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DPS to hire previously undocumented immigrants
Nelson Garcia, KUSA 4:43 p.m. MDT April 10, 2014
DENVER – Denver Public Schools administrators believe they are the first school district in the nation to actively seek out people who were initially brought to the United States illegally to now teach in the classroom.
"We look forward to increasing the number of great teachers who are in our classrooms and who are also role models for children who have similar cultural backgrounds and life experiences," Tom Boasberg, superintendent of Denver Public Schools, said.
DPS is working with Teach for America to bring people with an official status of "Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals" as determined by the federal government. Part of the requirements for DACA status is that a person must have been brought to the United States under the age of 16 and have a clean criminal record. Even with DACA status, they are still not recognized as legal citizens.
Teach for America is a program which brings people of different backgrounds and experiences into the classroom to enhance learning. They are not licensed teachers but were issued an alternative license from the State of Colorado to teach. These teachers are currently enrolled in classes to attain their traditional teaching license after one year.
But, Denver has a significant population of students who are undocumented, and Boasberg believes this effort will help serve those families.
"In partnership with Teach For America, we believe that strong educators with deferred action status will bring critical insights to the classroom and will contribute to ensuring educational equity for all students," Boasberg said.
The Colorado Alliance for Immigration Reform has serious concerns regarding DPS's decision to hire DACA individuals. The group said in a statement that it believes the majority of people with DACA status are not properly trained or certified to become teachers:
Nelson Garcia, KUSA 4:43 p.m. MDT April 10, 2014
DENVER – Denver Public Schools administrators believe they are the first school district in the nation to actively seek out people who were initially brought to the United States illegally to now teach in the classroom.
"We look forward to increasing the number of great teachers who are in our classrooms and who are also role models for children who have similar cultural backgrounds and life experiences," Tom Boasberg, superintendent of Denver Public Schools, said.
DPS is working with Teach for America to bring people with an official status of "Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals" as determined by the federal government. Part of the requirements for DACA status is that a person must have been brought to the United States under the age of 16 and have a clean criminal record. Even with DACA status, they are still not recognized as legal citizens.
Teach for America is a program which brings people of different backgrounds and experiences into the classroom to enhance learning. They are not licensed teachers but were issued an alternative license from the State of Colorado to teach. These teachers are currently enrolled in classes to attain their traditional teaching license after one year.
But, Denver has a significant population of students who are undocumented, and Boasberg believes this effort will help serve those families.
"In partnership with Teach For America, we believe that strong educators with deferred action status will bring critical insights to the classroom and will contribute to ensuring educational equity for all students," Boasberg said.
The Colorado Alliance for Immigration Reform has serious concerns regarding DPS's decision to hire DACA individuals. The group said in a statement that it believes the majority of people with DACA status are not properly trained or certified to become teachers:
It is unlikely that most of the illegal aliens with Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) status are trained, qualified, and certified as educators. Indeed, DACA status requires attainment of only a high school diploma or a GED certificate. Using unqualified individuals as "educators" does a tremendous disservice not only to students of all races and nationalities, but to our entire educational system.
The group also said that this decision is unfair to the millions of Americans seeking a full time teacher position:
There are at least 20 million Americans who either do not have a full-time job or are underemployed. This includes teachers. It is neither fair nor appropriate to hire unqualified foreign nationals to replace qualified and experienced American teachers.
The group also said that this decision is unfair to the millions of Americans seeking a full time teacher position:
There are at least 20 million Americans who either do not have a full-time job or are underemployed. This includes teachers. It is neither fair nor appropriate to hire unqualified foreign nationals to replace qualified and experienced American teachers.
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