, their effectiveness diminishes. Of course, the impact doesn’t end at the school doors; it’s bad for all of our students, their families, and for the communities we hope to build. 

Concrete Actions for School Leaders

Inspired by our work with educators from across the country, from New York to North Carolina, here are immediate steps administrators can take:

Week-One Actions

• Send multilingual welcome messages to all families, emphasizing that every student belongs.
• Train staff to recognize and interrupt discriminatory comments.
• Post "Everyone Is Welcome Here" signage in multiple languages throughout the building—a message so fundamental that when Idaho teacher Sarah Inama displayed it, administrators forced its removal as "controversial."
• Brief teachers on legal protections for immigrant students under Plyler v. Doe.

First-Month Priorities

• Hold family listening sessions in multiple languages to understand community needs.
• Partner with local immigrant-serving organizations to provide resource referrals.
• Update bullying policies to explicitly address anti-immigrant harassment.
• Create protocols to support students experiencing family disruptions.

Ongoing Commitments

• Ensure curricula reflect the cultural backgrounds of all students.
• Provide professional development for school faculty on culturally responsive teaching practices and asset-based approaches to supporting multilingual learners.
• Establish programs connecting immigrant students with caring adults and supportive peers.

Promising Developments Amid Uncertainty

There are reasons for hope. Massachusetts recently passed the Educational Equity Act, ensuring that Plyler v. Doe protections are now state law, regardless of federal policy changes. This is the kind of proactive leadership schools need: anticipating challenges and building protective infrastructure.

At the federal level, Title III and Office of Migrant Education funding that had been withheld has now been restored, securing critical resources for English learners and immigrant students just as schools need them most.

Schools can serve as protective buffers against this toxic stress—or become sites of division rather than bridges to opportunity.

The Path Forward

School leaders who want their institutions to thrive in our changing communities must move beyond passive tolerance toward active belonging. This isn't about political positioning—it's about educational excellence. 2023 guidance from the U.S. Department of Education explains that schools implementing comprehensive welcome practices see improved outcomes for all students.

The question isn't whether immigrant students need support—they do. The question isn't whether this support benefits everyone—it does. The only question is whether school leaders will act.

As classrooms fill with students carrying both hope and anxiety about their place in American schools, administrators have the power to tip the balance toward belonging. But even when leadership falters, individual teachers can be protective allies, creating the inclusive environments that benefit every student. The choice is theirs—and the moment is now.

For concrete implementation tools and professional development resources, visit reimaginingmigration.org.

Adam Strom is executive director of Re-Imagining Migration, an organization that works with educators to create inclusive schools where all students—including those from immigrant families—develop the skills to thrive in our interconnected world.