Browsing by Subject "Pragmatic privatization"
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Item Pragmatic privatization and the hollow state : nonprofits and the implementation of educational programs for refugee students(2022-05-09) Mairaj, Fiza; Callahan, Rebecca M.; Jabbar, Huriya; Holme, Jennifer Jellison; McBrien, Jody L; Henig, JeffreyThrough the passage of the Refugee Act of 1980, the US federal government has largely ceded control of refugee resettlement and all associated social services to the private, nonprofit sector. The US has resettled the highest number of refugees in the world, and about half of those admitted are under the age of 17. Research shows that education is the key to social and emotional healing for refugee children, and critical to ensure their long-term socioeconomic wellbeing. Hence, the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) provides grants to the nonprofit resettlement sector to support educational integration of refugee youth. However, how these organizations implement educational programs and measure their effectiveness remains unexplored in educational research. Therefore, I undertook a case study to explore two research questions: 1) In a multilayered policy implementation structure of refugee students’ educational support programs inside and outside of public schools, how are decisions made? 2) How do the focal organizations measure effectiveness of educational programs for refugee youth? This study draws from the metaphor of the hollow state and the typologies of privatization to study the multilayered organizational structure of refugee resettlement in Texas. Findings revealed that as multiple organizational layers are added into the service delivery model, clear accountability for the programs is lost. The privatization of refugee support services appears not to reduce the complex infrastructure traditionally attributed to public bureaucracies. Furthermore, the ORR prioritizes the quantity of clients served rather than the quality of the programs implemented, the privatization of services appears to have a limited benefit to end users as well. Finally, as the refugee resettlement program’s focus is on economic self-sufficiency for adult refugees, the policy overlooks the educational needs of school-aged refugees in a systemic way. Outcomes for refugees below the age of 18 are not reported to the Congress by the ORR, reflecting a lack of interest in or focus on the educational well-being of vulnerable refugee youth. Findings from this study contribute to our understanding of how the refugee resettlement policy shapes the educational experiences of refugee students. The study concludes with recommendations for policy, practice, and research.