Washington, D.C. — New data released on Tuesday shows that 713,266 young people have become “DACAmented” under the 2012 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, initiative, and its benefits to our society have become more visible, tangible, and undeniable. To discuss the current challenges and opportunities facing “DACAmented” and unauthorized students in the K-12 levels and the innovative ways in which teachers and schools have helped these students succeed, the Center for American Progress will host a panel on Wednesday, March 30th.
Unauthorized youth who are navigating the U.S. education system face a patchwork of policies and practices in schools across the country. All students in the United States, regardless of legal status, are guaranteed a K-12 education, but beyond that, it is up to teachers and schools—with varying levels of knowledge and understanding of unauthorized students’ unique challenges—to help these students integrate and excel. The DACA initiative has allowed over 700,000 young people to apply for work authorization and a temporary reprieve from deportation, allowing them to get more education. Nonetheless, permanent legal status for the roughly two million unauthorized immigrants who came to the United States as children has proved elusive to date, leaving many more students in limbo.
WHO
Welcoming remarks:
Carmel Martin, Executive Vice President for Policy, Center for American Progress
Featured keynote:
Emma Violand-Sánchez, School Board Chair, Arlington Public Schools
Featured panelists:
Yehimi Cambron, DACAmented educator, Teach for America
Frances Esparza, Assistant Superintendent of the Office of English Language Learners, Newcomer Assessment and Counseling Center and the Translation/Interpretation Department, Boston Public Schools
Roberto G. Gonzales, author, Lives in Limbo: Undocumented and Coming of Age in America; Assistant Professor of Education, Harvard University
Richard Loeschner, Principal, Brentwood High School, Brentwood, New York
Moderated by:
Scott Sargrad, Managing Director of K-12 Education Policy, Center for American Progress
WHEN
Wednesday, March 30, 2016
12:00 p.m. ET – 1:15 p.m. ET
A light lunch will be served at 11:30 a.m.
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Location
Center for American Progress
1333 H St. NW, 10th Floor
Washington, D.C. 20005
Map & Directions 
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