SEARCHING THE BRYCS DATABASE -
ALEX LOOKS FOR RESOURCES TO HELP LOCAL
SCHOOLS BETTER SERVE LIBERIAN YOUTH

As the BRYCS clearinghouse continues to grow, those who regularly use the Web site are often surprised to learn about the depth and breadth of resources available on www.brycs.org. In order to enhance users' ability to navigate the BRYCS Web site, we present a scenario from the field, and address that scenario with resources from the BRYCS Clearinghouse. This spring, this feature will take the form of a streaming video, which will demonstrate how to find resources on www.brycs.org. We would be greatly interested in hearing your feedback (email: info at brycs.org or call 1-888-572-6500 ext.3).

Alex,* the director of the Center for New Americans, has heard that the Liberian youth who participate in center activities have been “acting out” in the classroom, disrupting the class for other students, and are having difficulty completing their classroom assignments. Alex has spoken with several teachers and school administrators who feel unprepared to meet the needs of these newly-arrived youth, and have asked for his center’s assistance.

Alex contacted BRYCS via our toll free number, 1-888-572-6500, requesting assistance from our staff. He also could have sent an email to info at brycs.org.

How can the BRYCS Clearinghouse help with this problem?

Staff directed Alex to the BRYCS home page at www.brycs.org. The BRYCS February/March Spotlight, Refugee Students and the No Child Left Behind Act, provides an overview of the ways in which refugee students are directly affected by this legislation. With this information, he felt that he could better advocate for these youth within the schools.

He also immediately noticed the three featured searches accompanying the Spotlight article this month. These featured searches list BRYCS’ newest, most relevant, and free resources addressing the following topics, as they relate specifically to refugee children and the schools:

• No Child Left Behind Act;
• teaching strategies and resources; and
• conflict resolution.

By clicking on the Featured Search for ‘teaching strategies and resources’, Alex found 16 resources. After reading their titles and descriptions, Alex thought the following publications would be most helpful for assisting the teachers and school administrators:

• Illinois' Refugee Children School Impact Grant Video Tool Kit: In Our Country: Educating Newcomers in America and Welcoming New Learners: A Professional Development Tool. Illinois' Refugee Children School Impact Grant (RCSIG) Partnership Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) Illinois Department of Human Services Chicago Public Schools. Guide is 49 pages. Springfield, IL: Illinois State Board of Education, 2005.
• Strategies for Success: Engaging Immigrant Students in Secondary Schools. ERIC Digest. Walqui, Aida. ERIC Digest. 4 pages. Washington, DC: ERIC Clearinghouse on Languages and Linguistics, June 2000.
• The Culturally Diverse Classroom: A Guide for ESL and Mainstream Teachers. Brigaman, Katie J. Paper presented at the Graduate Student Forum, TESOL Convention 2003, USA. 55 pages. December 9, 2002.
• Bridging Cultures with Classroom Strategies. Rothstein-Fisch, Carrie Greenfield, Patricia M. Trumbull, Elise. Educational Leadership. v.56, n.7, p.64-67. April 1999

• Connecting Families, Schools and Community Resources. Family Strengthening Policy Center (FSPC) Family Strengthening Policy Center Policy Brief. n.2, 13 pages. Washington, DC: National Human Services Assembly, Family Strengthening Policy Center (FSPC) October 2004.

Since the teachers had noted problems between the Liberian refugee youth and other boys, he decided to look at this month’s Featured Search on conflict resolution. Alex found 12 resources available and chose the following publications for free download:

• Fostering a Positive Climate in Our Schools. Vengadasalam, Maya. 3 pages. Kent, WA: Kent School District.
• A Conflict Resolution/Student Mediation Program: Effects on Student Attitudes and Behaviors. Hanson, Marjorie K. ERS Spectrum: The Journal of School Research and Information. v.12, n.4, p.9-14. 1994 Fall.
• Improving Ethnic and Racial Relations in the Schools. ERIC Digest. Romo, Harriett. ERIC Digest. 4 pages. Charleston, WV: ERIC Clearinghouse on Rural Education and Small Schools, October 1997.
• Conflict Resolution Education: Preparing Youth for the Future. Crawford, Donna K. Bodine, Richard J. Juvenile Justice. v.8, n.1, June 2001.

After downloading these resources, Alex wondered if BRYCS had covered similar topics in past Spotlights and Promising Practices. He clicked on the Archive link on the left side of the home page.

Once on the Archive page, he clicked on the Education link at the top of the page, and thought the following resources would be helpful:

• Spotlight article: Serving Children with Little or No Previous Formal Schooling. Dunn, Burna and Bridging Refugee Youth and Children's Services (BRYCS), March 2005.
• Spotlight Introduction: Serving Children with Little or No Previous Formal Schooling. Bridging Refugee Youth and Children's Services (BRYCS), March 2005.

