E' Palante Que Vamo!: Transnational Education in the United States and in the Dominican Republic
This research project is designed to tell the stories and experiences of Dominican immigrant students living in New York City. For decades, immigration and educational policies in both the Dominican Republic and the United States have been widely discussed and criticized by scholars and members of this compelling community. Over the span of five decades, members of this community have engaged in a massive migration from the Dominican Republic into the United States. The study sheds light on the phenomenon of transnationalism on the lives of Dominican immigrant students, and the way that it shapes their educational experiences in schools across New York City. Through their reflections, I provide evidence that the idea of the American dream is virtually non-existent for members of this community. Additionally, Dominican immigrants all show a deep desire to return “home,” despite the educational and personal opportunities offered in the United States.
Educational Policy for the Transnational Dominican Community
The increasingly transnational character of many immigrant communities necessitates changes in educational policy. We use the Dominican neighborhoods in New York City as our local case, examining the economic, political, social, cultural, and linguistic evidence of the transnationalism of this community. Many Dominicans maintain close ties to their native country through global networks that facilitate language and cultural maintenance. In spite of discrimination, Dominicans in the United States need to maintain their Spanish and want their children to develop fluent Spanish. Neglecting the language needs of transnational children leads to serious academic and social problems. Enriched bilingual bicultural programs would promote parallel development in both languages, providing cultural as well as linguistic instruction so that students can succeed in either country.
Arab Uprisings and the Outstanding Return to Democracy: Tunisia as a Model
In the wake of the Middle Eastern crises, the Tunisian case in focus has been doted as a unique phenomenon being that it was the Genesis of the revolution that ultimately spread across the Middle East like wild fire, but has eventually heralded a new dawn as democracy has incidentally returned to the Empire. This literature therefore looks closely at the extent to which the ‘DignityRevolution’ has been instrumental in the Middle East uprisings, which have brought an end to dynastic autocracies. The literature zeros in on the Tunisian uprising which has attracted global concerns, sympathy and has sparked interests in the international arena. The literature finds that the people hold colossal prospect in the uprising and its resultant effect, as it paved the way for the revolutionist to generate, gather and disseminate information on the condition of the entire region to the international community. The people in this context were of utmost importance and played a very crucial role in the creation of awareness, mobilization of protesters and utmost determining the direction of the uprising and also ensuring a speedy return to democratic rule. The paper submits that the role of the people in ensuring that the ruins of the uprising is not left littering around and democracy restored is highly commendable and should be a model for all other Arab countries involved in the revolution.