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Classrooms for All

Districts in Kent County and nationwide are diverse, with students representing various races, ethnicities, identities and cultural backgrounds. This series highlights the many ways diversity is a strength for students, teachers and communities alike. Even as much of the nation is roiled by conflict over immigration and racism, SNN will feature diversity as a source of cultural competence and real-world education.

Students help refugee peers adjust to life, schools in the U.S.

Multi Districts Morgan Jarema

Students from a handful of area high schools are making an impact at two West Michigan organizations tasked with helping refugee students and their families succeed...

Refugee author tells students, ‘It is the story of your community’

Godwin Heights Erin Albanese

Sandra Uwiringiyimana’s story of fleeing conflict and leaving her country behind resonated with students who read and discussed her book, “How Dare the Sun Rise: Memoirs of a War Child.”

‘If I Can Do it, You Can Do It’

Kentwood Erin Albanese

Dressed in red, resemblant of flaming hot sauce, Bowen Elementary fifth-grader Yoe Shi Yar played David Tran, a Vietnamese immigrant who founded Huy Fong...

‘The Goal is to Keep Them Reading’

Classrooms for All Janice Holst

Second-graders Leonel Santiago and Carlos Saldana hit an exciting benchmark this fall: They started reading their first chapter books. Besides helping them learn the important...

Thanks to English Tutoring, ‘I Can Learn a Lot of Things’

Classrooms for All Charles Honey

Rose Sanreta had had a big day at Northview High School: a test in finance class, a quiz in English, reviewing World History for...

Building a Dream Into Reality

Classrooms for All School News Network

I see the horror figures portrayed in the media. I flinch and glower at the images of helpless people, abandoned and alone, drowning in...

Language, Culture and ‘Jambo!’

Classrooms for All Erin Albanese

Sixth grade teacher Rebecca Bing remembers a particularly tough day at school. She walked down the hall, feeling a little tired and pensive. Suddenly,...

From Desperation to Diploma: A Somali Refugee’s Story

Classrooms for All Erin Albanese

Note from the author: I met Arafat Abdikarim Yassin last February while visiting East Kentwood High School to write about the school's refugee population....

She Walks in Their Shoes to Understand Their Challenges

Classrooms for All Erin Albanese

At Bowen Elementary School, English Learner teacher Katie Lett's students recently filled out "All About Me" forms. Soon they would write details about themselves...

Welcoming Our Newest, Most Vulnerable Students, Families

Classrooms for All Charles Honey

Tula Khadka remembers what it was like all too well. Arriving in West Michigan from Nepal in 2013, he didn’t know much English or...

“Am I in America, Really?” Refugee Students Leave Terror Behind, Look to Future

Classrooms for All Erin Albanese

Gloria Tungabose's eyes flash as she tells of her father, killed in Burundi. Her mother's ethnicity was Tutsi and her father's was Hutu, and...

Student Braves ‘Train of Death’ to Come to U.S., Go to School

Classrooms for All Erin Albanese

Kenia's story of her journey to the U.S. comes through the fuzzy lens of a child's memory. She's uncertain how long she traveled or...

Helping Parents Build Brighter Futures through Home Visits, Play

Classrooms for All Erin Albanese

Three busy boys play at Van Cung and Nzun Chin's house, pushing around trucks and bouncing on the couch. Staci Zuspann, Bright Beginnings parent educator,...

Journaling, Imaginations Make Waves of Summertime Learning

Classrooms for All School News Network

Dante Botello may never have entertained the notion of caring for a pet monkey had it not been for his Spanish Elementary teacher, who...

Summer Migrant Program Stimulates New Generation of Possibilities

Classrooms for All School News Network

While scores of area children can be heard frolicking in the summer sun, an all together different buzz resonates inside the district's middle school...

‘I Want to Make a Difference’

Classrooms for All Charles Honey

Gregoria Nava drives down a narrow lane through an apple orchard to a small cluster of migrant worker cabins. She’s come here on a...

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School News Network reports on the 20 public school districts in Kent ISD, which enroll more than 102,000 students. Founded in 2013 as an initiative of Kent ISD, we are supported by local districts and community sponsors, and powered by an experienced team of reporters, editors and multimedia journalists. We specialize in covering classroom teaching and learning, analyzing the many issues facing students and highlighting the education magic that happens each day in our public schools.

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