Afghan Refugee School Impact Support to Schools (ARSI S2S) Program Virtual Series
This series was developed by Child Trends, the leading research organization in the U.S. focused solely on improving the lives of children and youth, and supported by the Pennsylvania Department of Education’s Afghan Refugee School Impact Support to School program. Each session in the series is designed to serve educators, school administrators, counselors, social workers, and other professional service providers that work with refugee students and their families.
Spring 2024 Series: Culturally Responsive Family Engagement for Afghan Refugee Families
This three-part webinar series, led by Child Trends presenters Yosmary Rodriguez and Cassidy Guros, brings together research, practitioner insight, and family voice to deepen understanding of family engagement with Afghan refugee communities. Rather than focusing on program-specific guidance, the series encourages reflection, shared learning, and cross-sector dialogue around how schools and organizations can foster more inclusive, responsive partnerships with families. Together, the sessions support participants in moving from awareness to action by grounding family engagement efforts in equity, relationship-building, and continuous learning.
Session 1: What is Culturally Responsive Family Engagement?
This webinar introduces culturally responsive family engagement as a strengths-based, inclusive approach that values families as partners in student learning. Presenters define key concepts, share research on the benefits of family engagement, and discuss important considerations when working with Afghan refugee families. The session also highlights practical strategies aligned with Pennsylvania’s Family Engagement Learning Community Standards to support meaningful, equitable family–school partnerships.
Session 2: Engaging Afghan Refugee Families: Learning from the Experts
This webinar includes Afghan parents and HIAS Pennsylvania staff sharing perspectives on family engagement and navigating U.S. schools. Parents describe what supports their involvement, including translation and regular communication through tools like ClassDojo. HIAS staff highlight common challenges (language barriers, unfamiliar systems, differing expectations) and offer practical strategies such as culturally responsive communication, connecting families to ESL and community resources, and approaching sensitive topics with patience and respect.
Session 3: Evidence-Based Family Engagement
This webinar reviews key family engagement practices and introduces evidence-based tools and toolkits educators can use to better support newcomer students and families. Presenters highlight practical strategies tied to family engagement standards—such as building trust, removing barriers to participation, offering multilingual communication supports, and creating opportunities for families to connect. Participants share helpful resources, develop a “call to action” plan in breakout groups, and close by naming one commitment they will implement in their work.
Fall 2023 Series: Understanding Trauma and Fostering Resilience When Working with Afghan Refugee Students and Their Families
This three-session webinar series from Child Trends, led by Brandon Stratford and Cassidy Guros, supports educators and youth-serving professionals in strengthening trauma-informed practices for working with Afghan refugee students and their families. Across the sessions, participants build a shared understanding of trauma and resilience, explore ways to help students and families feel seen, heard, and valued, and examine practical strategies schools can use to create safe, supportive, and culturally responsive environments. Together, the videos emphasize reflection, relationship-building, and actionable approaches that promote belonging, wellbeing, and resilience for students, families, and school communities.
Session 1: Understanding Trauma and Resilience
This session explores how trauma, stress, and adversity can affect refugee students and their families, with a focus on understanding behaviors through a trauma-informed lens. Participants examine common stress responses, risk and protective factors, and how resilience develops through supportive relationships and safe environments. The session also offers practical reflection activities to help educators and service providers recognize stressors across the refugee experience and identify ways schools and programs can reduce harm while strengthening resilience.
Session 2: Helping Students and Families Feel Seen and Heard
This session examines how identity and belonging shape refugee students’ adjustment and wellbeing, especially during adolescence. Participants explore how social and personal identities can shift across settings, how assumptions and implicit bias influence adult responses, and why cultural connection and positive relationships are key protective factors. The session also highlights challenges such as identity-based harassment and youth taking on adult responsibilities as language and cultural brokers, offering reflection activities to help educators strengthen supportive, trauma-informed environments while also recognizing secondary traumatic stress and the importance of staff well-being.
Session 3: Strategies to Ensure Schools are Safe and Supportive
This session focuses on applying trauma-informed principles in school settings to support refugee students, families, and staff. Participants explore the seven principles of trauma-sensitive schools and examine practical classroom, school-wide, and organizational strategies that promote safety, belonging, cultural responsiveness, and wellbeing. The session also highlights the importance of staff support, collaboration with families and community partners, and intentional practices—such as community-building circles—that can address multiple needs while strengthening resilience across the school community.
Meet Our Instructors
Brandon Stratford, Ph.D., is the Deputy Program Area Director, Education at Child Trends.
Yosmary Rodriguez, M.S., is a senior research analyst in the education research area at Child Trends.
Cassidy Guros is a policy analyst on the education research team at Child Trends.