Leadership Practices for Undocumented and DACA students in the Heartland

Authors

Dalila A. Sajadian, North Iowa Area Community College

Document Type

Abstract

Date of this Version

11-2021

Citation

Instructional Leadership Abstracts, Volume 13, Issue 4, November 2021

Comments

Published by the National Council of Instructional Administrators (NCIA)

Abstract

Continuous demographic changes are shaping the future of higher education institutions and as a result, leaders in educational institutions must adapt to those changes. Community college leaders, in particular rural leaders, are in a unique position and need to constantly evolve to serve different students, including undocumented and DACA students. The US Department of Education (2015) estimates that approximately 65,000 undocumented students graduate from U.S. high schools every year, however, “only 5 to 10% of undocumented students pursue higher education, and far fewer successfully graduate with a degree” (US Dept. of Education, 2015, p. 3). On June 15, 2012, President Obama announced the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, also know as DACA program. The DACA program opened a new window of opportunity for these students as it allowed them to obtain job authorization and granted them the opportunity to attend higher education institutions. Overall, what we know from research regarding the barriers, experiences, and educational outcomes of DACA recipients and DACA eligible students (collectively, DACA students), along with related policy considerations, naturally comes out of large populations coastal centers and other major population centers (Gonzalez, 2010; Gonzalez, Heredia, & Negron-Gonzalez, 2015; Suarez-Orozco, et.al. 2015). This body of research has established implications for what leaders can and should do to serve the interests of this segment of the population, even as most research has been concerned with student services staff and diversity officers (Kezar, 2000; Kezar, 2008; Nienhusser, 2018) rather than executive leadership per se.