Let Us Meet You Where You Are: Securing the Educational Accomplishments of Migrant Students (SEAMS).

Migrant students are among the most educationally disadvantaged students in the United States public school system. In 2005, the Minnesota Department of Education contracted HACER to conduct a Comprehensive Needs Assessment (CNA) for migrant students in Minnesota. In an effort to move away from a deficit-based approach to discussing the needs of migrant students, the project was titled Securing the Educational Accomplishments of Migrant Students (SEAMS). The purpose of this project was to describe the particular context of migrant students in Minnesota, identify and prioritize their specific needs, and finally, highlight their unique strengths. This project also aimed to create recommendations for how the Migrant Education Program (MEP) in Minnesota can best help migrant students succeed in school. The data and analyses presented here draw on the experience and expertise of service providers working with Minnesota's migrant population. Most importantly, however, this study foregrounds the voices and insights of migrant parents and migrant students in the state. This report includes the following: an overview of the MEP in Minnesota; a profile of migrant students in Minnesota; a description of research; analysis of academic achievement information for migrant students from state databases; key perspectives of service providers, migrant parents and migrant students interviewed for this project; and analysis of barriers and facilitators to migrant students' academic success according to 7 areas of concern. The report concludes with recommendations to improve the delivery of educational services to migrant students in Minnesota, and a discussion of lessons learned that could inform future CNA processes.