Take a step back, close your eyes and imagine, you are in a new environment with different cultures and norms, while you are trying to succeed in school without any kind of support to help ease your transition, sounds hard right? Would you be able to handle all these challenges? Unfortunately, this scenario is a reality for many children of immigrants in public school systems. Immigrant students have to face a multitude of issues daily, without the proper tools to help manage their stress or mental health. This is why educational settings must have resources and interventions in place to help immigrant children cope with mental health and stress from the pressures of cultural adjustment in their community to succeed academically.
A study by the American Psychological Association (APA) in 2024 found that school environments influenced cultural stress among Puerto Rican children who were displaced after Hurricane María. School environments shaped how immigrant children felt by creating either a sense of belonging or displacement. Schools are places where children should be able to attend feeling welcomed and accepted, not displaced or outcast. As this article stated, feelings of being displaced and outcast are only reinforced by their environment.
In addition, the APA in 2024 stated that Latinx/Hispanic youth experience a range of cultural stressors due to racism, xenophobia, and navigation of bicultural contexts. So this is an ongoing problem that needs to be addressed and schools can help targeted groups by implementing interventions in school programs. Not only do these studies provide evidence that immigrant children are in need of support in school settings but also emphasize just how prevalent the issue is.
Furthermore, a 2025 study explained the hardships and the multitude of effects it has on young immigrants growing up here in the US. That said many faced challenges related to self-image, feelings of exclusion, financial limitations, and increased personal expectations, all of which can have long-lasting impacts. If that is not enough, the article gathered student testimonies expressing such situations they have been through and how they look at it. Having these strong individuals share about their struggles should be a wake-up call for schools to help their students.
Finally, it might seem like a problem such as this does not have any chance of being addressed but as a community we can write to school districts and state departments to help promote and advocate the well-being of students both present and future. A great way of reaching the state department is to visit the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction website at https://dpi.wi.gov/support/contact-us and send your concerns to them directly. Letting them know how you feel will be of great help to these students who might not have the resources to speak out.