Let Us Meet You Where You Are: Securing the Educational Accomplishments of Migrant Students (SEAMS)
Migrant students are among the most educationally disadvantaged students in the United States public school system. In 2005, the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) contracted Hispanic Advocacy and Community Empowerment through Research (HACER) to conduct a
Comprehensive Needs Assessment (CNA) for migrant students in Minnesota. In an effort to move away from a deficit-based approach to discussing the needs of migrant students, the project was titled Securing the Educational Accomplishments of Migrant Students (SEAMS). The purpose of this project was to describe the particular context of migrant students in Minnesota, identify and prioritize their specific needs, and finally, highlight their unique strengths. This
project also aimed to create recommendations for how the Migrant Education Program (MEP) in
Minnesota can best help migrant students succeed in school. The data and analyses presented here draw on the experience and expertise of service providers working with Minnesota’s migrant population. Most importantly, however, this study foregrounds the voices and insights of migrant parents and migrant students in the state.