Refugee students face the same hurdles but get different levels of support

When fifth-grader Mohammed Fáizy walked into his Tulsa school, just months after fleeing Afghanistan, he didn’t speak, read or write English.

He faced the prospect of learning the language while adjusting culturally and catching up on the core subjects of reading, writing, science and math.

Although government support of recent Afghan refugees is strong, refugee students from other countries face identical barriers without the same level of federal help.

Across Tulsa Public Schools, 261 Afghan children enrolled in Pre-K through 12th grades about the same time as Fáizy, and were thrust into the...