[Special Issue on Hmong Newcomers to Saint Paul Public Schools] Supporting Hmong Newcomers Academic and Social Transition to Elementary School

Authors

Martha Bigelow, University of MinnesotaFollow
Letitia Basford, Hamline University
Esther Smidt, Minnesota State University, Mankato

Abstract

When elementary aged Hmong children were resettled in St. Paul Public Schools after the closing of the Wat Tham Krabok refugee camp in Thailand, their families largely enrolled them in either a Transitional Language Center or a Language Academy program. This study reports on the perceptions teachers and educational assistants had about how well these programs met the needs of this unique population of newcomers. Findings show that the Transitional Language Centers were better able to ease the adjustment to school for the Hmong newcomers because of the safe, bilingual environment they created.

Recommended Citation

Bigelow, Martha; Basford, Letitia; and Smidt, Esther (2008) "[Special Issue on Hmong Newcomers to Saint Paul Public Schools] Supporting Hmong Newcomers Academic and Social Transition to Elementary School," Journal of Southeast Asian American Education and Advancement: Vol. 3 : Iss. 1, Article 2.
DOI: 10.7771/2153-8999.1098
Available at: https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/jsaaea/vol3/iss1/2