Migrant Education

 CONTACTS:
Dr. Heriberto Corral MEP Data & Parent Engagement Coordinator 984.236.2798
Juan Carlos Alvarez ID&R Coordinator 336.501.1697
Hunter Ogletree MEP Compliance Coordinator 828.575.3830
Dr. LaTricia Townsend Office Director 984.236.2786
Susan Brigman Section Chief - Specialty Programs 984.236.2806

 

MISSION :: The mission of the North Carolina Migrant Education Program is to help migrant students and youth meet high academic challenges by overcoming the obstacles created by frequent moves, educational disruption, cultural and language differences, and health-related problems.

We do this by supporting locally-based Migrant Education Programs in:

  • Identifying and recruiting migrant students;
  • Providing high quality supplemental and support services;
  • Fostering coordination among schools, agencies, organizations, and businesses to assist migrant families;
  • Collaborating with other states to enhance the continuity of education for migrant students.

The NC MEP is federally funded as part of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, and is regulated by Title I, Part C. http://www.ed.gov/policy/elsec/leg/esea02/pg8.html

State of the Program

Currently, the North Carolina Migrant Education Program (NCMEP) administers 31 LEA-based programs in 30 counties. In addition, we serve students in non-program counties through the efforts of five Regional Recruiters, collaborations with USDA Cooperative Extension.

The programs serve children and youth who fulfill the following criteria:

  • Age 3-21;
  • Have not yet received a high school diploma or its equivalent;
  • Have moved into a school district within the last 36 months;
  • Whose parents, guardians, spouses, or selves have moved due to economic necessity and have worked in agricultural production or fishing within the last 36 months.

After potential students are located, they are interviewed by a program recruiter, who will complete a Certificate of Eligibility (COE), the document that establishes a student's eligibility for services.

Students who have moved during the school year and who are most at risk for not meeting state standards are given priority for services. The staff at the state level collaborate with locally-based programs to conduct a Comprehensive Needs Assessment and design programs to fit students' needs.

Listserv

Sign up for the NC Migrant Education Program Listserv to keep up with the latest news in NC Migrant Education!

Please email your contact information to Richard Trantham: Richard.trantham@dpi.nc.gov

About MEP

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WHY MIGRANT EDUCATION?

The Purpose of the Migrant Education Program, otherwise known at Title I, Part C, of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), is to assist the states to:

  • Support high-quality and comprehensive educational programs for migratory children to help reduce the educational disruptions and other problems that result from repeated moves;
  • Ensure that migratory children who move among the States are not penalized in any manner by disparities among the States in curriculum, graduation requirements, and State academic content and student academic achievement standards;
  • Ensure that migratory children are provided with appropriate educational services (including supportive services) that address their special needs in a coordinated and efficient manner;
  • Ensure that migratory children receive full and appropriate opportunities to meet the same challenging State academic content and student academic achievement standards that all children are expected to meet;
  • Design programs to help migratory children overcome educational disruption, cultural and language barriers, social isolation, various health-related problems, and other factors that inhibit the ability of such children to do well in school, and to prepare such children to make a successful transition to postsecondary education or employment; and
  • Ensure that migratory children benefit from State and local systemic reforms.

This is only Section 1301 of the Act. To see the entire Act, click here:
http://www.ed.gov/policy/elsec/leg/esea02/pg8.html

Migrant Education Program Guidance, March 2017
The updated Migrant Education Program Guidance, dated March 2017, replaces all prior non-regulatory guidance for the Migrant Education Program (MEP). Please note, the Introduction, along with Chapter II: Child Eligibility, were revised recently to reflect the 2015 program regulations and Department policy. With minor exceptions, as noted in the Introduction, all other chapters remain unchanged from the non-regulatory guidance document that the Department published on October 23, 2003. This guidance does not impose requirements beyond those in the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) and other Federal statutes and regulations that apply to the MEP.. View this document on the US Department of Education site.

2018-19 North Carolina Migrant Education Program State Service Delivery Plan
(pdf, 1.6mb)

MIGRANT EDUCATION HOTLINE

The Migrant Education Hotline: 1.800.234.8848

Migrant farm workers and their families have a phone number to call for referrals to education and other services. Call the hotline when you move to get help enrolling your children in school or summer school. This call is free and accessible from anywhere in the United States.

