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MOVING STORIES

Immigrant Youth Adapt to Change

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 January 2008

Marcelo Suárez-Orozco  and
Carola Suárez-Orozco
Marcelo Suárez-Orozco*
Affiliation:
School of Culture, Education, and Human Development, New York University
Carola Suárez-Orozco
Affiliation:
Department of Applied Psychology, Steinhardt School of Education, New York University
*
Professor Marcelo Suárez-Orozco, Immigration Studies, New York University, 726 Broadway, 5th Floor, New York, NY 10003. E-mail: mso3@nyu.edu
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Abstract

In the first decade of the new millennium, a new cycle of public concern about the benefits and harms of immigration has erupted. The harsh spotlight on undocumented immigration and border controls has blinded us to many important facets of the problem. In this article, we focus on the experience and integration of the children of immigrants. These youth are the largest growing segment of the U.S. child population—now constituting 20% of our nation's children and projected by the year 2040 to make up one-third of our children. Immigrant-origin youth are extraordinarily diverse, and their experiences resist facile generalizations. The social and educational outcomes of immigrant youth will thus vary substantially depending upon the specific constellation of resources and the settlement context. Of critical importance is how immigrant youth fare academically, as this has long-term implications for their future, as well as our society's well-being. While some are successfully navigating the U.S. educational system, large numbers struggle academically, leaving school without having acquired the tools that will enable them to function in the highly competitive labor market and ever more complex society. Here we explore a variety of factors that shed light on the educational integration of the children of immigrants: educational background; poverty; segregation; undocumented status; English-language acquisition; promoting academic engagement; family relations; peer relationships; communities and community organizations; and mentoring relationships. We advocate a major new policy agenda to ease the transition of America's newest and littlest arrivals to their new home.

Keywords

Immigrant YouthEducationIntegrationSocial NetworksPolicy
Type
STATE OF THE DISCOURSE
Information
Du Bois Review: Social Science Research on Race , Volume 4 , Issue 1 , Spring 2007 , pp. 251 - 259
Copyright
Copyright © W.E.B. Du Bois Institute for African and African American Research 2007

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References

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