Transforming the school from the voices of families: recognizing the cultural identity of international migrant students

Abstract

This essay argues that recognizing and valuing the cultural identity of migrant students is a fundamental part of inclusive education. Through a critical review, it addresses prejudices and stereotypes that affect their identity, the tensions they experience at school in relation to this, and the recognition and integration of their cultural capital in school. Therefore, it proposes including migrant families in the teaching process, as they are bearers of a rich cultural heritage and their migratory experience enriches the educational process. To this end, collaboration between schools and migrant families is suggested, considering that the latter are the central axis of cultural identity for migrant schoolchildren. This line of action seeks a horizontal dynamic with two-way communication in the family-school relationship, giving rise to an intercultural school, where not only do people live together, but they also learn and value the knowledge of the migrant population in order to address the teaching-learning process. All of the above demonstrates that recognizing the identities of migrant schoolchildren should not be seen as a difficulty, but rather as an opportunity to strengthen the family-school relationship, enrich pedagogical practices, and advance the construction of inclusive education.