We welcome back Stephanie Carnes, a school social worker who has worked extensively with Central American immigrant students and their families. School systems are designed for homogenous student populations, rather than the diverse reality.  Despite new immigrants’ high motivation levels, they often fail for lack of support. School social workers could help design asset-based programs but often aren’t given a seat at the table.

Overview

00:00-00:48 Intros
00:48-02:34 Pandemic magnified structural inequities of American school system
02:34-09:05 Education system fails Central American immigrant students
09:05-13:08 What school districts can do
13:08-16:30 Collaborative system redesign needed
16:30-17:46 Collaborative vs. siloed school environments
17:46-19:31 What individual teachers can do
19:31-21:35 In a survey, BIPOC school social workers reported lower burnout levels than white social workers
21:35-23:00 Monocultural and bicultural identities
23:00-25:40 Confusion and conflict in schools about role of social worker
25:40-27:30 Outro

Transcript

Click here to see the full transcription of this episode.

References

Click here to listen to our first interview with Stephanie Carnes “Post-traumatic growth and resilience: Creating safe environments for Central American immigrant children”.