(1994). Undocumented Immigration: An Irritant or Significant Problem in U.S.-Mexico Relations? Rand Reprints: Labor & Population Program Reprint Series 94-18.
Both the current immigration debate and immigration itself have changed in recent years and require changes in thinking about immigration and the architecture of U.S. immigration laws. In California, which receives about a third of all immigrants, voters and state leaders have shifted from viewing immigration as a net benefit to focusing on the costs of immigration to taxpayers. Contributing to such changing attitudes are the following changes in immigration: (1) a rapid increase in immigration over the last decade; (2) decline in the educational level of immigrants relative to the U.S. population; (3) shift in countries of origin and greater diversity of origins; (4) increasing labor force participation of female immigrants; and (5) increased geographic concentration of immigrants in California, Florida, New York, Illinois, and Texas. In addition, the receiving environment is undergoing such changes as slowing employment growth due to worldwide economic change, the inability or… [PDF]
(1987). Population Education Interchange. Volume 16, Numbers 1-4, 1987. Population Education Interchange, v17 n1-4 Feb-Dec
Each of the four issues in this volume contains a specific concern of population studies. Issue number 1, "Responding to the Challenge" (K. Crews), accompanies the learning series module, "Global Population Trends: Challenges Facing World Leaders." Sections of the issue focus on elderly populations, especially in Japan, the effect of population pressures and large foreign debts on countries such as Peru, and the nature of economic immigration in the United States and political immigration in West Germany. A quiz for students using "The Population Data Sheet" is given, as well as an annotated bibliography of six resources on population issues. Issue number 2, "Mexico's Population: A Profile" (N. Paul), discusses the economy, migration, urbanization, and the future of the Mexican population. An annotated bibliography of seven items is included. Issue number 3, "Teaching Environmental Connections" (K. Crews), accompanies the teaching…
(2002). Transnational Messages: Experiences of Chinese and Mexican Immigrants in American Schools. The New Americans: Recent Immigration and American Society.
This book examines the interactions of Mexican and Chinese immigrant students with other students from the same country (co-nationals) and their exchanges of information about experiences in U.S. schools. Research focused on 74 Chinese and 78 Mexican immigrant students, aged 11-17, in Boston and the San Francisco Bay Area, who received school-related messages from co-national peers located in their country of origin and the United States. Chapters 1-2 present an overview of the theory and concepts of transnationalism and transnational social spaces and discuss their applicability to immigrant students in the school context. Chapter 3 describes the research project, its origins in the Longitudinal Immigration Student Adaptation Study of five immigrant groups, and qualitative research methods used. Chapter 4 reviews immigration patterns and experiences of Mexican and Chinese immigrants and briefly describes the educational systems of China and Mexico. The remainder of the book…
(1992). Hispanic Americans in the Rural Economy: Conditions, Issues and Probable Future Adjustments.
The stereotype of rural Hispanic Americans often connotes social problems such as poverty, illegal immigration, and migrant workers. In reality, rural Hispanics are part of a larger demographic trend changing the balance of power and socioeconomic relations among ethnic groups. Part 1 of this paper reviews demographic information. Hispanic-Americans are a heterogeneous people from different racial, national, religions, and economic backgrounds. Relatively young and concentrated geographically by ethnic origin, this population experiences high rates of unemployment, poverty, and educational disadvantage. Schooling and employment issues need high priority to effectively engage Hispanic-Americans in the U.S. economy. Part 2 focuses on the history and contemporary roles of Hispanics in "rural" America, including the often-ignored contributions of Hispanics to U.S. farming and livestock production, the origins of migrant and seasonal workers, the unionization of farm labor,… [PDF]
(1979). Conference on the Education of Undocumented Students: Status and Suggested Remedies (San Antonio, Texas, May 11, 1979).
