Higher Education: Access for Undocumented Students

   Introduction:  
 

     For my Inquiry Blog Post #3 I have decided to focus on Immigration Law underneath the umbrella of Education Law. My topic will be focused on access to higher education and the discrepancies in place against undocumented students in the United States. Many laws are under states discretion currently, which students may not be aware of.  I am currently doing research on campus for this subject and believe that by using my background knowledge with my students I would be utilizing the resources I had as a college student. 

     If I were to teach this, I may teach this in a legal studies class, something that I believe all students should have to take. Students often are not aware of their legal rights and learning more about what is impacting them, and their peers will give them an opportunity to be empathetic for one another. We also are very misinformed by the media when it comes to legal debates and topics, often in politicians' campaigns. In high school I was never given the opportunity to learn more about my legal rights, since in middle school we passed one constitution test and never discussed it further. As I am teaching seniors right now, I would like to include a range of academic texts and legal documents with academic synopses to assist students in their overall comprehension. If I could create a target audience for this class, it would be seniors or advanced students.  I don't think legal documents are fit for a younger audience unless they have had some experience digesting advanced literature already. Most of the documents below do include legal documents in the text which has put them at higher reading levels as a result. I know from my experience that when you come across a legal document you have not heard of it is helpful to look the document up on google. Usually, an academic summary will pop up, this can build upon research skills. So, in this class I would expect that students are looking into what they do not know. All of the citations are listed below on the Work Cited page.

A Graphic Organizer that represents the main topics in the unit!

 
 

 

PRINT TEXT  

First Source 

Higher Education Portal  

https://www.higheredimmigrationportal.org/resources/policies/  

 Summary:  

My first resource is the higher education portal, which explains different policies in a summarized format and includes information based on each state's policies. States discretion has an influence on what policies are impacting undocumented students so utilizing a source that has every state law will give students insight on the different range. This site incorporates both lists of facts and visuals to correspond with the data. The subcategories for this site include States, National, Areas, Resources, Data Tools, and About. When students click on the states section, they are introduced to a map which they can click on state by state to get focused data. The map of the United States is separated based upon the tuition and financial aid equity since these policies are under states jurisdiction. For example, if I were to teach in Wisconsin, I would note that Wisconsin is one of five states highlighted in pink which is considered Restrictive. As a student I may be curious to how Wisconsin is restrictive versus Washington which is listed as Comprehensive Access. If a student wants to compare data, it will be an easy click. Before continuing onto that data if you scroll down from the map there will be more federal policies that separate states by driver license protocol, professional licensure access, and more. If we clicked on Wisconsin, we know that there are 11,433 international students and 26,000 first- and second-generation immigration students reported in the United States. Each state will include data on economic contributions, spending power, and specialized careers like Health Care and Stem. This can be a way for students to note the severity of a state's decision since it is impacting many students who are contributing to their state overall. In the State Policy section, they will find more on three categories Access and Affordability, Workforce Entry and Eligibility, and Mobility. This site is also amazing since it has linked that students can click on directly to see the Wisconsin legislation. Wisconsin A.B 40 is an example of a bill that is linked on the page, so they could reference official legislation if they were curious. There are also attachments of research reports and policies on this page that are easy to access for all students. Accessibility to these links is of the utmost importance, thus why I decided to highlight this resource since the site has an abundance of easily accessible information that has been updated this year. The Higher Ed Immigration Portal is a great place students can start if they want to get a background foundation for students around them. This can be considered a form of multimedia as it has links to other resources and comprehensive images.  

 

 

The graph is an example of information you could gather via the website. 

 

 
Quantitative Data:  

When I read through this data, I presumed that this reading level was around 10th grade. After reflecting that the legislative overviews would also be included in the reading level, I knew that the reading level could be higher. Students would need to research further on complex policies so I believe this could be a great resource to learn how to research. The reading level is for 14th.7 grade based on the reading level calculation below. This makes this an ideal form of information as it is at a reading level that I would consider high which would set clear high expectations for the students. When you read through the summary portions, the website does a great job at simplifying and introducing the topics that are ahead. This is fit for high school students as setting high expectations for students will guarantee they meet high expectations. If I were to include any sites that have above a 12th grade reading level, I would have additional links to support for summary. In this case if we were to do an assignment where they learn more about their state, I may include something like this: https://www.madison.k12.wi.us/multilingual-global-education/immigrant-students-and-families/immigrant-students-and-families-frequently-asked-questions. This link includes a list of questions parents can ask about their students in Wisconsin. This is condensed information that may assist before going onto the more complex material. I believe the reading level is fit because of the legal text, however the rest of it is very digestible.  

