Education and Immigration

by Grace Kao, Elizabeth Vaquera, Kimberly Goyette

Overview

Education is a crucially important social institution, closely correlated with wealth, occupational prestige, psychological well-being, and health outcomes. Moreover, for children of immigrants – who account for almost one in four school-aged children in the U.S. – it is the primary means through which they become incorporated into American society. 

This insightful new book explores the educational outcomes of post-1965 immigrants and their children. Tracing the historical context and key contemporary scholarship on immigration, the authors examine issues such as structural versus cultural theories of education stratification, the overlap of immigrant status with race and ethnicity, and the role of language in educational outcomes. Throughout, the authors pay attention to the great diversity among immigrants: some arrive with PhDs to work as research professors, while others arrive with a primary school education and no English skills to work as migrant laborers. As immigrants come from an ever-increasing array of races, ethnicities, and national origins, immigrant assimilation is more complex than ever before, and education is central to their adaptation to American society.

Shedding light on often misunderstood topics, this book will be invaluable for advanced undergraduate and beginning graduate-level courses in sociology of education, immigration, and race and ethnicity.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780745664569
Publisher:	Polity Press
Publication date:	04/03/2013
Series:	Immigration and Society
Sold by:	JOHN WILEY & SONS
Format:	eBook
Pages:	200
File size:	3 MB

About the Author

Grace Kao is professor of sociology, education, and Asian American studies at the University of Pennsylvania

Elizabeth Vaquera is assistant professor of sociology at the University of South Florida

Kimberly Goyette is associate professor of sociology at Temple University

Table of Contents

1 Education and the American Dream 1

2 Becoming American (or Not): Paths to Assimilation 25

3 Historical Overview of Immigration 51

4 Educational Attainment and Socioeconomic Status of Immigrant Adults 76

5 Educational Achievement and Outcomes of Children in Immigrant Families 106

6 Language and Educational Success 140

7 Conclusion 170

References 189

Index 210

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“Public debates about immigration become more contentious by the day. Yet, far too often, this debate is based on myth, assumption, and conjecture rather than sound scientific evidence. With this book, Kao, Vaquera, and Goyette – first-rate scholars all – have provided the solid compendium of evidence that we so desperately need, sketching out the risks that the children of immigrants face in the American educational system and the remarkable resilience they demonstrate chasing the American Dream.”
Robert Crosnoe, University of Texas at Austin

“In this insightful and gracefully written volume, Kao, Vaquera, and Goyette show there is no single story of immigration and education. There is important variation between and within immigrant groups that policy makers need to attend to, and variation along the lines of class, race, and language that we all need to be aware of as we consider which groups do better and why.”
Vivian Shuh Ming Louie, Harvard University

“America is both an immigrant society and an education society. This important book intertwines these two important themes and brings together the latest scholarship on the topic. I highly recommend this book.”
Yu Xie, University of Michigan

Editorial Reviews

"In a little more than 200 pages, Education and Immigration covers state-of-the-art knowledge in this field in a clear and structured way that will appeal to students, researchers, and interested readers on both sides of the Atlantic."
European Sociological Review


“Public debates about immigration become more contentious by the day. Yet, far too often, this debate is based on myth, assumption, and conjecture rather than sound scientific evidence. With this book, Kao, Vaquera, and Goyette – first-rate scholars all – have provided the solid compendium of evidence that we so desperately need, sketching out the risks that the children of immigrants face in the American educational system and the remarkable resilience they demonstrate chasing the American Dream.”
Robert Crosnoe, University of Texas at Austin

“In this insightful and gracefully written volume, Kao, Vaquera, and Goyette show there is no single story of immigration and education. There is important variation between and within immigrant groups that policy makers need to attend to, and variation along the lines of class, race, and language that we all need to be aware of as we consider which groups do better and why.”
Vivian Shuh Ming Louie, Harvard University

“America is both an immigrant society and an education society. This important book intertwines these two important themes and brings together the latest scholarship on the topic. I highly recommend this book.”
Yu Xie, University of Michigan

From the Publisher