Immigrants

Education news, analysis, and opinion about immigrants, immigrants’ children and immigration

Tracker

Image of a boy with a blue backpack standing in front of the entrance to school.
Which States Are Challenging Undocumented Students’ Right to Free Education?
States are reviving efforts to challenge the 1982 Plyler v. Doe ruling that guarantees undocumented students a free, public education.
View Tracker
Demonstrators hold up signs protesting an immigration bill as it is discussed in the Senate chamber at the state Capitol Thursday in Nashville, Tenn. The bill would allow public school systems in Tennessee to require K-12 students without legal status in the country to pay tuition or face denial of enrollment, which is a challenge to the federal law requiring all children be provided a free public education regardless of legal immigration status.
Demonstrators hold up signs protesting an immigration bill as it was discussed in the Senate chamber at the state Capitol in Nashville, Tenn., on April 10, 2025. The bill, which legislators paused, would have allowed schools in the state to require undocumented students to pay tuition. It was one of six efforts taken by states in 2025 to limit undocumented students' access to free, public education.
John Amis/AP
States Undocumented Students Still Have a Right to Education. Will That Change in 2026?
State-level challenges to a landmark 1982 Supreme Court ruling are on the rise.
Ileana Najarro, December 29, 2025
•
4 min read
English Learners Reports Instructing English Learners, In 10 Charts
This report summarizes survey findings related to English learners, including topics ranging from professional development to legal rulings.
December 22, 2025
Children disembark from a school bus in a largely Hispanic neighborhood that has been the subject of patrols and detentions by Border Patrol agents, during a federal immigration crackdown in Kenner, La., on Dec. 10, 2025.
Children disembark from a school bus in a largely Hispanic neighborhood that has been the subject of patrols and detentions by Border Patrol agents, during a federal immigration crackdown in Kenner, La., on Dec. 10, 2025. This year, the EdWeek Research Center included questions related to immigration in national surveys.
Gerald Herbert/AP
School & District Management From Our Research Center What Surveys Revealed This Year About Educators and Immigration
Immigration enforcement fueled fear, debate, and new pressures in schools.
Ileana Najarro, December 17, 2025
•
4 min read
Collage of a podcast playing on a phone and a studio session screened behind that image.
Collage: Getty and an image courtesy of Amanda Salgado
English Learners How a Podcast Gives Newcomer Students a Platform, and a Path to Belonging
Six immigrant teenagers share their experiences of adjusting to life in a U.S. high school.
Olina Banerji, December 11, 2025
•
6 min read
Conceptual illustration of classroom conversations and fragmented education elements coming together to form a cohesive picture of a book of classroom knowledge.
Sonia Pulido for Education Week
Equity & Diversity Opinion 'Classrooms Sat Half-Empty': How ICE Activity Turned These Communities Upside Down
Nothing is normal about teaching or learning in fear-plagued communities.
Larry Ferlazzo, December 10, 2025
•
8 min read
Jennifer Hosler, center, a pastor and parent of a child who attends Mundo Verde Public Charter School, leads parents and staff in a chant of solidarity as they keep watch for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in front of the school, amid fears of impending arrests at schools on May 6, 2025.
Jennifer Hosler, center, a pastor and parent of a child who attends Mundo Verde Public Charter School, leads parents and staff in a chant of solidarity as they keep watch for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in front of the school, amid fears of impending arrests at schools on May 6, 2025. An EdWeek Research Center survey asked whether schools or districts have protocols in place regarding immigration enforcement.
Jacquelyn Martin/AP
School & District Management From Our Research Center Why Districts Set Up Immigration-Related Protocols
Not all districts establish or communicate immigration-related protocols, survey found.
Ileana Najarro, December 9, 2025
•
6 min read
Policy & Politics Reports Partisan Polarization & K-12 Education: Results of a National Survey
This report takes stock of the dimensions and impacts of polarization in education based on a survey of teachers and K-12 administrators.
December 8, 2025
President Donald Trump signs an executive order on birthright citizenship in the Oval Office of the White House, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, in Washington.
President Donald Trump signs an executive order to on birthright citizenship in the Oval Office on Jan. 20, 2025. The U.S. Supreme Court will consider the legality of Trump's effort to limit birthright citizenship, another immigration policy that could affect schools.
