Understanding the Educational Opportunities of Recently-Arrived Puerto Rican Students

From September to December 2017, in the aftermath of hurricanes like Irma and Maria, Orange County Public Schools (OCPS) has received over 2,500 students from Puerto Rico—about 26 students per day this school year from September to December 2017. Of the 188 schools in Orange County, 54 have been impacted, with some schools enrolling as many as over 40 new students at their school alone. These displaced students are greatly in need of both academic and non-academic supports as they incur the transitional costs of migration (e.g., building new social networks; learning new cultural norms; transferring credits from former schools; learning a new language). Given the lack of experience with mainland U.S. education, recently-arrived Puerto Rican families will likely rely on OCPS to help navigate their educational transitions. Yet, we have limited information about the concerns and needs of Puerto Rican families that have been displaced by the hurricanes. This project aims to collect and analyze data on academic and personal experiences from recently-arrived Puerto Rican students and their families, as well as data on the perspectives and experiences of OCPS school personnel.