Immigration and Education

Patterns of Immigration

In 2009, approximately 12.5% of the U.S. population was foreign born. This includes about 6% of all children between the ages of 5 and 17. Most of these immigrants come from Mexico, Central America, and Asia, with the vast majority coming from Mexico.

Millions more Americans are part of the second or third generation—meaning that either their parents or grandparents were born outside the United States. As of 2009, 24% of all children under the age of 17 lived with at least one foreign-born parent. This is because many contemporary immigrants are of child-bearing age when they arrive and, thus, have children within a few years of arriving. This is especially true of Mexican immigrants. As recently as 2009, the percentage of 5- to 17-year-old Hispanics living with at least one foreign-born parent was 58%. Thus, Hispanic children make up the vast majority of immigrant children in U.S. schools.

Historically speaking, immigration from Mexico, Central America, and Asia is a relatively new phenomenon. Migrants from those countries were not significantly represented during the nation's last great wave of immigration in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Nation of origin is one of the major differences between the two waves. Yet, there are also a number of similarities, suggesting that the current immigration context in the United States is not unprecedented, as many observers tend to think it is. Understanding patterns of historic and contemporary immigration is important for educators who work with immigrant populations in order to better understand the reality they face in schools.

First, today's immigrants are more ethnically and culturally diverse than ever, and they are more likely to be members of racial minorities than in past generations. Immigrants who arrived one hundred years ago came almost exclusively from Europe, and the small percentage who were members of racially diverse groups (such as Chinese and Japanese laborers) did not experience the same structural assimilation into U.S. society as did European immigrants.

Second, contemporary immigrants vary greatly in terms of education and social class. Present-day immigrants are more likely than the native-born population to have family members who have graduated from college. At the same time, however, they are also more likely not to have graduated from high school themselves. North Asian immigrants tend to migrate as highly skilled engineers, doctors, and nurses. In contrast, Mexican and Central American immigrants are likely to work as day laborers or in other low-wage jobs. In addition, some immigrants arrive as refugees or asylum seekers and thus are likely to have very different background experiences than voluntary migrants.

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