Narratives of Success and Resilience of Students from Refugee Backgrounds in U.S. Schools

Narratives of Success and Resilience of Students from Refugee Backgrounds in U.S. Schools offers educators a transformative perspective on teaching students from refugee backgrounds. Through personal narratives, this book highlights the resilience, strength, and wisdom that refugee students carry with them-alongside the rich linguistic and cultural wealth they contribute to schools. Drawing from the frameworks of community cultural wealth and ethics of care, the book challenges deficit perspectives and calls for an education system that values students not for how well they assimilate, but for the global perspectives and knowledge they bring. Centering student voice throughout, this is both a scholarly contribution and a call to action for more just and inclusive educational practices. It provides current and future educators with a deep understanding of refugee students' experiences, from not only language barriers to trauma but also strengths and experiences, ultimately offering teaching strategies for creating inclusive, supportive learning environments.

Yacoub Aljaffery is Assistant Professor at Augsburg University, USA.

1. Introduction: Migration, Memory, and Method of Asset-Based Research 2. Who are Refugees: History, Cultural Background, and Migration Journey 3. Fleeing Home: Stories of Survival and Resilience 4. The Weight They Carry: Academic and Social Challenges Through Ethics of Care 5. An Asset-Based Perspective: Recognizing the Values of Students' Assets and Capital 6. Humanizing the Classroom: Education Practices that Affirm Students from Refugee Backgrounds 7. Translanguaging as Transformation: Honoring the Linguistic Repertoires of Students from Refugee Backgrounds 8. A Call to Action: Rethinking Education to Truly Support Students from Refugee Backgrounds