Creating Welcoming Schools

On November 21, 2014, the President established the White House Task Force on New Americans (WHTFNA) a government-wide effort tasked with better integrating immigrants and refugees into American communities in three key areas: civically, economically, and linguistically. On April 14, 2015 the WHTFNA took an important step by outlining the federal government's goals to strengthen its integration efforts nationwide and build welcoming communities in a report entitled STRENGTHENING COMMUNITIES BY WELCOMING ALL RESIDENTS: A Federal Strategic Action Plan on Immigrant & Refugee Integration. Integration is a dynamic two-way process that brings together newcomers and the long-time residents of communities into which they settle. To support the work of the WHTFNA, the U.S. Department of Education is sponsoring a series of seven webinars focused on the educational and linguistic integration of immigrants and refugees.