Trabajadores de agrícultura migrantes y sus familias tienen un número telefónico al que pueden llamar para solicitar información de educación y otros servicios.

AIM - ACTION, INSPIRATION, MOTIVATION

AIM is a program designed to enhance graduation and academic achievement for middle and high school youth. The purpose of the program is to reach migrant children/youth before they become at risk of dropping out of school. The program is run by the individual local education agency (LEA) migrant education programs, and there are active clubs in nine LEAs.

Five Components of the AIM Program:

  • Counseling/Consulting
  • Self-Esteem/School Performance
  • The Mentor
  • Role Models
  • Goal-Setting and Problem Solving

AIM Clubs engage in many activities, both after school and on weekends. They include:

  • Workshops on education and career planning
  • Community participation and service learning
  • Study sessions
  • Social functions and field trips related to group identity and cultural awareness

FAMILY LITERACY

Research shows that parents who cannot read tend to have children who struggle academically and pass those struggles on to their own children. Therefore, programs that support parents will, in turn, help them encourage their children as developing readers. Family literacy, in which parents and children discover the wonders of reading together, is an important initiative in many Migrant Education programs in the state.

  1. Parents as Teachers Programs
  2. National Center for Family Literacy website:
  3. International Literacy Association
    What Is Family Literacy? Getting Involved in Your Child's Literacy Learning
  4. Abriendo Puertas Family Literacy Program
  5. Migrant Literacy Net website
  6. Pre-School Initiative Clearing House

OUT-OF-SCHOOL YOUTH (OSY)

Between 30 and 40% of North Carolina's migratory students are Out of School Youth (OSY). These are eligible migrant students who have left formal schooling before graduating from high school. They are often difficult to serve because, despite their academic goals and aspirations, they often have to work long hours.

Over 90% of the OSY surveyed in 2010-2011 indicated a desire to learn English, and over 70% indicated that they would like job training and/or preparation for high school graduation or a GED. Currently, programs are offering camp-based programs, digital learning, and school-site programs for OSY.

NC is a participating state in the Graduation and Outcomes for Success for Out of School Youth (GOSOSY) Consortium . The GOSOSY website, contains a wealth of free materials for working with this group of students.

The following article is old, but still contains relevant information: Literacy Education for Adult Migrant Farmworkers. 

Another critical need among these students is health care. Again, mobility and distance from the medical resources often found in urban areas makes OSY students more vulnerable to health problems. While the basis of the Migrant Education Program is education, it is often critical to deliver or assist others in the delivery of basic health care so that our students are healthy enough to learn. Many of the Migrant Education Programs in North Carolina collaborate with local health care providers to deliver basic health care education and services to youth.

National Center for Farmworker Health,
Migrant Clinician's Network,

More resources for working with OSY:
English as a Second Language
USA Learns, a free internet-based resource for adult ESL:

Driving information:
Lesson Plans on Safe Driving

North Carolina Department of Transportation Drivers' Handbooks (PDFs in English and Spanish):

PARENT ENGAGEMENT

The goal of parent involvement is to actively engage migrant parents to have a voice in the education of their children. Each local agency defines the procedures, activities, and composition of their Migrant Parent Advisory Committee according to their unique population and season. The mission of the MPAC, in general, is the same throughout the state. Parents will plan, develop and evaluate the goals, design, and implementation of the Migrant Education Program. They will make suggestions and recommendations based on locally determined concerns that directly affect the services provided to their children. Members of the Migrant Parent Advisory Committee ensure that our students are receiving a high-quality educational program.

NC MEP SERVICE DELIVERY PLAN

North Carolina Migrant Education Program Service Delivery Plan
(pdf, 1.6mb)

NC MEP PFS Documentation Updated as of August 2020 (Guidance) (Worksheet) (Fillable Worksheet)

GENERAL DOCUMENTS

NC MEP Summit 2019

SUMMIT 2019 PowerPoint Presentations

BACKGROUND INFORMATION FOR MEP STAFF

North Carolina Migrant Education Annual Evaluation Report 2020

North Carolina Re-interview Final Report

NC Statistical Profile
A collection of statistical information about North Carolina's elementary and secondary schools. The profile provides general statistical data on public school pupils, personnel, and finances

 

Pre-K Jumpstart Booklet

 

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Others documents

Pre-Post Test I Can Statements

Supplemental Activities