As people flee their native countries and migrate to European and other nations in order to escape war, persecution, or natural disaster, these conflicts not only contribute to the refugee crisis but to the loss of refugee children’s education. Children and youth are placed into classrooms for which they or their teachers may not be suitably prepared. Educators may face challenges in teaching refugee students who lack language skills, have major gaps in schooling, and have experienced trauma. This mixed-methods study aimed to explore: a) global educators’ attitudes of language, culture, and instructional practices when teaching refugee students; b) the challenges educators may face when teaching refugee students; and c) how the school system has prepared them to instruct refugee students. The findings indicate that teachers (n = 78) spread across Europe and other global countries often have thirty-plus students in class, and out of this total, twenty-one or more are refugee students who often arrive semiliterate in their heritage language due to interrupted or no previous schooling. With a lack of teaching materials, teachers must often create their own materials and become self-informed about refugee students’ culture. While teachers are caring and supportive of their refugee students, educators experience challenges in teaching due to a lack of training, materials, and human resources. As teachers reported that being provided with administrative support would be beneficial, recommendations for teachers and schools to support refugee students are discussed.

DOI: 10.18848/2327-0020/CGP/V21I02/59-78
ISSN: 2327-0020