Evan Vucci/AP
Law & Courts Supreme Court to Weigh Birthright Citizenship. Why It Matters to Schools
The justices will review President Trump's bid to end birthright citizenship, a move that could affect schools.
Mark Walsh, December 5, 2025
•
4 min read
Three sisters, whose single mother fears being mistakenly detained by federal immigration agents because she is of Puerto Rican descent and speaks Spanish, walk into Funston Elementary School after being dropped off for the start of the school day, in Chicago's Logan Square neighborhood Oct. 15, 2025.
Three sisters, whose single mother fears being mistakenly detained by federal immigration agents because she is of Puerto Rican descent and speaks Spanish, walk into Funston Elementary School after being dropped off for the start of the school day, in Chicago's Logan Square neighborhood Oct. 15, 2025. Teachers in Chicago and elsewhere have expressed heightened anxiety from immigrant students as immigration enforcement efforts expand.
Rebecca Blackwell/AP
School & District Management From Our Research Center Student Fear and Absences Surge as Immigration Enforcement Expands
While schools report widespread effects from immigration enforcement, not all are taking action.
Ileana Najarro, November 25, 2025
•
5 min read
Demonstrators picket in solidarity against ICE outside of Hoover Elementary School in Oakland, Calif., on Nov. 19, 2025.
Demonstrators picket against ICE outside of Hoover Elementary School in Oakland, Calif., on Nov. 19, 2025. Educators who work with immigrant families across the country are reporting increased anxiety and absences among students amid heightened immigration enforcement.
Jessica Christian/San Francisco Chronicle via AP
School & District Management From Our Research Center The Widespread Effects of Immigration Enforcement on Schools, in Charts
Educators working with immigrant families report student anxiety and absences in a new national survey.
Ileana Najarro & Alex Harwin, November 24, 2025
•
6 min read
Governor Ron DeSantis speaks at a press conference at FHP Troop D Headquarters on International Drive in Orlando on Aug. 1, 2025. During the press conference, DeSantis addressed law enforcement and the Florida Highway Patrol's efforts and responsibility to apprehend illegal immigrants in the state.
Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks at a press conference at FHP Troop D Headquarters in Orlando on Aug. 1, 2025, where he discussed law enforcement and the Florida Highway Patrol’s role in apprehending undocumented immigrants in the state. A new study links increased immigration enforcement in Florida to declines in student test scores.
Rich Pope/Orlando Sentinel via TNS
Student Achievement When ICE Arrests Rise, Student Test Scores Fall, New Study Suggests
The working paper focused on a Florida district where both foreign-born and U.S. born students saw test scores drop.
Ileana Najarro, November 13, 2025
•
4 min read
A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent is seen in Park Ridge, Ill., Sept. 19, 2025.
A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent is seen in Park Ridge, Ill., Sept. 19, 2025. A lawsuit filed by Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita accuses the Indianapolis schools of restricting ICE's access to school grounds.
Erin Hooley/AP
School & District Management School District Sued Over ‘Thwarting’ ICE Says Indiana AG’s Lawsuit Is ‘Silly’
The lawsuit says Indianapolis Public Schools blocked ICE from school grounds without a warrant or emergency.
Julia Marnin, The Herald (Rock Hill, S.C.), November 11, 2025
•
4 min read
Conceptual illustration of classroom conversations and fragmented education elements coming together to form a cohesive picture of a book of classroom knowledge.
Sonia Pulido for Education Week
Equity & Diversity Opinion 'Am I Doing Enough?': Chicago Teachers Share Their Heartache Over ICE Raids
Teachers in Latino areas describe the trauma and economic disruption federal raids are causing.
Larry Ferlazzo, November 7, 2025
•
8 min read
People rally outside LAUSD headquarters in support of 18-year-old high school senior Benjamin Marcelo Guerrero-Cruz, in Los Angeles, Calif., on Aug. 19, 2025. The rally was planned after Guerrero-Cruz was taken into custody by federal immigration officials in early August.
People rally outside Los Angeles Unified school district headquarters in support of 18-year-old high school senior Benjamin Marcelo Guerrero-Cruz, in Los Angeles, on Aug. 19, 2025. The rally was planned after Guerrero-Cruz was taken into custody by federal immigration officials in early August. Whether educators choose to advocate in such situations depends on multiple factors, survey data found.
Raquel G. Frohlich/Sipa via AP
School & District Management ‘Would You Protect Me?' Educators Weigh What to Do If ICE Detained a Student
Educators say they favor a district response to immigration enforcement over individual action.
Ileana Najarro, October 31, 2025
•
5 min read
Load More ▼