Examining contexts of reception for newcomer students

Abstract

The educational opportunities, experiences, and outcomes of immigrant students are shaped in critical ways by the districts and schools they attend. Using a context of reception framework, we draw on administrative data from two states to examine several features of contexts of reception for newcomers as a whole and for newcomer subgroups. Specifically, we explore a range of distributional, demographic, and academic factors that shape the contexts of reception newcomers encountered in each state’s districts and schools. Given that our findings suggest newcomers’ contexts of reception vary widely, we discuss implications for educational leaders serving newcomers in different contexts.