Challenges and Opportunities facing Immigrant Children & Families

1. Challenges and Opportunities facing Immigrant Children & Families Carola Suárez-Orozco Professor, Applied Psychology, NYU, NY Member, Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, NJ

2. Immigration Studies @ NYU Latinos in the U.S. • Latino population in the U.S. • 46.7 million Latinos comprise 15.5% of the total U.S. population • the most rapidly growing population • estimated to be 30% of U.S. population by 2050 • The fastest growing student group in U.S. schools • More than20%of all public school students enrolled in K-12 • Nearly halfof the student population in California • Diversity of ‘Latinos’ • Country of origin • Mexican origin (64%), Puerto Ricans (9%) & Cuban origin (3.4%), Central (6%), South American (7%) • Latinoimmigrants & native-born Latinos

3. Immigration Studies @ NYU Strengths of Latino Families • “Immigrant paradox”(Garcia-Coll, in press; Hernandez & Charney, 1998) • Better health • Lower substance abuse (Gil, Wagner, Vega, 2000; Marsiglia & Waller, 2002) • Lower rates of delinquency (Bui & Thongniramol, 2005)) • Externalizing behaviors (Crosnoe, 2009) • Lower depression (Hernandez & Charney, 1998) • More time doing homework & class preparation (Garcia-Coll, et al, in press) • Valuing education (Pew Hispanic Center, Oct 6, 2009) & high expectations (Pong, Hao, Gardner, 2005) • Parental monitoring (Bui, 2008) • Sense of obligation to the family (Fuligni. Tseng, & Lam, 1999) • Immigrant optimism (Kao & Tienda, 1995) • Working hard (Suárez-Orozco & Suárez-Orozco, 1995)

4. Immigration Studies @ NYU Significant Challenges • Family origin capital • Poverty • Family educational background • Unauthorized status • Seasonal migrant status • School resource • School contexts: “triple segregation” • Second language Instruction • Teacher preparation and teacher expectation • Knowledgeable networks of relationships • Language Acquisition

5. Example: Homework • Example of disconnect of tangible supports • Increasing emphasis on homework • Places disadvantage on immigrant origin households • Resources • Language • Cultural Models • Grades assigned to immigrant students are largely determined by whether or not they complete homework • Bang, H., Suárez-Orozco, C., Pakes, J., O’Connor, E. (2009). The importance of homework in determining immigrant students’ grades in schools in the USA context. Education Research, v.1: 1-25

6. Example: English Language Proficiency

7. Challenges of Latino students in the U.S. • Many experience academic struggle and leave schoolswithout acquiring the skills necessary to compete in the U.S. knowledge intensive society • Highest high school drop out • Lowest college attendance rates • lives at or below the poverty level laboring the lowest echelons of the service sector economy • Schooling processes and outcomes are powerful barometers of future individual as well as societal well being

8. Immigration Studies @ NYU The Educational ‘Pipeline Problem’

9. The ‘Pipeline Problem’ for Latinos Fewer than 1 attain a Doctoral Degree 4 attain a Graduate or a Professional Degree 10 attain a B.A. Degree Only 2 Transfer to 4 Year College 11 enter 4 Year College 31 Enroll in College 20 enter Community College 52 students Graduate from High School Of 100 Latino Students who Enter Elementary School Immigration Studies @ NYU

10. Immigration Studies @ NYU Early Disadvantages • Preschool enrollment • Lowest preschool attendance rates of any minority group (43%) • Prohibitive cost & cultural model of family-centered ‘educacíon’ • Lower English vocabulary level & reading and schooling readiness • Kindergarten • Latino children are more likely to have multiple family risk factorsincluding: • low maternal education, non-native English speaker parents, poverty rates, single-parent household status, • Achievement gaps exist as children enter kindergarten, and are widenedby the end of first grade

11. Elementary and Secondary Schools Latino students as low achievers on national standardized tests By grades 3 and 7, Latinos score one to two grade levels below national norms on reading, math, science, social science and writing tests By 12th grade, Latino students average only an 8th grade reading level Language matters In 2006, 18.4 % of all Latino School age children spoke English with difficulty About a quarter of Latino students are “linguistically isolated” Lack of familiarity with vocabulary, exposure to concepts, and test formats Valid assessments of English Language Learners actual skills or knowledge? Implications of high-stakes testing and accountability standardsfor the secondary education of Latino students Immigration Studies @ NYU

12. Immigration Studies @ NYU High School Drop-Out & Graduation • Latino students are more likely to drop out of high school than all other groups • Dropping out or never dropped in? • Latino immigrant youth who arrive during adolescence are at a particular disadvantage • Many arrive in mid to late adolescence with the intention to work and therefore never enroll in school • 33.7% Latino immigrants dropped out of high school, compared to 14 % of U.S. born Latinos of age 16-19 • Latino students who are third generation and beyond also have dropout rates twice that of whites (12% versus 6%) • Latino boys have the highest drop-out rates of all groups

13. Immigration Studies @ NYU College & Higher Education • Challenges on the pathway to college • Academic preparation • College pathway knowledge • Academic English • Documented status • Financial resources • Challenges to college persistence • Lowest amount of financial aid • Part-time while working • Commuter students • Remedial, un-engaging courses • Academic self-efficacy • Lack of peer support group & mentorship

14. Immigration Studies @ NYU Policy and Practice Implications • “Sink or Swim” integration policies • The DREAM Act • Increasing preschool opportunities • Rigorous 21st century education • Teacher education • Second language education • Reconsidering high-stakes testing • After-school programs • Mentorships • Systematic college pathway instruction • Building on strengths of Latino families

15. Immigration Studies @ NYU Policy and Practice Implications • Building on the Strength of Latinos Families • “Family-mediated outlooks and values” (Perreira et al., 2006) • School attachment • Parental closeness • Parental monitoring • Immigrant optimism • Recognition of the value of hard work • Bicultural balance: The maintenance of native linguistic and cultural resources is important to positive identity development, higher self-esteem, and academic achievement of Latino and immigrant youth • “Funds of Knowledge” (Moll et al. 1992)