For Educators

First, what every teacher supporting undocumented students should know

General Resources

Immigrant and Refugee Children: A Guide for Educators and School Support Staff

United We Dream’s Dream Educational Empowerment Program, the National Immigration Law Center, First Focus, and the American Federation of Teachers: A guide that provides tools and resources to help protect and prepare youth and families in case of an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raid.

Top Ten Ways to Support Undocumented Students

Educators for Fair Consideration: A brochure that details ten ways educators and school administrators can support undocumented students.

English Language Learners

BEST PRACTICES FOR SERVING ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS AND THEIR FAMILIES

With sections centered on instruction, classroom culture, policies, and family and community engagement, this guide is packed with recommendations that can be applied across the school building.

TEACHING TOLERANCE: PD CAFÉ

Take a quiz, review some vocabulary and deepen your knowledge about serving ELL students with this brief professional development resource.

COLORÍN COLORADO

Educators and families of English language learners can learn a lot from this collection of information, including bilingual FAQs about serving and supporting immigrant students.

Safe Zones and ICE Raids

TEACHING TOLERANCE: THIS IS NOT A DRILL

Educators across the country are taking action when ICE raids happen in their communities. Here’s how you can stand with undocumented students and families—whether or not you live in a vulnerable community.

ASK TT

This installment of Teaching Tolerance magazine’s advice column addresses the risk of school trips for students and volunteer relatives from immigrant families; keep these considerations in mind when planning trips, whether domestic or international.

TEACHING TOLERANCE: WHAT’S A SANCTUARY CITY ANYWAY?

Get answers to several commonly asked questions about sanctuary cities and how they are responding to recent executive orders on immigration.

AMERICAN FEDERATION OF TEACHERS: GUIDE FOR EDUCATORS AND SCHOOL SUPPORT STAFF

Learn about the AFT’s position on immigration reform, and review several model resources schools can use to publicly call for immigration reform and to uphold the rights of immigrant students.

AMERICAN FEDERATION OF TEACHERS: IMMIGRATION ICE RAIDS

There’s lots to absorb from this curated package of resources focused on helping families protect themselves during ICE raids and on helping educators speak out against unjust immigration laws and practices.

NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION: SAFE ZONE SAMPLE BOARD RESOLUTIONS

Use these documents as templates or as guidance to create inclusive and strong resolutions advocating for immigrant students in your district.

AMERICAN FEDERATION OF TEACHERS: KNOW YOUR RIGHTS (BILINGUAL)

This set of handouts—designed for use by immigrant students and their families—offers specific advice for how to avoid, prepare for and respond during an ICE raid. The handouts are available in both English and Spanish.

AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION: IMMIGRANTS’ RIGHTS

Use and share these detailed Know Your Rights resources grouped by theme and content type.

ASSOCIATION OF CALIFORNIA SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS: STUDENT, STAFF AND PARENT RIGHTS (BILINGUAL)

Get a quick summary of facts about the rights of undocumented students and their families. The resources are available in both English and Spanish.

Classroom Resources

TEACHING TOLERANCE: THE SCHOOL-TO-DEPORTATION PIPELINE

As immigration enforcement becomes more aggressive, schools have become increasingly risky places for undocumented students.

TEACHING TOLERANCE: CHANGING DEMOGRAPHICS, CHANGING IDENTITY, CHANGING ATTITUDES

Teach this four-lesson series about how the United States’ identity has changed and will continue to change. The lessons are organized by the four domains of the Teaching Tolerance Social Justice Standards: Identity, Diversity, Justice and Action.

TEACHING TOLERANCE: VIVA LA CAUSA FILM KIT AND USER GUIDE

Students love this 40-minute documentary about César Chávez and the movement for worker and immigrant rights. The free film comes with a user guide that includes lessons on the immigration debate.

TEACHING TOLERANCE: AMERICA BY THE NUMBERS

Leverage the power of data with six lessons based on the PBS documentary series about changing demographics across the United States.

TEACHING TOLERANCE: WHO IS AN IMMIGRANT?

Read “Julia Moves to the United States” with students, and then have them write pen-pal letters and create cereal-box suitcases to explore identity.

TEACHING TOLERANCE: TEN MYTHS ABOUT IMMIGRATION

Debunk commonly held myths about immigration with this Teaching Tolerance feature story; the accompanying lesson helps students consider how stereotypes begin and why people perpetuate myths.

TEACHING TOLERANCE: IMMIGRATION MYTHS

Use this classroom activity to build your students’ awareness of common myths about immigrants and how they can use facts to debunk these myths.

SHARE MY LESSON: IMMIGRATION COLLECTION

Educate your students about immigration and create inclusive school communities that address the social, emotional and health needs of young people.

TEACHING TOLERANCE: USING PHOTOGRAPHS TO TEACH SOCIAL JUSTICE: EXPOSING ANTI-IMMIGRANT SENTIMENT

Use this lesson with students to help them draw independent conclusions about what motivates anti-immigrant sentiment.