Migrant Education Program: Supporting the Educational Needs of Migratory Children

The Migrant Education Program (MEP) is a federally funded initiative designed to provide supplemental educational and supportive services to children of migratory workers. Recognizing the unique challenges faced by these students due to their mobile lifestyles, the MEP aims to ensure that they have the opportunity to meet the same challenging academic standards as all students. This article will provide a comprehensive overview of the MEP, including its purpose, eligibility criteria, services offered, and its role in supporting the success of migratory children.

Purpose and Authorization

The Migrant Education Program (MEP) is authorized under Title I, Part C, of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), which was reauthorized in 2015 as an amendment to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965. The program is funded by the U.S. Department of Education and sub-granted to entities that demonstrate the capacity to deliver high-quality supplemental instructional and support services to eligible migratory children. The goal of the MEP is to address the unique educational needs of migratory children, who often face interruptions in their schooling due to frequent moves.

Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible for the Migrant Education Program, a child must meet specific criteria related to their family's migratory work. Trained recruiters interview families to determine each child's eligibility for the Migrant Education Program.

A migratory worker is defined as someone who has moved within the past 36 months and engaged in qualifying seasonal or temporary work in agriculture or fishing soon after the move or, under certain circumstances, unsuccessfully sought qualifying work.

Specifically, the following definitions apply:

Migratory agricultural worker: An individual who made a qualifying move in the preceding 36 months and, after doing so, engaged in new temporary or seasonal employment or personal subsistence in agriculture, which may be dairy work or the initial processing of raw agricultural products.
Migratory fisher: An individual who made a qualifying move in the preceding 36 months and, after doing so, engaged in new temporary or seasonal employment or personal subsistence in fishing.
Qualifying move: The definition of "qualifying move" is not specified in the provided text.
Agricultural work or employment: The production or initial processing of raw agricultural products such as crops, trees, dairy products, poultry, or livestock.
Fishing work or employment: The catching or initial processing of fish or shellfish or the raising or harvesting of fish or shellfish at fish farms.
Temporary employment: Employment that lasts for a limited period of time, usually a few months, but no longer than 12 months. It typically includes employment where the employer states that the worker was hired for a limited time frame; the worker states that the worker does not intend to remain in that employment indefinitely; or the SEA has determined on some other reasonable basis that the employment is temporary.

Services Offered

MEP projects operate in support of, and in coordination with, the regular school programs. The Migrant Education Program (MEP) provides supplemental education and supportive services to migrant children. These services are designed to address the specific needs of migratory students and may include:

Supplemental Instruction: Additional academic support to help students meet challenging academic standards.
Supportive Services: Services such as health, social, and other support services to help students succeed in school.
Coordination with Regular School Programs: MEP projects work in conjunction with regular school programs to ensure that migratory students receive a comprehensive education.
Access to Health Services: The Washington State Migrant Education Health Program helps eligible migrant students and their families gain access to supplemental health and social services free of charge.

State Educational Agency (SEA) Responsibilities

State Educational Agencies (SEAs) play a crucial role in the implementation and oversight of the MEP. Their responsibilities include:

Comprehensive State Plan: The SEA must develop its comprehensive State plan for service delivery in consultation with the State parent advisory council or, for SEAs not operating programs for one school year in duration, in consultation with the parents of migratory children. The SEA must develop its comprehensive State plan for service delivery in consultation with the State parent advisory council or, for SEAs not operating programs for one school year in duration, in consultation with the parents of migratory children. This plan should address:
- Performance targets.
- Needs assessment.
- Measurable program outcomes.
- Service delivery.
- Evaluation.
Data Collection and Reporting: The Department of Education collects data annually from State Educational Agencies (SEAs) concerning the operation of the Title I, Part C, Migrant Education Program (MEP). The data are collected through Part I and Part II of the Consolidated State Performance Report (CSPR).
MSIX Data Management: In order to receive a grant of MEP funds, an SEA must collect, maintain, and submit to MSIX MDEs and otherwise exchange and use information on migratory children.
- An SEA must collect and submit to MSIX the MDEs described in paragraph (b)(1)(i) of this section within 10 working days of approving a new Certificate of Eligibility for the migratory child.
- Each SEA that receives a grant of MEP funds must establish and implement written procedures that allow a parent or guardian of a migratory child, or a migratory child, to ask the SEA to correct or determine the correctness of MSIX data.
- If an SEA determines that data it submitted previously to MSIX should be corrected, the SEA must submit the revised data to MSIX within four working days of its decision to correct the data.
- Establish and implement written procedures to protect the integrity, security, and confidentiality of Consolidated Student Records, whether in electronic or print format, through appropriate administrative, technical, and physical safeguards established in accordance with the MSIX MOU and MSIX Interconnection Security Agreement.
- Require all authorized users to complete the User Application Form approved by the Secretary before providing them access to MSIX.
Eligibility Determination Quality Control: An SEA must establish and implement a system of quality controls for the proper identification and recruitment of eligible migratory children on a statewide basis.
- Beginning September 1, 2020, an SEA must use one or more independent re-interviewers to validate child eligibility determinations made during one of the first three full performance reporting periods (September 1 through August 31) following the effective date of a major statutory or regulatory change that directly impacts child eligibility (as determined by the Secretary).
- Conduct re-interviews with the parents or guardians of the children in the sample.

