World Refugee Day

I spend most of my time thinking about problems with public education and other services for children here in the U.S. and how to solve them, so it's easy to forget sometimes how serious the problems are facing children and families in many other parts of the world. Every so often, though, I get jolted with a troubling reminder of how bad the circumstances are for many children around the world.

Today is one of those days. It's World Refugee Day--a day set up to draw attention to the plight of the over 20 million people around the world who are refugees. Nearly half--more than 9 million--are children. Many of these children are orphans or separated from their families, many have survived truly horrific experiences, and many are struggling to survive on a daily basis. And many face bleak futures, without any homes to return to or clear legal status and limited or no access to economic opportunities or education (this is particularly the case for girls).

As we work to improve education in this country, it's important not to forget these children. Click here, here, here, or here to learn about some of the many opportunities--through donations of money or good, volunteering, or advocacy--to support work on behalf of refugees. In addition, the UN Commission on Human Rights offers a variety of resources for educators to help the children they work with learn about these issues and how they can make a difference for other children.