Resources for Supporting Pacific Islander Newcomer Students and Their Families

Over the past several decades, the number of families that have moved from the Pacific Island nations of the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI), the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), and the Republic of Palau to Hawai'i, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and the continental United States, has significantly grown, with more than 95,000 citizens of these nations living in the United States long-term to pursue education, work, and healthcare.^1,2

Accordingly, more resources to support schools in meaningfully welcoming these Pacific Islander students and their families have been published in recent years. For example, the Newcomer Toolkit is a comprehensive resource from the National Clearinghouse for English Language Acquisition, which is supported by the U.S. Department of Education's Office of English Acquisition, that stresses the importance of schools helping newcomers "build the necessary foundation to thrive both socially and emotionally and to achieve academic success."³ The toolkit is organized into four major areas to support students and their families:

• Creating a welcoming, safe, inclusive, and thriving school environment.
• Supporting social, emotional, and mental health needs.
• Providing high-quality instruction.
• Establishing family partnerships.

In addition, the Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) Pacific and the Comprehensive Center's Pacific Region centers have produced resources specifically made for schools and districts welcoming Pacific Islander families to their communities.

Family and Community Engagement Infographics

The Region 19 CC's Family and Community Engagement (FACE) infographics(2023) include a collection of 12 one-page resources to boost family and community engagement in meaningful ways through evidence-based practices. Six infographics for teachers provide ideas for helping families support their children's learning and connect with community resources. The other six are parent/caregiver resources, including how to have two-way communication with school staff, and at-home practices to support homework and studying. Each infographic is available in seven languages: Marshallese, Kosraean, Pohnpeian, Chuukese, Yapese, Palauan, and English.

Getting to Know Pacific Island Students from the Freely Associated States - An Infographic Series

REL Pacific's Getting to Know Pacific Island Students from the Freely Associated States infographic series (2021, updated 2024) offers five infographics to "facilitate greater awareness, understanding, and appreciation of the diversity of cultures and experiences of Pacific Islanders and provide tangible methods for educators to meaningfully engage with Pacific students' communities inside and outside of the classroom."1 Each infographic shares opportunities to practice culturally responsive education with students and their families in the classroom and school-wide.

1. What are the Freely Associated States of the Pacific? gives an overview of the Pacific region's Compacts of Free Association including the historical and current social and political context necessary to understand some experiences of Pacific Island students in U.S. schools.
2. 
   Why Do Student Names Matter? helps learn about naming conventions and familial relationships of students whose families are from the Freely Associated States (FAS).
3. What is School Like? supports understanding students' school experiences in the FAS and how they may influence both students' and families' expectations, interactions, and contributions to education environments outside of the FAS.
4. Why Do Students' Languages Matter? shares some of the nuances and context around languages that FAS students may speak at home or in the classroom.
5. Using Data to Inform Practice identifies resources to inform high-quality data use practices to make thoughtful decisions that impact instruction, student services, and school/community partnerships, plus information to inform data quality for students with families from the FAS.

Additional Resources

• Region 19 CC's Effective Strategies: Family & Community Engagement for Newcomer Students in Hawai'i brief (2024) shares best practices schools can use to support newcomer students from the Freely Associated States of the Pacific. The brief offers opportunities to welcome newcomer students and to engage their families, and programs and structures to offer, and social and emotional support strategies.
• Region 19 CC's Home Visits Toolkit (2024) provides a step-by-step guide for conducting home visits to offer newcomer students and families "integration-related" support. Several resources, such as conversation starters, language cards, and sample home visit request and scheduling letters are translated into several languages, such as Chuukese and Palauan.
• REL Northwest's Welcoming, Registering, and Supporting Newcomer Students: A Toolkit for Educators of Immigrant and Refugee Students in Secondary Schools (2021) shares research-based practices, policies, and procedures secondary educators can use to serve their newcomer students and families. While not specific to Pacific Islander newcomer students and families, this toolkit offers more broadly applicable research and resources. The information is summarized into four areas: creating a welcoming environment for students, registering students, supporting students' social, emotional, academic, and postsecondary needs, and building educator capacity to support students.
• The accompanying Helping Newcomer Immigrant and Refugee Students Register for Secondary School infographic (2021) shows a school registration process and critical components to ensure the needs of secondary newcomer students are met.
• REL Pacific's Getting to Know Pacific Island Students from Nations in Free Association with the United States poster (2019) provides an overview about Pacific Island students and education systems--including an overview of the COFA international agreements and programs and services available to qualifying FAS students and their families in the United States.