 

 

Qualitative Data: 

When using the Text Complexity: Qualitative Measures Rubric I found the text to be in the very complex category. I would consider this document to be easier to infer from than others that I have read through. Students could navigate this page easily since there are many integrated graphics, tables, and charts that help with the comprehension of the text. In the language features for this chart this link can be considered complex because there are words that seem unfamiliar and are subject specific. I would debate if they’re "overly academic" however with legal documents that would be foreign to most students this information will be uncharted territory. This text does include a range of recognizable ideas since they go over what policies they will be referencing for example on the resource page it states, " Policies established at the federal and state level can have a significant impact on higher education access, degree completion, and post-graduate career prospects for DACA and undocumented students, other immigrant students and their families, and international students and scholars." This is straightforward and guides the reader to know what they will be looking at below. For the states section there is a clickable map, making it recognizable for all students since the map has been engrained in our memories as students.  

Task and Reader Complexity: Students in my class would expect that they would be introduced to a variety of legal topics in education law. One could be able Title IX where we discuss dress codes and the history of sexism and discrimination in education. For this unit they can expect that they will be learning both federal and state policies. In this unit students would use the search to 1) work on their research skills, navigating a database at their own pace and 2) do an in-depth review on Wisconsin's states policies so they can grasp what is impacting the residents around them. This lesson would most likely fall after a review on federal policies as it would be important to note the differences among what the supreme court, congress, and the senate have passed versus what is in Wisconsin's hands for students. In retrospect, I would want the class structure to follow three subunits in immigration law: Federal law, state law, higher education polices and jurisdiction. This is above a 12th grade reading level so since this is considered a complex text this would be best supported with a less complex activity. While students are discovering more about their states policies and power, they could fill out a sheet that asks questions like: what was the most surprising to you? What policy do you think Wisconsin should reconsider? Compare two states and explain how they are the most different? This would assist with the skills I mentioned above while also not making the assignment too hard so they can focus on the information.  

When using Reading Diversity Lite's text complexity rubric and checking for diversity in the text, I would say that this text does do a good job with mentioning: race, immigration, ethnicity, gender, age and economic class. There are a few questions on the teaching tolerance page that the text does not meet the standards for, which is why I wouldn't consider this to be one of my culturally relevant sources. This text is helpful for students for background information, to learn more about the disparities impacting students it may be better to reference one of the texts below.  

 
Second Source 

REAL ID ACT - OFFICIAL DOCUMENT  

 

Additional Print Source:  https://www.dhs.gov/xlibrary/assets/real-id-act-text.pdf  

Official document - the Real ID Act - includes this so that they do have a little experience with an actual Act. This also makes students reflect on the legislation impacting people around them. When I found out there was a federal policy that prohibited Drivers Licenses for students, I was shocked by the implications that it has. I need my driver's license for a variety of things  

 
 

MULTIMODEL SOURCES 

First Source 

 

 

Brief Summary: The infographic above is titled "What immigration Means to Wisconsin." This is an example of how states information can be condensed in an accessible format. Having subsections that include Immigrant households, labor force, community percentages, and data is helpful for students in learning more about Wisconsin. If they look at the policies impacting residents in Wisconsin it is also important to know how many people they are impacting.  

 
 

Quantitative Data: The reading level is 9.4 according to the resource below. When I read through this infographic, I assumed it would be in the earlier grades of high school too. This makes sense since the information is condensed and is supposed to be a more accessible source for the public as it is attached to a longer article from the American Immigration Council. By supplying this attached to their research in Wisconsin they are ensuring that the public can read through their data and not have to digest a five-page fact sheet. The infographic is attached to this page which shows how they condensed a lot of information in a digestible source: https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/sites/default/files/research/immigrants_in_wisconsin.pdf. 

 
 
 

 

 
 
 

Qualitative Data: 

 

When using the Text Complexity: Qualitative Measures Rubric I found the text to be slightly complex. The information is clear with a narrow focus, giving direct data on how many immigrants reside in Wisconsin and exact numbers for income and work-related stats. This text if used will help the student understand the content. The graphics are simple and can assist in interpreting the pdf research if needed. The sentences are simple and do not include legal jargon. For example, they state speak English "well" or "very well." Anyone reading this would be able to understand this information and the percentage attached to it. I would consider this information to include simple and concrete ideas like the slightly complex section states. The information they want the reader to know the most is bolded and in bigger font at the top. The most important data on this sheet should be the 4.8% of the state's population since it is in the biggest font on the infographic. This is one way that the text feature is supposed to help the reader navigate and understand the content. This is not an essential part since there is only a little amount of data on the infographic to retain, so if the audience reads the entire graphic, they can understand all the key points. Overall, this is easy to digest and helpful for a large audience. In class this would be a great way to begin research with easy-to-read data or to have the students work on a more complex assignment. Infographics are always nice because they are straight to the point and are supposed to be in the slightly complex section in the Qualitative Measure Rubric if they intend to be the most accessible.  

