Crossroads: The Psychology of Immigration in the New Century

& Mapp, 2002). Teachers, in turn, view those parents as
supportive of their children’s learning (Moles, 1993). For
immigrant parents, however, such involvement may be neither
a familiar cultural practice in their countries of origin nor
a luxury their current financial situation allows (Birman &
Ryerson-Espino, 2007; García Coll et al., 2002). Not speaking
English and having limited education may make them feel
inadequate when communicating with teachers. Lack of
documentation may make them worry about exposure to
immigration raids (Capps, Castaneda, Chaudry, & Santos,
2007). Low-wage, low-skill jobs with off-hour shifts typically
do not provide much flexibility to attend parent–teacher
conferences. The impediments to coming to school are
multiple and frequently interpreted by teachers and principals
as “not valuing” their children’s education.
Ironically, despite the prevalence of this perception among
educators, most immigrant parents describe providing better
educational opportunities for their children as the goal of
immigration (G. López,
2001; C. Suárez-Orozco et
al., 2008). Parents may be
involved, but not necessarily
in ways expected by U.S./
Western schools. Many
immigrant parents come
from cultural traditions
in which parents are
expected to respect teachers’
recommendations rather
than advocate for their children (Delgado-Gaitan, 2004).
They see their role as supporting their children’s education
at home and deferring to teachers during the school day.
In addition, not having gone to U.S. schools themselves,
immigrant parents often do not understand how schools are
organized, what they expect from children (e.g., expressing
opinions rather than rote memorization), or how to deal
with learning problems or communicate with the school.
Thus, teachers perceive immigrant parents as disinterested,
reach out to them less, and as a result, the parents know
even less about school matters (Huss-Keeler, 1997). Ideally,
schools will make contact with immigrant parents in
positive circumstances rather than wait for a crisis (Adams
& Christenson, 2000). Immigrant parents’ knowledge of
school practices has been found to predict higher grades
for immigrant students (Birman & Ryerson-Espino, 2007),
suggesting the unique importance of such knowledge.
In Conclusion
The successful incorporation of children
of immigrants into the educational
system is one of the most important and
fundamental challenges of our time.
The successful incorporation of children of immigrants
into the educational system is one of the most important
and fundamental challenges of our time. In a knowledgeintensive
economy, how they fare educationally will play a
critical role in their future, and given their high numbers, in
the kind of society we will become. Our education system
faces a demographic “integration imperative” (Alba et al.,
2011, p. 395) to prepare immigrant origin youth for “robust
membership in the host society” (Alba et al., 2011, p. 397).
Understanding the specific needs that different immigrant
populations face vis-à-vis the education system is critical in
determining appropriate interventions. Given the diversity
of the immigrant student populations entering schools, it is
clear that a one-size-fits-all model will not work. A number
of common factors, however, have positive implications
for the school performance and educational integration of
immigrant students.
Newcomer youth typically
face substantial language
barriers, social isolation, and
difficulty understanding
and adjusting to new
teaching styles and academic
expectations. In response,
some school districts have
begun to adopt strategies
designed to meet the specific
needs of newcomer students (R. Constantino & Lavadenz,
1993). Special schools and programs within schools have
been developed to support newcomer students and create
a community of peers who are experiencing the same
dramatic transition to a new educational system, culture, and
language. While some schools and programs serve newcomer
students for a short period of time, working toward the
goal of moving them into a mainstream school, other
schools serve these students for multiple years with the same
academic offerings as the other schools in the district. Many
of these schools and programs have developed innovative
pedagogical methods that could be useful to all schools and
teachers working with immigrant students and ELLs, though
research that evaluates effectiveness remains critically lacking.
Some of the fiercest debates related to immigrant education
center around the issue of second-language development.
Cross-country comparisons of good practice demonstrate
58 Report of the APA Presidential Task Force on Immigration