He also found the following Program Descriptions under the heading “Promising Practices for Refugee-Serving Programs”:

• Transitional Schooling Program, Louisville, KY - administered by Catholic Charities, Migration and Refugee Services of Louisville and Jefferson County Public Schools - February 2006
• Refugee Youth Program of World Relief DuPage/Aurora, Illinois - administered by World Relief DuPage/Aurora - February 2006
• The Students Plus Program - administered by the International Rescue Committee in San Diego, CA. - July 2005

Alex now had the resources he needed on education strategies and conflict resolution in the classroom. He next turned to the Targeted Resources menu at the top of the home page for cultural information, and clicked on the Practitioners Tab for resources for those who provide direct services to refugee youth and children.

He also could have scrolled down the Targeted Resources page until he came to that section. Under Practitioners, there are links for resources on cultural competency as well as resources listed by cultural and ethnic group. Alex scrolled down and clicked on the link for Liberians:

Of the ten resources listed, he chose to download the following:

• Liberian Refugees: Cultural Considerations for Social Service Providers. Bridging Refugee Youth and Children’s Services (BRYCS) and Susan Schmidt. 13 pages. Baltimore, MD and Washington, DC: Author, April 2005.
• Liberians: An Introduction to their History and Culture. Ranard, Donald A. (ed.) Dunn-Marcos, Robin Kollehlon, Konia T. Ngovo, Bernard Russ, Emily. Culture Profile No. 19. n.19, 82 pages. Washington, DC: Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL), The Refugee Service Center, U.S. Department of State, April 2005.
• Background on Potential Health Issues for Liberian Refugees. Office of Global Health Affairs, Humanitarian and Refugee Health Affairs, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) 19 pages. Rockville, MD: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Humanitarian and Refugee Health Affairs, Office of Global Health Affairs, January 30, 2004.

In addition to the Practitioners’ resource list on the Targeted Resources page, Alex looked through the list of resources under the Educators and Parents Tab. He felt that the parents of the Liberian youth should be engaged in any interventions for them. Although this would be important for any youth, he knew enough about refugees to realize that including these youths’ families – and extended families – in educational efforts and interventions is particularly important to the youth’s well-being and success in this new country. Out of the 34 resources listed, he thought that the following publications would be especially helpful in his work with these youth’s families:

• Raising Children in a New Country: A Toolkit for Working with Newcomer Parents. Bridging Refugee Youth and Children's Services (BRYCS) and Susan Schmidt. 13 pages. Baltimore, MD and Washington, DC: BRYCS, September 2005.
• A Guide to Your Children's Schools: A Parent Handbook. Adult Learning Resource Center, Des Plaines, IL. 37 pages. Des Plaines, IL: Adult Learning Resource Center, February 2002.
• School Success Tool-Kit: Tools To Help You Get Involved in Your Child's Education. People For the American Way Foundation. 49 pages. Washington, DC: People For the American Way Foundation, 2003.
• Understanding the Laws on How You Can Discipline Your Children: A Guide for New Immigrant Families to the Laws About Child Abuse and Neglect in New York. Fan, Lydia. 10 pages for each translation. New York: Coalition for Asian American Children and Families, January 2002.

Alex also saw that the parenting toolkit, Raising Children in a New Country: A Toolkit for Working with Newcomer Parents, was available on CD Rom, including many of the full-text curricula and other resources. He promptly called 1-888-572-6500, ext. 3, and ordered the CD to have as a resource at his center.

With all of this information on hand, Alex now felt that he could contact the teachers and school administrators to offer assistance, including sharing these materials with them. He also felt far better prepared to offer support to these youth and their families at The Center for New Americans. He began to think about developing prevention services that build on the strengths of these youth and foster the ability of the schools and their families to support them during this vulnerable time of transition to a new culture during adolescence. From BRYCS staff, he learned that BRYCS will be publishing a toolkit on “Positive Youth Development” this coming June. Since this resource would help him to serve these youth, he made sure he was on BRYCS’ mailing list so that he would be notified as soon as it is available.

In addition to these resources from the BRYCS Clearinghouse, BRYCS staff let Alex know that they are available by phone and email for on-going technical assistance and, if needed, can make a site visit to provide training to his Center and to the school. Alex plans to continue to consult with BRYCS staff as he provides assistance to these youth, their families, and their school.

* This example of technical assistance via BRYCS.org is based on a request received by BRYCS in February 2006; however, the name and some details have been changed to protect confidentiality.