 
 

Task and Reader Complexity: In this text students would be able to easily jot done the statistics that they found important. As this is a new unit this could fall after the database they researched since they did a less complex assignment. With their newfound background knowledge this information would clarify the impact on the state's policies. When you first read that the Real ID act for example is enforced, a student would not realize the severity until they read that 278,981 residents are immigrants in Wisconsin. For this infographic students should receive a more complex assignment since it is good to pair complex text with less complex work and the opposite. For this infographic I would have students pick a fact and apply it to one of the policies they learned about. They would state why the statistics are important in understanding the impact of states jurisdiction for federal policies. This would need to include at least three sites to show that more research was done (good way to introduce the concept of citation hoping. This class would be meant to include a lot of research so this is an example of how students would be homing in on those skills.  

 
 

When using Reading Diversity Lite's text complexity rubric and checking for diversity in the text, I would say this infographic lacks. I checked off mainly "No" since they only meet the immigration standard. An infographic should supply students with easily digestible information so in this case, students may not be receiving diversity within the graphic, however the entire topic for this unit is considered diverse. In the pdf research article, there is more information on specific groups that would meet the standards on the rubric. Students should refer to that for more information and cultural references. For how many people are being impacted it is important to know their backgrounds too, which I provide in a later article.  

 
 

Second Source 

 

Comic Book on Safe Passage  

https://www.safepassageproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Safe-Passage-Project-Comic-Book-English.pdf - safety seeking is a human right  

 

Brief Summary: This is a comic book that is written from the Safe Passage Project. The United States government does not provide immigrants with free legal counsel. Many must go through legal procedures without the aid of an attorney. The odds listed on the first page are "the odds of winning a case in New York is around 17%. The odds of winning a case in New York with a lawyer are around 85%". This comic book is all about human rights and how lawyers can help you as an undocumented resident. This is a great multimodal resource for this topic if we were to include a comic at the end of the unit as a fun way to digest the information they learned.  

 
 
 

CULTURALLY RELEVANT

Living in the Shadows: Plight of the Undocumented 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5129489/ 

 
 

Includes firsthand experiences from multiple people  
 

Brief Summary: This article goes through a few different first accounts of being undocumented in the United States. For example, Dolores who was older, convinced immigration authorities that she was a minor because she looked younger than 21. She found a way to petition for asylum. In this article they state, "We are in a world in which culture and diversity are cornerstones of the health care industry, influencing the role of psychologists in multiple settings, including educational, clinical, forensic, research, and organizational settings." This quote shows how this text would be considered culturally relevant. They discuss how the policies in order are impacting a range of diverse groups. Students are becoming more empathetic as a result of reading this article. This article also does a great job at explaining asylum like Dolores explains going through where they explain the five grounds for being considered including " (a) race, (b) religion, (c) nationality, (d) membership in a particular social group, and (e) political opinion." Admittedly this is an extremely long article as it is in the Journal of Clinical Psychology, however even just having the students read the abstract will be helpful for the students. This will provide students with first-hand account experience and the factors that contributed to her asylum journey below so that they don't have to look elsewhere for information.  

 

A quote that stands out in the abstract for more insight: "The word “immigration” has become a household buzzword. The welcome sign on the Statue of Liberty that reads, “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,” however, is fading and has been replaced by many complicated conditions."  
 

Quantitative Data: The reading level is listed as 13.4 on the reading level tool monitor. When I read this text, I assumed it would be listed at either a 12 or 13th grade on the reading level since they are mentioning specific legislative policies again. I do not gauge 13.4 as too advanced for seniors. Ideally students would be meeting their grade standard so when it is slightly above that can mean that they will be meeting a higher standard. Higher expectations should always be set, because when you set low expectations, you are going to see low results. When legal documents are discussed, I have seen that the reading level goes up. In this type of class, it is unavoidable to have articles that discuss legislation as that is the basis for the class content. For some of the multi-model information that is where I can condense information for the class in a simpler format.  

 
 

 
 

 

 
 
 

 
 

Qualitative Data: 

 
 

When using the Text Complexity: Qualitative Measures Rubric I found the text to be in the very complex range. When I considered the purpose and text structure that section aligned the most. The content is easy to infer, however there are a lot of new concepts and ideas included in the text. Some of the language in the article is abstract so that fits this range well. While the content is somewhat complex and unfamiliar the journal does a good job at simplifying the summaries. This does include a moderate level of knowledge, which is why I would not start with this article in a unit. This may be towards the end of the unit when students are working on a research paper. If they have theoretical knowledge, it will enhance their understanding of the article, even if it was only the abstract as students would know the other attributes that are impacting dolorous. There is an element of intertextuality too since it mentions pieces of legislation, but for example the concept of asylum is noted with the requirements so a reader can conceptualize the information easier.  

