The general purpose of the Migrant Education Program (MEP) is to ensure that children of migrant workers have access to the same free, appropriate public education, including public pre-school education, provided to their children. To achieve this purpose, the MEP helps state and local education agencies remove barriers to the school enrollment, attendance, and achievement of migrant children. More specifically, the statutory purposes of the Migrant Education Program are to:

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• Ensure that migrant children have the opportunity to meet the same challenging state content standards and challenging state student performance standards that all children are expected to meet;

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• Support high quality and comprehensive educational programs to migrant children to help reduce the educational disruption and other problems that result from repeated moves;

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• Ensure that migrant children are provided with appropriate educational services (including supportive services) that address their special needs in a coordinated and efficient manner;

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• Design programs to help migrant children overcome educational disruption, cultural and language barriers, social isolation, various health related problems, and other factors that inhibit the ability of such children to do well in school, and to prepare such children to make a successful transition to postsecondary education or employment; and

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• Ensure that migrant children benefit from state and local systemic reforms.