Data and Accountability

The U.S. Department of Education collects data annually from SEAs to assess the effectiveness of the MEP. This data includes:

Migrant Achievement Data: Data on the academic performance of migratory students in reading, mathematics, and science, collected through the CSPR Part I and available within ED Data Express.
MEP Eligibility and Participation Data: Data on the number of eligible migratory students and their participation in MEP services, collected through the CSPR Part II and available within ED Data Express. This data includes information on:
- Migrant Students Eligible for Services.
- Migrant Students Participating in Services â Performance Period.
- Migrant Students Participating in Services â Regular School Year.
- Migrant Students Participating in Services â Summer/Intersession.
- Eligible Migrant Students, Limited English Proficient Students, Priority for Service Students, Students with Disabilities, Total Migrant Participation, Participation in Instructional Services, and Participation in Support Services.
- Age/grade categories of Ages 3-5, Grades K-3, Grades 4-5, Grades 6-8, Grades 9-12, Out-of-School Youth, and Total Population.

Performance Review and Monitoring

The Office of Migrant Education (OME) conducts performance reviews to monitor the implementation of the MEP at the state level. The primary goal of the review is to ensure that implementation of the program is consistent with the fiscal, administrative, and other program requirements contained in the Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards (Uniform Guidance: 2 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 200), the Education Department General Administrative Requirements (EDGAR), the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA), as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), and associated regulations.

State-Specific Programs

Several states have their own Migrant Education Programs that operate in conjunction with the federal MEP. For example:

Washington State Migrant Education Program: The Washington State Migrant Education Program (MEP) is federally funded to ensure high-quality education programs and supplemental support services for migratory children. The migrant program ensures appropriate consultation with migrant parents and local education agencies through the Washington State Migrant Education Parent Advisory Committee. Districts are required to submit an end-of-year report that reflects the services provided and the staff time paid with program funds.
Tennessee Title I Part C Education Program: The Tennessee Title I Part C Education Program strives to ensure that all migratory students reach challenging academic standards and graduate with a high school diploma that prepares them for responsible citizenship, further learning, and productive employment. The Tennessee Title I Part C Education Program collaborates with school districts and community agencies to help migratory children and out-of-school youth meet the same academic standards expected of all students by coordinating and supporting services that sustain and accelerate their progress in school.

Parent Advisory Councils

The Parent Advisory Council (PAC) is for Migrant Education Program staff in coordination with elected or selected parent committee members, and other interested parties to plan, implement and evaluate the local program to continue to provide quality services to migratory children.

Additional Resources

Common Core of Data (CCD): A comprehensive, annual, national statistical database of information concerning all public elementary and secondary schools and school districts, maintained by the U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics.
National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP): A nationally representative and continuing assessment of what America's students know and can do in various subject areas.
National Agricultural Workers Survey (NAWS): A survey of farmworkers. Information has been collected from over 25,000 farm workers since the NAWS began in 1988. The survey samples all crop farmworkers in three cycles each year in order to capture the seasonality of the work.
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), National Agricultural Statistics Survey (NASS), Census of Agriculture: The census of agriculture is a complete accounting of United States agricultural production.
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Child Nutrition Programs: USDA is responsible for providing a safety net for millions of Americans who are food-insecure and for developing and promoting dietary guidance based on scientific evidence. Child Nutrition programs administered by FNS provide healthy food to children through programs that include the National School Lunch Program, School Breakfast Program, Child and Adult Care Food Program, Summer Food Service Program and the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program.

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