ERIC

Clearinghouse on

Rural Education

and

Small Schools

including

Alaska Natives and

American Indians,

Mexican Americans,

Migrants, and

Outdoor Education

PO Box 1348

Charleston,WV

25325-1348

www.ael.org/eric

I

DIGEST (López, Scribner, & Mahitivanichcha, 2001; U.S. Department of Education, 1994). The goal of the federal Migrant

Education Program is to minimize the negative health,

developmental, and educational effects caused by constant

mobility and interrupted schooling. A primary activity of

the program involves considerable efforts to identify and

recruit children eligible for services. Finding migrant children, however, is not an easy task. This Digest provides an

overview of how to develop a realistic and workable system

for quickly finding and enrolling eligible students.

Knowing the Region/State

The first step for the recruiter is to develop a picture of

the region’s agriculture, processing, and fishing industries

to facilitate the search for migrant children. There are

many sources for this information:

Department of Agriculture. Provides current information on land use, types of crops grown and processed,

future harvesting trends, crop expansion (or reduction),

and more.

State Department of Labor (DOL). Provides information on the whereabouts of farm labor. When farmers use

more than a certain number of farm laborers, they are

required by law to report this information to the DOL. A

list of such farms can be obtained.

Cooperative Extension Programs. Provide information

on a variety of farm-related issues through county extension agents who visit local farms and through key contacts

at land grant colleges and universities. Agriculture faculty

at these institutions often can provide valuable insights on

changing harvesting trends, use of labor, mechanization of

crops, and the human and political implications of these

changes.

Other Regulatory Agencies. Provide information on

regulations they monitor. For example, knowing the state’s

regulations regarding housing can facilitate finding eligible

families by providing answers to questions such as “Is

housing provided by the farmer?” or “Is housing adequate

for families or for single men?”

Planning and Logistics

After gathering information about agricultural and fishing activities in the region, a recruitment plan should be

developed (Johnson & Rivera, 1989). The plan should

take into account input from those already working with

the migrant population and provide strategies for administrators and recruiters. The plan should include at least the

following components:

Hiring recruiters. Successful recruiters typically possess

an empathy and dedication that motivates them to do

whatever it takes to meet the needs of migrant children and

their families (López et al., 2001). Hiring such people thus

becomes key to a successful recruitment program. Other

qualities of a good recruiter include being patient, downto-earth, and willing to work flexible hours (California

Department of Education, 1997; Johnson, 1989; Johnson

& Rivera, 1989; Migrant Student Records System [MSRS],

2001; Virginia Migrant Education Program, 2001). The

job requires a person who is willing to drive back roads,

work at night, knock on doors in rural and poor neighborhoods, fend off barking dogs, and enter residences alone to

solicit personal information to fill out an eligibility form.

This job is not for the faint of heart. Good recruiters are

people who are as comfortable talking to a school principal

at the central office as to a recently arrived immigrant in a

tomato field.

Because the migrant education program provides services to families from many different cultures and countries, it is best to hire recruiters of the same cultural or

language group as the families being served. Speaking the

same language and understanding the culture of the clients

help facilitate the recruitment process (Johnson, 1989).

Sometimes, though, it is difficult to find such people. In

these cases, trained translators should be available to assist

recruiters.

Deploying recruiters. Because the migrant education

program has limited resources, the strategic deployment of

recruiters is crucial. One efficient strategy is to obtain a list

of recently arrived families from school districts (this can

be difficult for non-school-based recruiters). The list can

then be reviewed to identify families engaged in agricultural or fishing activities.

Building a recruitment network. A strategy such as the

one mentioned above depends upon maintaining good

relationships with local organizations and individuals who

have direct contact with the farmworker population, such

as schools, agencies, churches, migrant parents, and employers (Johnson, 1989; Lopez et al., 2001; MSRS, 2001;

Rudes & Willette, 1990). These organizations and people

become a recruiter’s eyes and ears in the field (MSRS,

2001; Pennsylvania Migrant Education Program, 1999).

Migrant program administrators can help by contacting

school superintendents, employers of agricultural workers,

and directors of other organizations that work with migrants to inform them about the program and its benefits

to migrant children and youth. Recruiters can also help

establish an interagency council of service providers.

Staying informed about program services. Because recruiters are the program’s frontline force, they both represent the migrant program and, in many cases, are the

program. Recruiters must have a detailed working knowledge of all the services offered by the program and other

agencies (Johnson & Rivera, 1989; Wright, 1986).

Identification and Recruitment of Migrant

Students: Strategies and Resources

Ray Melecio and Thomas J. Hanley

EDO-RC-02-10 December 2002

nterrupted schooling, low socioeconomic status, as well

as language and cultural differences are primary causes

for many migrant children’s poor performance in school
This publication was prepared with funding from the Office of Educational Research and Improvement, U.S. Department of Education, under contract no. ED-99-CO-0027.

The opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the positions or policies of OERI, the Department, or AEL.

The ERIC Clearinghouse on Rural Education and Small Schools is operated by AEL. AEL serves as the Regional Educational Laboratory for Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia,

and West Virginia and operates the Eisenhower Regional Consortium for Mathematics and Science Education for these same four states. In addition, it serves as the Region

IV Comprehensive Center. AEL is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer. www.ael.org • 800-624-9120 • aelinfo@ael.org

EDO-RC-02-10

Training

Training of recruiters is key to the quality of any recruitment effort.

Recruiters need to know about the statutes and regulations, and they

need a variety of other skills including those described below:

Determining eligibility. Perhaps the most important role of the

recruiters is to determine the eligibility of children into the migrant

program (Johnson & Rivera, 1989; U.S. Department of Education,

1994; Wright, 1986). Recruiters must document basic demographic

data, information related to the family’s movement, and questions that

pertain to the type of agriculture or fishing work done by the adolescent

migrant worker or parents.

