Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees - GCIR

This report is an examination of Latino access to and achievement in technical career paths. The researchers identified the obstacles to access and achievement, as well as the exemplary characteristics of post-secondary institutions that lead to increased rates of Latino enrollment and graduation in IT- related programs. The study finds persistent patterns of under-representation by Latinos, African-Americans, and women in the knowledge economy, despite projected data that the future workforce will be heavily comprised of these demographic groups.

This piece offers an in-depth look at pressing language barriers facing the estimated 2.23 million adults in this country who are Limited English Proficient (LEP)—and how best to solve them. It provides background information about issues concerning English speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), identifies promising program practices, and highlights policy priorities for increasing adult English learners’ access to high-quality ESOL courses.

This study draws lessons for other states from the program and policy landscape of immigrant education in California, which is home to 40 percent of the nation’s ELLs. It assesses the national controversy surrounding “bilingual” versus English-only education.

A student's entire journey along the educational spectrum is affected by what occurs -- and, crucially, by what does not occur -- before the age of eight or nine. Yet early learning has never received the attention it deserves and needs. In his latest book, education expert Gene Maeroff takes a hard look at early learning and the primary grades of schooling. He speaks of the need for schools to prepare for the burgeoning enrollment of youngsters from immigrant families and for all children to acquire the habits and dispositions that will make them committed and productive students.

New Jersey has invested in preparing children for kindergarten and beyond through quality preschool programs over the past ten years, and recent test scores show improvements. However, despite the social and cognitive skills learned in early developmental years, these gains may fade as children advance beyond kindergarten. This paper proposes adopting a broader view of early learning that aligns quality preschool with the early elementary years.

This report examines the discrepancy between California's goal of providing free English classes and the reality that the current funding system for providing classes is about 30 years out of date. During those 30 years, the state's immigrant population has exploded. The gap between goal and reality has created an excessive financial burden on some local school districts--which provide most of the state's English as a Second Language (ESL) classes--and may be forcing other districts to turn away immigrants who want to learn English.

Twenty percent of children in the United States now live with at least one foreign-born parent. This research brief by Child Trends and the Center for Social and Demographic Analysis of the State University of New York at Albany, reveals that children in immigrant families are deeply rooted in the United States (four in five are American citizens) and nearly one-half speak both English and a second language at home. At the same time, many young children in immigrant families would benefit from quality early education programs to further their integration into American society.

Creating a Formula for Success: Why English Language Learner Students Are Dropping Out of School, and How to Increase Graduation Rates

Comprehensive review of high-quality, early childhood intervention programs documents that well-designed programs for disadvantaged children age four and younger can significantly benefit children's academic and social development and save money in later social program costs. Immigrant children are disproportionately affected by two of the four "childhood risk" factors that intervention programs are intended to counteract: living in poverty and having parents who do not speak English at home.

Access to education increased dramatically over the past century but 323 million children worldwide are still not in school and efforts to achieve universal primary education by 2015 are likely to fail according to a new study released by the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Public schools have long been an important component of life for immigrant children in the United States. This piece explores the history and context surrounding the court case Plyler v. Doe (1982) that allowed undocumented children to attend U.S. schools and looks ahead to legislation such as the DREAM Act that would allow undocumented immigrants greater access to the U.S. college system.

This report offers help to first-generation college students in breaking up the challenges they face into manageable tasks. Each chapter includes a worksheet that asks students to write down their resources and organize their next steps. Academic help, time management, relationships with professors, choosing a major, and stress relief are among the topics discussed in the book. 16 first-generation college students made contributions to the book to offer new students their insights into the college experience and how they dealt with problems.

In Funding Gaps 2006, the Education Trust contends that Title I, a key element of NCLB, has widened education funding gaps that separate wealthy states from poor states. The report also examines how funding choices at the district level provide enhanced funding to schools serving higher concentrations of affluent students and white students at the expense of schools that serve low-income students and students of color.

Latinos are a significant and growing proportion of the United States student population. Although improvements have been attained in some areas of Latino education, the educational attainment of Latinos still lags behind non-Hispanics, and as more English language learners enter the country’s school districts, these educational gaps may increase in the future. This statistical brief provides a summary of the key data concerning Latinos in the educational pipeline.

The school system provides numerous opportunities and challenges for immigrant integration, and is a place where many immigrants interact the most with their communities. This guide--intended for school administrators, district administrators, and teachers--provides specific recommendations for promoting immigrant integration in schools.

The school system provides numerous opportunities and challenges for immigrant integration, and as a place where many immigrants interact the most with their communities, it can play an important role in integration. This guide, intended for school administrators, district administrators, and teachers provides specific recommendations for promoting immigrant integration in schools.

The enrollment for the nation’s schools will reach 55 million this year, causing a strain on some school districts to hire enough qualified teaching staff. The increase in the number of students is also characterized by greater diversity, as the children of baby boomers and the children of immigrants enroll in school. This article examines the changing demographics of America’s school.

This in-depth report examines affirmative action in light of the November 2007 Michigan voter referendum and details the stark outcome for minority and woman students, workers and contractors in California where a similar referendum passed ten years earlier.

Students who came to the country illegally could apply for state financial aid when they attend California colleges and universities under legislation approved Tuesday by the Assembly in a party-line vote. Supporters said immigrant children who have graduated and completed at least three years of high school in California should not be penalized for their parents' decision to bring them to the U.S. illegally.

Over the last several decades, a great wave of immigration has flowed to the U.S. from Mexico. This dramatic trend is rooted in many things, but among the most powerful are the hopes and dreams of Mexican parents that their children will have brighter futures here. The realization of this American dream, however, is predicated on the ability of the American educational system to successfully put these children on the path to social mobility.