Displaced & Vulnerable Students

The displacement of students, even temporarily, can have a chilling effect on the lives of those impacted. It can also alter the path toward degree completion. Effective and timely assistance for campus communities in addressing the damage done can make a difference in how quickly the challenges for students can be overcome.

Article 26 Backpack

Lead by Global Affairs at UC Davis and in collaboration with the Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs at the American University of Beirut, the A26BP is named for the article in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights that establishes the right to education. This cloud-based “ecosystem” aims to help refugees and other vulnerable young people reclaim their education.

AACRAO's commitment to the A26 Backpack motivated the association to bring the international education community together in order to develop a framework for the admission of these students to U.S. institutions.

Education in Crisis

Covid-19 dealt a massive disruption to education. We watched as these disruptions compounded in international education by the crises in Afghanistan, Lebanon, Haiti, and others.

WEBINARS
REPORTS & PRESENTATIONS
DOCUMENTS
IN THE NEWS

Inclusive Admissions Policies for Displaced and Vulnerable Students

This 2019 report explores the barriers preventing the admission of displaced and vulnerable students to U.S. institutions and provides guidance for those seeking best practices. Read the report.

Fall 2017 Symposium

AACRAO discusses best practices in educational records and supporting access to higher education of vulnerable persons and an introduction to A26BP. Read the report.

Inclusion and Access to Higher Education for Displaced and Vulnerable Persons

Institute of International Education and AACRAO share innovative solutions for student and university initiatives. View the presentation.

Title	Type	Size
Institutions Affected by Katrina: On Their Way Back	pdf	2126 KB
Fall Symposium Report	pdf	1086 KB
Inclusion Presentation AM2018	pdf	1634 KB

March 25, 2019
AACRAO launches pledge to protect education for all. Read more.

November 5, 2018
AACRAO's work on the A26 Backpack highlighted in the Washington Post. Read more.

July 27, 2018
Roughly 120 academics and nonprofit officials, including AACRAO's Annetta Stroud and Julia Funaki, kicked off a new Rutgers-based consortium called the University Alliance for Refugees and At-Risk Migrants. Its goal: to coordinate and scale up the patchwork of university programs assisting displaced people. Read More.

June 12, 2018
UC Davis Launches Digital Tool in Lebanon to Help Syrian Refugees Reclaim Right to Education. Read More.

May 15, 2018
Annetta Stroud, AACRAO's Associate Director for Training and Program Development, on The Article 26 Backpack™ : A Unique Human Rights Tool to Support Access to Higher Education for TAICEP. Read more.

March 26, 2018
Washington, DC Higher Ed Association and Orlando Students Pressure Congress to Protect Vulnerable Students. Read more.

March 7, 2018
AACRAO attends off-the-record session roundtable discussion sponsored by IIE and the Penn Biden Center for Diplomacy & Global Engagement to discuss innovative initiatives highlighting the A26BP™.

February 18-21, 2018
AACRAO presents at the annual AIEA conference in DC on a panel session with UNITAR and Rutgers titled: Universities' Role in Assisting and Empowering Refugees and At-Risk Migrants.