Educational Attainment in Immigrant Families: Community Context and Family Background (The New Americans)

Gonzalez studies the differences in likelihood to enter post-secondary schooling among white, black, Latino and Asian children who have two parents who are immigrants, one parent who is foreign-born, and children of native-born parents. Children from homes with two parents who are immigrants go further in school. Children in homes with one parent who is an immigrant have educational trajectories similar to their counterparts in homes with no immigrant parents. Additionally, parental educational attainment and the social capital of the family are clear predictors in determining how far children of native parents go in school, but are not as strong determinants for children of immigrant parents.