The U.S. Department of Education released a resource guide Oct. 20, helping educators, community organizations and school leaders to better support undocumented youth and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients.

The public school setting should be a welcoming and supportive safe place where students of all walks and origins are given a chance to excel. However, undocumented youth tend to face a unique challenge when attempting to access success.

The education department recognizes caring educators, administrators and colleagues play a vital role in enabling the triumph of undocumented students, helping them to earn high marks and achieve academic goals. The U.S. Department of Education guide provides actionable resources and information, which could be used to equip high school and college students and improve outcomes.

"It's been three years since we unveiled the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals policy, or DACA, for those eligible young undocumented immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as children," said U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Leon Rodriguez. "We strongly encourage those who might be eligible for DACA to use this resource guide. We applaud the Department of Education for providing these resources to the undocumented young people in this country who can benefit from DACA."

Additionally, the informative guide included an overview of undocumented rights; tips for educators looking to support undocumented youth; guidance for migrant students looking to access educational records for DACA; information on federally funded adult education programs, a list of scholarships for undocumented youth; and valuable information on non-citizen access to federal financial aid.

Educators and school staff will be able to use to the guide to ease academic success and share useful financial aid options, but it will also help educators to demystify the legal rights of undocumented students, and encourage undocumented youth to apply for DACA consideration or renewal.

The guide was announced at San Francisco State University, which is an institution that has a strong history of supporting undocumented youth. Educators and staff help undocumented youth to access financial aid options, university resources and whatever else they may need.

According to the U.S. Department of Education, more than 680,000 youth received DACA, and they are an estimated nearly 1.5 million undocumented youth in the U.S. are currently eligible for DACA. In years to come, 400,000 children will become eligible in coming years. In months to come, the education department plans to release a resource guide for early learning and elementary school settings.

Related