As noted by Tienda and Haskins (2011), "immigrant children are more likely than native children to face circumstances such as low income family, poor parental education and language barriers which place them in a difficult situation. at risk for developmental delay and poor academic performance once they enter school” (p. 7). In the school where I teach, the circumstances that hold back immigrant families are clearly visible. A few years ago, I had a student in class whose family had recently immigrated to the United States from Mexico. Language barriers first set him back, followed by poor attendance because he worked nights to help support his family. As an English teacher, I felt ill-equipped to support his success. Many of the issues impacting his academic success were beyond his and my control. Overall, schools, especially rural Iowa schools, need to pay more attention to the diverse lifestyles of their multicultural students and