Immigrant Children, Education of

Children from immigrant families in the United States are not themselves immigrants. The vast majority of these “immigrant” children are born in the United States, with all the full birthrights of any U.S. citizen. Moreover, the vast majority of immigration to the United States is legal immigration; yet, according to the National Task Force on the Early Education for Hispanics, approximately 10 million “undocumented” immigrants make their home in the United States. The young new Americans who are the children of these immigrants face unique circumstances that influence their lives and their successful participation in schooling. These circumstances are characterized by important attributes including significant family separation, poverty, segregation, and mobility/deportations. Educationally, these children of immigrants cope with school- and classroom-related segregation, limited English proficiency, and underachievement leading to significant achievement gaps. This entry examines the circumstances of these students' lives and the ways in which their education can be optimized.

When families face separation, significant stress, uncertainty, and resentment can occur between children and parents. Children “left behind” by migrant parents perform more poorly in school than their peers on many factors. Children in immigrant families are nearly twice as likely to have poor health, live in overcrowded housing, and live in poverty as compared with children of nonimmigrants. In 2004, 61% of children of immigrants lived in families in which one or both parents lacked a high school education. Therefore, the access to rich resources of educational experiences from family members is unavailable.