A comparative analysis of immigrant children’s educational policies: Türkiye and the United States

This study critically compares immigrant and refugee education policies in Türkiye and the United States, integrating theoretical analysis with a policy review. While previous studies by OECD, UNESCO, and Suárez-Orozco have described immigrant student outcomes, few have systematically examined how governance structures and policy implementation shape educational experiences across contexts. Using Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory and Berry’s acculturation model, this study analyzes 30 core documents (12 peer-reviewed articles, 10 government policy texts, and 8 international reports) through a qualitative document analysis. Findings reveal that Türkiye’s centralized education system enables rapid refugee inclusion and policy coherence at the macro level, but struggles with localized implementation, resulting in overcrowded schools, insufficient psychosocial support, and limited teacher training. Conversely, the United States’ decentralized federal system enables state-level innovation, such as bilingual education programs, but creates sharp inequities between supportive and restrictive states, producing fragmented acculturation outcomes. Mapping these dynamics across macro (national policy), meso (regional/school governance), and micro (classroom) levels illustrates how structural misalignments affect immigrant students’ integration. This study contributes to comparative education literature by moving beyond descriptive policy summaries and offering a theory-driven analysis linking governance, implementation, and acculturation outcomes. It concludes that both countries must align macro-level policies with meso- and micro-level supports through equity-focused funding, bilingual instruction, trauma-informed services, and teacher preparation to ensure the academic and social integration of immigrant children.