What is Project SOL?

Project SOL is an important study of how students from other countries adapt to school in the United States. It is designed to provide critically needed information about the adjustment of immigrant students at different grade levels in the first three years following their arrival. The focus of the study is on school adaptation in relation to stresses that often accompany the migration experience and to the availability of support from the student’s social network (people who are important to the student).

What organizations are associated with the project?

The project involves educators and researchers at Florida International University and the Miami-Dade County Public Schools. The Spencer Foundation for Educational Research has provided funding for the study through its Major Grants Program. The project has a distinguished panel of local and national advisors concerned with the wellbeing of immigrant students and their families.

Who participates in the study and what are they asked to do?

Participants include 600 elementary, middle, and high school students who are recent arrivals from Caribbean and South American countries. These students are being interviewed at their schools within the first few months after school entry, and in the second and third years of the project. Parents or guardians complete surveys at home to provide some information about their own experiences with migration. Teachers complete a brief school adaptation survey for each student in the study.

Is participation voluntary and is study information confidential?

Yes, absolutely! Parents and students are free to choose whether to participate and parental consent is required for student participation. Those who agree to participate do not have to answer any questions that they do not wish to answer. All information gathered in the study is strictly confidential. No information will be provided to anyone about individual participants!

Why is this study important?

Thousands of students new to the United States enter the Miami-Dade schools each year. This research will provide a much-needed window on the adaptation of these students to the U. S. school environment. The information that participants offer about their experiences, as they become part of our school communities, will be very helpful to parents, educators, and other professionals concerned with ensuring success for our students from other lands.