The academic adaptation of children of immigrants in new and traditional settlement communities: The role of family, schools, neighborhoods, and state level-policies

This dissertation evaluates how the different contexts of reception in new and traditional immigrant settlement states shape the educational achievement of immigrants' children. The first essay examines how individual, family, school, and neighborhood academic resources differ between new and traditional settlement states and whether these differences contribute to diverging achievement patterns. The second essay examines how the relationship between settlement location and student achievement changed over time as more immigrants arrived and dispersed throughout the 1990s. This essay examines how socio-demographic, family, school, and neighborhood characteristics contributed to differing cohort achievement patterns for each settlement location. The third essay assesses how variation in immigration policies across these states contributes to the unequal academic achievement of immigrant youth. Specifically, the essay investigates whether traditional and new settlement states can reduce the dropout rate for their undocumented immigrant population by adopting in-state resident tuition policies that provide in-state tuition to undocumented students. In combination, this three essay dissertation provides policymakers and educators with critical information on how state-level policies and the characteristics of settlement communities influence the academic achievement of a growing and geographically dispersed immigrant population

A avaliação dos critérios de elegibilidade para alunos iniciantes e na metade da carreira profissional: Evidências de um Programa MPA nos EUA

As applications for graduate and professional degree programs have reached unprecedented levels over the past decade, the applicant pool has become more diverse with more mid-career students deciding to return to school. Given the growth and diversification of the graduate applicant pool, many graduate programs are struggling to develop stronger admission package criteria that assure students admitted to their program have the pre-requisite skills needed to succeed. We examine which commonly used graduate admission criteria, particularly the Graduate Record Exam (GRE), correlate with the academic performance of both early and mid-career professional students. Using data from student files from a southeastern U.S. graduate public administration program, we find that the GRE score, undergraduate grade point average, and type of undergraduate institution are good predictors of graduate performance, but that the value of these admission criteria differs for early and mid- career students.Las aplicaciones para los programas de posgrado han alcanzado niveles sin precedentes en la última década, el número de solicitantes se ha vuelto más diverso, con más estudiantes en la mitad de sus carreras profesionales tomando la decisión de regresar a la universidad. Dado el crecimiento y la diversificación del grupo de solicitantes de postgrado, muchos programas de están luchando para desarrollar criterios de admisión de más fuertes que aseguren los estudiantes admitidos en sus programas tienen las habilidades y pre-requisitos necesarios para ser exitosos en sus estudios. Examinamos los criterios de admisión de posgrado comúnmente utilizados, en particular el Graduate Record Exam (GRE), y como se correlacionan con el rendimiento académico de los estudiantes, tanto principiantes como los profesionales a mitad de carrera. El uso de datos de los archivos del estudiante de un programa de administración pública de posgrado de del sudeste Estados Unidos, encontramos que la puntuación de GRE, el promedio de las notas y el tipo de institución de pregrado son buenos predictores para el desempeño en posgrado, pero que el valor de estos criterios de admisión difieren para estudiantes principiantes y estudiantes a mitad de carrera.As inscrições nos programas de pós-graduação alcançaram níveis sem precedentes na última década, o grupo de candidatos tornou-se mais diversificado, com mais alunos no meio das suas carreiras profissionais tomando a decisão de voltar para a faculdade. Dado o crescimento e diversificação do grupo de candidatos de pós-graduação, muitos programas estão procurando desenvolver critérios de aceitação mais rigorosos para assegurar que os estudantes aceitos em seus programas tinham as habilidades e pré-requisitos necessários para ser bem sucedidos em seus estudos. Foram examinados os critérios de admissão de pós-graduação comumente utilizados, especialmente o Graduate Record exame (GRE), e como eles se relacionam com o desempenho acadêmico dos alunos, novatos e dos profissionais em meio das carreiras. Usando dados dos estudante de um programa de pós-graduação da administração pública do sudeste dos Estados Unidos, descobrimos que GRE, a média das avaliações e do tipo de instituição de graduação são bons indicadores de desempenho em pós-graduação mas o valor destes critérios de admissão são diferentes para alunos iniciantes e alunos em meio de carreira profissional

O desempenho acadêmico dos jovens Proficiência Limitada em Inglês (LEP) de imigrantes novos e estabelecidos Unidos: Lições da Avaliação Nacional do Progresso Educacional (NAEP)

