Where Do I Go From Here?: Meeting the Unique Educational Needs of Migrant Students.

BOOK REVIEWS TESOL Quarterly welcomes evaluative reviews of publications relevant to TESOL professionals Edited by MARGARET HAWKINS University of Wisconsin Where Do I Go From Here?: Meeting the Unique Educational Needs of Migrant Students Karen S Vocke Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2007 Pp vi + 119 Ⅲ Few can deny the contribution that migrant workers make to the U.S economy as low-wage earners in the agricultural, fishing, and dairy industries (Capps, Fortuny, & Fix, 2007) Migrant workers, who move seasonally in pursuit of labor, earn a median income of less than $10,000 per year Moreover, more than three quarters (78%) of migrant workers are immigrants, 75% are of Mexican origin, and 84% are Spanish speakers (Carroll, Samardick, Bernard, Gabbard, & Hernandez, 2005) The children of migrant workers, who are the focus of Karen S Vocke’s new book, face the same challenges as their parents in terms of mobility, poverty, immigration, and linguistic and cultural differences; however, these children are further faced with the difficulty of navigating and succeeding in the U.S educational system in an era of high-stakes testing These challenges make migrant farmworker children among the most vulnerable subpopulations in U.S schools and among the highest at risk of dropping out (López, Scribner, & Mahitivanichcha, 2001) Vocke’s book, a slim 119 pages, consists of seven chapters and five appendixes Chapter provides an overview of the book and the context of migrant farmworkers and their children Chapter focuses on language development and emphasizes second language acquisition Chapters and focus on culturally responsive pedagogy and language and literacy development, and chapter 5, written by Lynn Welsch, provides details regarding digital storytelling Chapter describes outreach efforts to migrant families, and chapter attempts to situate migrant English language learners (ELLs) critically by tying the book to the themes of social justice and equity in education The five appendixes, A–E, offer additional information on migrant workers, children’s literature depicting migrants, wordless picture books for ELLs, digital storytelling and technology resources, and resources that support educators’ outreach efforts to migrant families TESOL QUARTERLY Vol 42, No 4, December 2008 679 The goal of Vocke’s book is to emphasize the educational needs of migrant farmworker children, the challenges they (and their families) face, and to offer insightful and culturally relevant methods that enhance their educational experiences To that end, Vocke does a remarkable job of offering suggestions for educators working with this group However, although the book has a clean practitioner-based orientation, it does not replace academic literature emphasizing research with this population (e.g., López, 1999) that might allow for deeper and more complex conversations regarding the inequities that migrant children and their families face Nonetheless, the overarching theme that comes through in Vocke’s book is the importance of key individuals and their willingness to make a difference in the lives of migrant children The strength of this book is in its suggestions for practitioners working with migrant ELLs One wonderful example is using technology and media to scaffold oral language and literacy development for migrant ELLs through digital storytelling In this activity, which is not unlike Igoa’s (1995) use of filmstrips with immigrant ELLs, Vocke shows how migrant ELLs can use audio and visual technologies to tell stories that reflect their rich linguistic and cultural knowledges The digital storytelling lesson offers an engaging way for migrant ELLs to participate in a low-anxiety setting while building oral language skills and acquiring literacy in English Vocke’s book also provides second language methods for educators working with migrant ELLs, such as the use of graphic organizers, cooperative grouping, and vocabulary development One area that might be addressed in a future volume is the confounding of migrants, immigrants, and ELLs and the unique needs of these distinct groups That is, not all migrant children in U.S schools are ELLs nor are they all immigrants (families frequently have members with varying immigration statuses) In order to best understand migrant children and best meet their academic needs, the three characteristics should be teased apart (Coady, Davis, & Flores, in press) Overall, this book makes an important contribution by adding to the few available resources designed specifically for use with migrant children in educational settings The book is a welcome addition to resources that are appropriate for use by practitioners working with migrant ELLs in educational settings, as well as undergraduate students, such as preservice teachers, who may learn more about migrant children and ways to respond to their academic needs REFERENCES Capps, R., Fortuny, K., & Fix, M (2007) Trends in the low-wage labor force, 2000–2005 Washington, DC: The Urban Institute Retrieved September 16, 2007, from http://www.urban.org/publications/411426.html 680 TESOL QUARTERLY Carroll, D., Samardick, R M., Bernard, S., Gabbard, S., & Hernandez, T (2005) Findings from the National Agricultural Workers Survey 2001–2002: A demographic and employment profile of United States farm workers [Report No 9] Washington, DC: U.S Department of Labor, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Policy, and Office of Programmatic Policy Retrieved September 16, 2007, from http://www.doleta gov/agworker/report9/toc.cfm Coady, M., Davis, J., & Flores, C (in press) Personalmente: Home–school communication practices with (im)migrant families in north Florida Bilingual Research Journal Igoa, C (1995) The inner world of the immigrant child Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum López, G R., Scribner, J D., & Mahitivanichcha, K (2001) Redefining parental involvement: Lessons from high-performing migrant-impacted schools American Educational Research Journal, 38, 253–288 López, M E (1999) When discourses collide: An ethnography of migrant children at home and in school New York: Peter Lang MARIA R COADY University of Florida Gainesville, Florida, United States BOOK REVIEWS 681