Assessing families’ needs. Although the recruiter will enroll all eligible

children and youth ages 0-21, the migrant education program has limited

resources and cannot address all the children’s and families’ identified

needs. Therefore, the program must develop a profile of the families’

resources to meet the immediate needs as quickly as possible. The

recruiter can be key in helping to conduct this initial assessment and also

in helping a migrant family address its immediate concerns, providing

referrals and information, and making them feel welcome in the new

community.

Appropriately serving all eligible migrant children. While not all

enrolled migrant children will receive the same level of services from the

program, recruiters are still required to enroll all migrant children in their

area. Migrant children, whether or not they receive direct or “visible”

services (such as extended day or summer program) will still receive some

of the “invisible” services provided by recruiters. Some of these services

include advocacy in schools, referrals to other agencies, and parent

training activities. However, recruiters must be well trained in documenting eligibility to avoid problems in program audits.

Working within language and culture customs. While it is preferred

to have recruiters who can speak the families’ native language or understand their cultural nuances, hiring such recruiters is not always possible.

In these cases it is important that staff members are trained in the basics of

the culture and language of the migrants they are recruiting in order to

avoid misconceptions or misunderstandings. Questions such as, “Can a

male recruiter enter a house without the father at home?” or, “Is it

appropriate to accept/refuse food in the family’s house?” should be

discussed in training sessions. Having a basic knowledge of the “do’s” and

“don’ts” of the culture can go a long way when the recruiter is acting as

the initial ambassador for the program (Pennsylvania Migrant Education

Program, 1999).

Staying safe. Because of the type of job performed, recruiters probably

face more hazards than other employees in a school system (Johnson,

1989). Examples of common policies implemented to protect recruiters

include working in pairs in certain locations, not driving in hazardous

conditions, and avoiding recruiting when temperatures are too high or

too low. Safety issues will vary by region.

Community-based recruitment. Although many eligible migrant children can be found at school during the school year, preschool children,

school-aged children during the summer, children of illegal immigrants,

and young adults who do not attend school can be missed by a schoolbased recruiter. Identifying these populations requires a year-round community-based approach. Local Head Start programs, churches, and social

service agencies are some places out-of-school children and youth may be

found (MSRS, 2001; Virginia Migrant Education Program, 2001).

Audits

An important part of any quality control system is an independent

review or “friendly” audit. As diligent as states or districts might be in

their efforts to ensure the integrity of their Certificate of Eligibility

(COE) and the honesty of their recruiters, an occasional review by people

who are not a regular part of the system is generally considered to be

beneficial. Sampling the COEs for accurate eligibility data and other

concerns should be a part of the process. The establishment of a monitoring process, either formal or informal, can help any program update and

improve its quality control measures.

Conclusion

A good recruitment system, like agriculture itself, is changing and

dynamic. It needs adequate resources dedicated to its maintenance. By

hiring the right people, preparing them with quality training, supporting

them with caring administrators, and constantly monitoring the system

for improvement, it can ensure that the migrant children and families

who are eligible for the migrant education program will receive the

services they are entitled to.

References

California Department of Education, Migrant Education Office. (1997). California

handbook for identification and recruitment. Sacramento, CA: California Migrant

Education Office.

Johnson, L. (1989). Recruiting migrant students: Recruiter’s guide. Harrisburg, PA: Pennsylvania Migrant Education.

Johnson, L., & Rivera, V. A. (1989). Recruiting migrant students: Administrator’s guide.

Harrisburg, PA: Pennsylvania Migrant Education.

López, G. R., Scribner, J. D., & Mahitivanichcha, K. (2001). Redefining parental

involvement: Lessons from high-performing migrant-impacted schools. American

Educational Research Journal, 38(2), 253-288.

Migrant Student Records System (MSRS). (2001). Identification and recruitment handbook. Sunnyside, WA: Washington State Migrant Education Program.

Pennsylvania Migrant Education Program. (1999). National identification and recruitment: Recruiter’s guide. Harrisburg, PA: Pennsylvania Department of Education.

Rudes, B. A., & Willette, J. L. (1990). Handbook of effective migrant education practices.

Final report. Volume I: Findings. Report prepared for the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Planning, Budget and Evaluation. Arlington, VA: Development

Associates, Inc. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED321945)

U.S. Department of Education. (1994). Preliminary guidance for migrant education

program, Title I, Part C, Public Law 103-382. Washington, DC: Improving America’s

Schools Act of 1994 (IASA). Retrieved December 13, 2002, from http://www.ed.gov/

offices/OESE/MEP/PrelimGuide/eseaptc.html

Virginia Migrant Education Program. (2001). Recruiter’s manual. Richmond, VA:

Virginia Department of Education.

Wright, A. (Ed.). (1986). Systematic methodology for accounting in recruiter training:

SMART manual. Louisiana Department of Education.

Ray Melecio works with ESCORT and the Region XIV Comprehensive

Center in Tampa, Florida. He has worked as a coordinator for ID&R and

student record transfer systems and as a migrant tutor/advocate. He holds a

Ph.D. on Curriculum and Instruction from Penn State University.

Thomas J. Hanley is a Principal Education Specialist at ESCORT. He

works as the lead contact for all the comprehensive center partners (including

Region II, III, IV, and XIV) as well as a number of state specific contracts. He

works with the National Migrant Education Hotline in areas of identification

and recruitment, and continuously provides support to states on issues related

to migrant education program administration, recruitment, advocacy and comprehensive needs assessment. He holds a B.A. from SUNY at Binghamton, and

a M.P.A. from Alfred University.