 
 

Task and Reader Complexity: This journal would be good for a small group and class discussion. There are a lot of interesting topics that can be discussed at the beginning of the text. Dolores experience coming to the United States is detailed and learning the stress and fear of being subject to removal can create some interesting narratives. Because of the conditions she faced students can discuss the positives and negatives with federal policies impacting undocumented civilians. Students need to have open discussions with one another and that will depend on the respect they have. Before doing a discussion setting clear expectations will be extremely important for the students in this type of lesson. Since this text is culturally responsive, utilizing this for a research paper at the end of the unit would be nice to have some use of Pathos in their literary analysis skills. You can appeal to your audience through research by using Dolores's account or using a different perspective. This journal includes highly complex and less complex information, but the entire article matched up for the very complex section. While this is considered a higher reading level, I believe a group discussion would be considered a less complex assignment. Discussion is opening the classroom to new ideas, even if they aren't always accurate. A research paper may seem more complex, but when you are teaching students how to research, you'll want them to do it properly. Doing research effectively often involves a good range of data collection including complex texts.  

 
 

When using Reading Diversity Lite's text complexity rubric and checking for diversity in the text, this journal meets many of the questions. This text has an authentic account of a lived experience, show diversity through the voices early on, has the authors support from the abstract including the policies that impact immigrants, and includes race, immigration, ethnicity, language, ability, gender, age, place, and class making this a very diverse text. Students will be introduced to this text which is at a good level of complexity, takes into consideration reader and task, representation and literacy.  

 
 

Second Source 
 

Undocumented Students in Higher Education How Many Students are in U.S. Colleges and Universities, and Who Are They? 
 

https://www.presidentsimmigrationalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/2020-04-16-NAE-PA-Report-Undocumented-Students-in-Higher-Education.pdf 

 

Brief Summary: Includes the states with undocumented college students and how many students they have by race.  

They include a detailed section titled: Undocumented and DACA-Eligible Students in Higher Education by Race. This is informative and will assist students with a broader view on immigration in the United States.  

 

For more context:  

 
 

 

 
 

Other Sources for this class:  

 

I would use this link as an overview for the entire course. I would then move onto my access to higher education unit: Find Law 

 

 Research study done on Undocumented students in the United States. This would be a good example for students for a final project where they use the data, we have learned to write a research paper on legislation that is impacting students in the state.  https://www.uindy.edu/documents/The_Case_for_Undocumented_Students_in_Higher_Education.pdf  

 
 

Statistical data for students to use as research for an assignment. Good to have it to reference if they were going to write a research paper on one of the units at the end of the semester - how I imagine the fictional set up of this class.  

Data Fact Sheet 

 

Information on who the plaintiffs were and how the legal process worked for a federal case. The video is the only video I have listed.  This shows an example Quimby - a resource that many law students use before they begin to digest the full legal document (My Analysis) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HqbGs54Xb_g  This could be a YouTube channel that would assist them in comprehension with legal text before reading it.  

 
 

Another resource for students to understand a federal policy:  

https://thebestschools.org/resources/undocumented-students/daca-laws/  

 
 
 

Work Cited 

 

 

Aranda, Roy. “Living in the Shadows: Plight of the Undocumented.” Journal of Clinical Psychology, John Wiley and Sons Inc., Aug. 2016,https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5129489/. 

 
 

“Find Laws, Legal Help, and Attorneys.” Findlaw, https://www.findlaw.com/. 

 
 

Higher Ed Immigration Portal. “Policies Affecting Students | Higher Ed Immigration Portal.” Presidents’ Alliance, www.higheredimmigrationportal.org/resources/policies/.  

 
 

Immigrants in Wisconsin - American Immigration Council.  https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/sites/default/files/research/immigrants_in_wisco sin.pdf. 

 
 

“Laws and Policy Impacting Undocumented Students.” TheBestSchools.org, 23 Aug. 2022, https://thebestschools.org/resources/undocumented-students/daca-laws/. 

 
 

“Sage Passage Project.” Safe Passage Project, 21 May 2019, https://www.safepassageproject.org/. 

 
 

Selden, Biggs. TITLE II--IMPROVED SECURITY for DRIVERS’ LICENSES and PERSONAL IDENTIFICATION CARDS. 2008. 

 
 

Undocumented Students in Higher Education - Presidents' Alliance. https://www.presidentsimmigrationalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/2020-04-16-NAE-PA-Report-Undocumented-Students-in-Higher-Education.pdf.