Bridging Borders: Teacher Perspectives on Refugee Students’ Schooling in Germany and the U.S.

This qualitative study compares the perspectives of educators on students with refugee experiences across school contexts in Germany and the United States. Drawing from qualitative data, including teacher interviews and focus group discussions, the paper contextualizes educators’ perspectives within each nation’s unique sociopolitical and educational landscapes. The findings include the impact of Germany’s tracked education system on educator perspectives and reliance on traditional practices that hinder upward mobility for refugees, while the educators’ perspectives in the U.S. are often constrained by standardized curricula and lack of cohesive federal policies. In light of the study’s findings, we call for systemic reforms, including diversifying the teacher workforce and developing a unified global refugee education framework to ensure equitable education for refugees globally. © Copyright © 2025 by the National Association for Multicultural Education.