Higher Education and Children in Immigrant Families

Abstract

The increasing role that immigrants and their children, especially those from Latin America, are playing in American society, Sandy Baum and Stella Flores argue, makes it essential that as many young newcomers as possible enroll and succeed in postsecondary education. Immigrant youths from some countries find the doors to the nation's colleges wide open. But other groups, such as those from Latin America, Laos, and Cambodia, often fail to get a post-secondary education. Immigration status itself is not a hindrance. The characteristics of the immigrants, such as their country of origin, race, and parental socioeconomic status, in addition to the communities, schools, and legal barriers that greet them in the United States, explain most of that variation. Postsecondary attainment rates of young people who come from low-income households and, regardless of income or immigration status, whose parents have no college experience are low across the board. Exacerbating the financial constraints is the reality that low-income students and those whose parents have little education are frequently ill prepared academically to succeed in college. The sharp rise in demand for skilled labor over the past few decades has made it more urgent than ever to provide access to postsecondary education for all. And policy solutions, say the authors, require researchers to better understand the differences among immigrant groups. Removing barriers to education and to employment opportunities for undocumented students poses political, not conceptual, problems. Providing adequate funding for postsecondary education through low tuition and grant aid is also straightforward, if not easy to accomplish. Assuring that Mexican immigrants and others who grow up in low-income communities have the opportunity to prepare themselves academically for college is more challenging. Policies to improve the elementary and secondary school experiences of all children are key to improving the postsecondary success of all.

Variation Across Hispanic Immigrant Generations in Parent Social Capital, College-Aligned Actions, and Four-Year College Enrollment

“…In particular, immigrant Hispanic students and parents often encounter an unfamiliar schooling system and find it difficult to engage with school personnel (Kao et al, 2013;StantonSalazar, 2001). Among immigrant parents, these barriers partly reflect economic pressures they face in the host country, which are compounded by language barriers and other marginalizing forces that reduce access to information about the workings of the U.S. school system (Baum & Flores, 2011;Valenzuela, 1999).…”

Final Needs Assessment Report: Identifying barriers faced by Ottawa Somali Youth in accessing post-secondary and vocational opportunities

“…Within the existing literature, immigrant youth lacking access to information on post-secondary programs was a common theme (Caidi, Allard, & Quirke 2010;Baum & Flores, 2011), with some researchers reporting it as a serious problem (Anisef &Murphy Killbride, 2008). Caidi, Allard, and Quirke (2010) term this lack of access as 'information poverty': a lack of necessary resources that enable everyday life information-seeking.…”

“…Compounding this issue is the fact that many Somali youth are first-generation, with their parents having immigrated to Canada during the 1980s and 90s (Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants, 2016). As such, many of their parents have not attended post-secondary school in Canada, meaning they are unable to help their children navigate the often complicated Canadian social system (Baum & Flores, 2011). Youth end up turning to their friends and peer group in order to obtain information (Caidi, Allard, & Quirke 2010;Shakya et al, 2010).…”

State and institutional policies on in-state resident tuition and financial aid for undocumented students: Examining constraints and opportunities

“…This approach to financing access for undocumented students further exacerbates the difficulties that exist for undocumented students who are contributors to their communities and the tax system, as a whole (Olivas, 2009a). Undocumented students have fewer resources, less institutional knowledge, and fewer support networks (Baum & Flores, 2011). The complexity of this policy arena, compounded with the existing difficulties as an undocumented student, indicates that post-high school opportunities for undocumented students are clearly limited or often geographically bound (Baum & Flores, 2011;Chin & Jun, 2010;Nair-Reichert & Cebula, 2015).…”

“…Undocumented students have fewer resources, less institutional knowledge, and fewer support networks (Baum & Flores, 2011). The complexity of this policy arena, compounded with the existing difficulties as an undocumented student, indicates that post-high school opportunities for undocumented students are clearly limited or often geographically bound (Baum & Flores, 2011;Chin & Jun, 2010;Nair-Reichert & Cebula, 2015). Moreover, the incoming Trump Administration has made clear its intentions to further marginalize this group with promises of a "Border Wall", repealing DACA protections, and the signing of executive orders restricting access to refugees and other immigrants from seven Muslim-majority countries (Ainsely & Cowan, 2017;Chiacu, 2017).…”