Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees - GCIR

 Children in immigrant families account for nearly one-fourth (24 percent) of all children as of 2010, and the vast majority (88 percent) are U.S. citizens. In fact, children of immigrants account for nearly the entire growth in the U.S. child population between 1990 and 2008.1 This policy brief draws on key indicators from the Foundation for Child Development Child Well-Being Index (CWI), as well as additional data, to highlight both similarities and differences in the circumstances of children in immigrant and native-born families.

More than one in ten of all preK-12 students in the U.S.—totaling over 5.3 million children—are English Language Learners (ELLs), yet common assumptions about this fast-growing population are often incorrect. The majority of young ELLs are not immigrants: over 75 percent of ELL elementary students were born in the U.S. Although the largest ELL groups are in California, Texas, New York, Florida, and Arizona, ELLs are a growing presence throughout the country, with the fastest growing ELL populations in South Carolina, Indiana, Nevada, Arkansas, North Carolina, Virginia and Delaware. And many of America’s schools are not yet able to serve these millions of students effectively. The report underscores what school leaders, policymakers and funders can do to improve instruction and supports for these students.

The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) holds every state, district, and school accountable for students’ academic progress. It also revealed the extent to which schools have failed non-English-speaking students by requiring states and districts for the first time to disaggregate their reading and math scores on annual assessments. The large achievement gap has moved educators, scholars, and policymakers to try urgently to reverse decades of neglect, even as the scale of the challenge is growing exponentially. This brief spotlights major issues facing those taking up this challenge and offers them emerging policy solutions. The primary focus will be on the 75 percent of ELLs who speak Spanish, and who are believed by scholars to be at high risk for school failure.

Community colleges are essential to the future of low-income young people in California to learn the skills needed to attain a higher wage job. The career pathway to middle-skill infrastructure sector jobs opens the opportunity to move beyond entry-level positions and stop the cycle of poverty. Focused on California, this report finds that "an equity-based workforce training strategy - with community colleges at the core - is crucial to preparing vulnerable Americans to compete in an increasingly competitive labor market."

Children of immigrants have nearly doubled as a share of pre-K to 3rd grade students since 1990. The share of children under age 8 with immigrant parents stood at 24 percent in 2008, up from 13 percent in 1990. Young children of immigrants account for more than 30 percent of children in seven states, with California leading the nation at 50 percent. The majority (93 percent) of children of immigrants are U.S. citizens. This fact sheet also includes state-by-state data on the number of children of immigrants and the number of children whose parents come from more than 130 countries.

This report by the Center for Health and Health Care in Schools, share a number of successful strategies used to engage immigrant and refugee families in support of their children’s mental health. Problematic behaviors exhibited by students have a direct impact on student success and the importance of engaging families for student academic achievement has been well documented. The challenges are more pronounced among immigrant and refugee students and their families.

This edited volume presents an overview of research and policy issues pertaining to children from birth to 10 who are first- and second-generation immigrants to the U.S., as well as native-born children of immigrants. The contributors offer interdisciplinary perspectives on recent developments and research findings on children of immigrants. By accessibly presenting research findings and policy considerations in the field, this collection lays the foundation for changes in child and youth policies associated with the shifting ethnic, cultural, and linguistic profile of the U.S. population.