The dramatic growth and dispersal of immigrant families has changed the face of public education at a time when states are experiencing increased school accountability pressures under the No Child Left Behind Act and its recent successor, the Every Student Succeeds Act. Of particular concern is how these demographic shifts affect the academic well-being of Limited English Proficient (LEP) youth, the protected sub-group that most directly targets children from immigrant families. Using individual-level data from the National Association of Educational Progress (NAEP), we examine how eighth grade test scores of LEP youth differ across new and established immigrant destination states. Results show that achievement for LEP youth is higher in new than in established immigrant states, but that this advantage is not consistent across ethnic/racial groups. LEP youth in new immigrant states benefit from more favorable demographic characteristics and family and school resources, but these differences only explain a small portion of the achievement gap. El crecimiento y disperso dramático de familias inmigrantes han cambiado la educación pública en un tiempo cuando los estados están experimentando un aumento de presiones sobre la responsabilidad de la escuela bajo de la ley No Child Left Behind y su sucesor, la ley Every Student Succeeds. De importancia en particular es como estos cambios demográficos afectan el bienestar académico de jóvenes de Competencia Limitada de Ingles (LEP), el sub-grupo protegido que enfoca en los niños de familias inmigrantes. Por el uso de data del nivel individuo de la Evaluación Nacional del Progreso Educativo (NAEP), los autores examinan como los resultados de exámenes de jóvenes de LEP en el octavo grado y estos resultados varían entre las destinaciones nuevas y establecidos para inmigrantes. Los resultados muestran que rendimiento para jóvenes de LEP es más alto en estados nuevos para inmigrantes que los establecidos, pero que esta ventaja no está consistente en todos los grupos étnicos y raciales. Jóvenes de LEP en estados nuevos de inmigrantes benefician de características demográficas más favorables y recursos de la familia y escuela, pero estas diferencias solo explican un porcentaje pequeño de la brecha en rendimiento. O crescimento e expansão dramática de famílias de imigrantes mudaram a educação pública num momento em que os estados estão enfrentando um aumento das pressões sobre a responsabilidade escolar da lei No Child Left Behind e seu sucessor, a lei Every Student Succeeds. De importância em particular é como essas mudanças demográficas afetam o bem-estar acadêmico dos jovens de Proficiência Limitada em Inglês (LEP), o subgrupo protegido que se centre nas crianças de famílias de imigrantes. Usando dados do nível individual da Avaliação Nacional do Progresso Educacional (NAEP), os autores examinam os resultados dos testes de jovens de LEP na oitava série, e estes resultados variam entre os destinos novos e estabelecidos de imigrantes. Os resultados mostram que o desempenho para os jovens de LEP é maior nos novos estados que nos imigrantes estabelecidos, mas esta vantagem não é consistente em todos os grupos étnicos e raciais. Jovens imigrantes com LEP em novos estados beneficiam de características demográficas mais favoráveis e os recursos da família e da escola, mas essas diferenças explicam apenas uma pequena percentagem da diferença no desempenho

Depression and Anxiety Among First-Generation Immigrant Latino Youth: Key Correlates and Implications for Future Research

We examined how the migration and acculturation experiences of first-generation Latino youth contributed to their psychological well-being. Data came from the Latino Adolescent Migration, Health, and Adaptation (LAMHA) study, which surveyed 281 first-generation Latino immigrant youth, ages 12–19. Using logistic regression, we evaluated how migration stressors (i.e. traumatic events, choice of migration, discrimination, and documentation status) and migration supports (i.e. family and teacher support, acculturation, and personal-motivation) were associated with depressive symptoms and anxiety. We found that migration stressors increased the risk of both depressive symptoms and anxiety. Time in the US and support from family and teachers reduced the risk of depressive symptoms and anxiety. Compared to documented adolescents, undocumented adolescents were at greater risk of anxiety, and children in mixed-status families were at greater risk of anxiety and marginally greater risk of depressive symptoms

Fitting In: The Roles of Social Acceptance and Discrimination in Shaping the Daily Psychological Well-Being of Latino Youth*: Daily Psychological Well-Being of Latino Youth

We examine how acculturation experiences such as discrimination and social acceptance influence the daily psychological well-being of Latino youth living in newly emerging and historical receiving immigrant communities

Fitting In: The Roles of Social Acceptance and Discrimination in Shaping the Academic Motivations of Latino Youth in the U.S. Southeast

Using data on 459 Latino 9th graders from the LA-SIAA and the NC-SIAA studies, we evaluate the specific educational values and beliefs that motivate the academic achievement of Latino youth and contrast the school experiences of Latino youth in an emerging Latino community, North Carolina, with the school experiences of youth living in a traditional settlement community, Los Angeles. Despite their greater fears of discrimination, we find that Latino youth in North Carolina are more academically motivated than their peers in Los Angeles. This is partially because they are more likely to be immigrants. Being an immigrant, having a stronger sense of ethnic identification, and having a stronger sense of family obligation were each linked to a more positive view of school environments. Therefore, these factors each partially explained the immigrant advantage in academic motivation and helped to counter the harmful effects of discrimination on academic motivation

‘Can you put down your mission and plug into mine?’ How place-based initiatives leverage collaborations with academic institutions to enhance their ABCD and CBR potential

Place-Based Initiatives (PBIs) involve efforts to mobilise and coordinate local resources, services and expertise across multiple organisations and sectors in order to strengthen the social, structural, physical and economic conditions of historically disinvested neighbourhoods. While promising, these initiatives have had some documented challenges, and some are leveraging partnerships with academic institutions to address those challenges. In this article, we explore perspectives of leaders and staff from three PBI organisations in Charlotte, NC to better understand the benefits of PBI-academic partnerships and the conditions under which they are most effective. Thematic analysis of 23 semi-structured interviews revealed that PBIs leverage partnerships with academic institutions to accomplish two key goals. First, these partnerships stimulate asset- based community development (ABCD) by connecting community organisations and neighbourhood residents with academic resources and by strengthening PBI service delivery. Second, some partnerships give rise to community-based research efforts that help address external accountability challenges and inform PBI programming. The findings also illuminated several pitfalls in academic-PBI partnerships, sometimes rooted in conflicting priorities and approaches of academic researchers and non-profit practitioners. Finally, insights delineate key recommendations for improving PBI-academic collaborations, including countering academic exploitation by plugging into PBIs’ mission and respecting PBI expertise