Refugee School Impact Grant

The Refugee School Impact Grant enables Seattle Public Schools to partner with seven refugee community-based organizations (CBOs) in order to:

• Increase the academic performance and graduation rates of refugee students.
• Bridge the cultural gap between refugee parents, communities and schools by increasing parent involvement in school activities and increasing the cultural competency of school staff.
• Improve the systems that impact refugee students.
• Increase the skills and pool of qualified bilingual instructional assistants, tutors and teachers.

• Academic Tutoring at 14 CBO Extended Learning Sites & 3 schools that have a high refugee population
• Native Language and Cultural Heritage Classes
• Parent and Family Workshops on topics such as WASL Prep, Truancy, American Schools 101, Parent Involvement, Cultural Differences, and Homework Assistance
• Distributing funds for Parent/Student advocacy for refugees at CBO sites and in schools
• Facilitating partnerships between schools with a high number of refugee students and our CBO partners
• Professional Development for CBO staff on improving academic services, aligning curricula, and developing Academic Parent Workshops
• Coaching for teachers of English Language Learners (ELL) and consulting services for CBO staff

• East African Community Services
• Eritrean Association in Greater Seattle
• Hope Academic Enrichment Center
• Horn of Africa Services
• Oromo Community of King County and Greater Seattle
• Refugee Women's Alliance
• Somali Community Services of Seattle

• Tutoring for 615 students
• Advocacy for 445 families
• Workshops for 420 families
• Native language and heritage programs for 55 students.

2008-2009 Refugee School Impact programs are funded by a $270,000 federal grant from DSHS and Schools Out Washington.

Michelle Corker-Curry
Program Manager
206-252-0056
mcorker@seattleschools.org

Linda Jordan Todd
ELL Consulting Teacher
206-252-0068
ljtodd@seattleschools.org