Post-migration ecology in educational leadership and policy for social justice: Welcoming refugee students in two distinct national contexts

Abstract

Utilizing the post-migration ecological lens and the synthesized model of culturally relevant leadership formed by the authors, we aim to compare and analyze the policy outlines and school leadership responses to refugee education in Turkey and Germany; as the two main hosts of the largest number of refugees. Through comparative phenomenology, we draw on the semi-structured interviews, observations, and document analysis of policy papers in each context. Although both states employ an open-door policy, their educational policies show stark contrasts. The German schools benefit from the systematic guidance whilst in Turkey they find their ways through rule of thumb with colleagual collaboration within and across schools. We reckon this study would provide a space for collaboration and benchmarking between different contexts as well as illuminate on the policy-making processes, school-level practices, and research in this area.

Educational leadership for migrant and refugee education: challenges and dilemmas in the Israeli context

“…Using a theoretical framework in content analysis, "is useful in situations where there is an abundance of data to be explored" and helps to direct attention to a particular phenomenon of interest (Garvey and Jones, 2021). This is particular the case given that the frameworks applied here have been constructed on the basis of previous empirical studies (Arar et al, 2019a, b;Arar and € Or€ uc€ u, 2022). Given the thematic comprehensiveness resulting from using the two aforementioned models, analysis concentrated first on tying the findings to the applied frameworks, which assisted us in directing the attention specifically to principals' CRL attributes and to the different levels of the immigration model (post-migration ecology).…”

“…Arar and € Or€ uc€ u, 2022), Israeli school leaders lamented the lack or absence of macro-level national policies that provide guidelines to support the integration of students, even though we found views acknowledging the benefits of this lack given the flexibility and creativity that it allows leaders (Arar, 2020). Thus, while efforts must be directed at promoting more favorable macrolevel policies (considering that the principals' role is largely mediated by macro-level political contexts) (Arar and € Or€ uc€ u, 2022), the focus on principals' role and actions is justified especially given the specific legal and political complexities in the Israeli context.…”

“…Following the recommendation of leading researchers in the field (Arar and € Or€ uc€ u, 2022;Brooks et al, 2017;Norberg, 2017), we applied an immigration model that originates in Bronfenbrenner's social-ecological systems theory (1979) and adapted from the American Psychological Association's Presidential Task Force on Immigration (Brooks et al, 2017) (see Figure 2), linking the model specifically to the professionalism dimension in Arar's model.…”

“…The present study applies and combines two models: Arar's (2020) synthesized model of culturally relevant educational leadership and an adapted American Psychological Association Immigration Model (Brooks et al, 2017), which have been applied in recent studies on post-migration ecology and educational leadership and policy (e.g. Arar and € Or€ uc€ u, 2022). A key focus in studies on post-migration and education is on how macro-level policy and the surrounding cultural and social dynamics shape how schools apply educational provisions and modes of absorption and in/exclusion (Lemke et al, 2021); at the same time, these studies reveal how school principals are at the intersection of multiple demands.…”

“…This implies not only the active engagement and leadership of all members and staff of the school community but requires school leadership that is able to bridge divides and value-clashes (Banks, 2017;Brooks, 2015), and facilitates collaborations among the different microsystems within which migrants or refugees are nested. This holistic approach demands applying corresponding models and methods of enquiry (Arar and € Or€ uc€ u, 2022;Arar et al, 2020a). Research indicates that refugee and migrant students face three major groups of barriers in the host states: financial, structural/cultural and psychological/mental health issues.…”