Journal for Peace and Justice Studies

Volume 21, Issue 2, 2011

Mutilated Dreams
African-Born Refugees in US Secondary Schools

This article argues that the US school system is partly to blame for the mutilated educational dreams among African-born war refugee students resettled in the United States. Feeling mistreated, unprotected, and unsupported, these students have slim chances to integrate successfully in the public school system. Evidence from research and first-hand refugee testimonies provide an insight into the factors that blockade the educational success for “multiple-stop” refugee children, that is, refugees who move from one camp to another before reaching final destination. Included among these factors are: overlooked interrupted schooling, social/peer rejection, and unmet special needs. Recommendations stress the need for a reform in school policy and administration to ensure that refugee children receive the dignity they crave and the support they need in order to progress educationally, and eventually achieve their utmost dreams.