While legislators debate, courts differ, and limited rulings emanate, Texas school district boards and superintendents are faced with the day-to-day problems of trying to decide whether or not illegal immigrant children should be educated, and if so, where and how. The conference proceedings provide a means of sharing these concerns and the exchange of views of possible remedies. Dr. Jose Cardenas' opening statement calls for a humane perspective in order to address the issues with fairness, particularly with fairness to the children involved. Leonel Castillo, Commissioner of the U.S. Immigration Service, presents the position of the U.S. Department of Justice that any child in the U.S. is entitled to an education. Summaries of group discussions reveal that impacted districts possess inadequate space to absorb growing numbers of aliens; access to education can be a function of wealth; methods of dealing with undocumented students by Texas schools are inconsistent; and alternative…
(2003). Educational Attainment: Analysis by Immigrant Generation. IZA Discussion Paper Series.
This paper presents a theoretical and empirical analysis of the largely ignored issue of the determinants of the educational attainment of adults by immigrant generation. Using Current Population Survey (CPS) data, differences in educational attainment are analyzed by immigrant generation (first, second, and higher order generations), and among the foreign born by country of birth and age at immigration. Second generation American adults have the highest level of schooling, exceeding that of the foreign born and of the native born with native born parents. Teenage immigration is associated with fewer years of schooling compared to those who immigrated at pre-teen or post-teen ages. The gender difference in educational attainment is greatest among the foreign born. A considerable heterogeneity exists among immigrants depending on their country of origin. Immigrants from Africa, South and East Asia, Philippines, and North and Western Europe obtain over a year more of schooling than… [PDF]
(2007). Hispanic Heritage Language Speakers in the United States: Linguistic Exclusion in Education. Critical Inquiry in Language Studies, v4 n1 p25-34 May
The Hispanic population of the United States is quite diverse and with each passing year, due to (im)migration patterns, more and more students are entering language classrooms with some degree of familiarity with the language. However, because of the tendency toward intergenerational loss of Spanish, the linguistic proficiency covers the bilingual continuum. Some of these individuals are Spanish-dominant, some are strongly bilingual in Spanish and English, while still others are English-dominant with some, although at times minimal, control of Spanish. The traditional response to linguistic diversity of both the education system and society in general has been an attempt to eradicate varieties other than the perceived standard. This view has been rationalized by stating that the standard language, which is selected to be taught, is the vehicle for general communication and serves many and varied public functions while a dialect is considered only to have informal daily functions,… [Direct]
(1972). Occupied America. The Chicano's Struggle Toward Liberation.
Covering the period from 1819 to the present, this book presents the history of Chicanos in the United States with emphasis on the Southwest. The monograph is divided into 2 parts: (1) the U.S. conquest of the Southwest during the 19th century and (2) the experiences of Chicanos in the 20th century. In Part I, the historical myth that the Anglo American people brought democracy to the Southwest and "liberated" the area from Mexican tyranny is challenged by giving a historical overview of the U.S. Southwest. This overview covers the conquest of Mexico, the Mexican-American War, the methods of colonization in the Southwest, and instances of Mexican resistance against their oppressors. The conquest and colonization of Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California are discussed in separate chapters. Part II, "A Radical View of the 20th Century Chicano," discusses the importation of Mexicans, their migration patterns, public opinion towards their immigration, legislation…
(1998). On the Border of Opportunity: Education, Community, and Language at the U.S.-Mexico Line. Sociocultural, Political, and Historical Studies in Education.
The U.S.-Mexican border is an extensive geographical region that is socially and economically distinct from either the United States or Mexico. It has always been a multilingual and multicultural place. This book examines the social and cultural complexities of life in one small rural border town and its high school. Chapter 1 describes Havens, New Mexico, and its interdependence with its Mexican neighbors. Chapter 2 introduces three "cultural mediators," two students and one teacher from Havens High School. These individuals are highly conscious of their border-bound lives and work actively to mediate between their local and Mexican cultures. Chapter 3 presents the language landscape in the community and in the schools, focusing on the uses of Spanish and English. This is followed by a specific description of the district's bilingual education programs in chapter 4. Chapter 5 introduces the social structure of the high school and describes student interactions across…
(1974). Readings on La Raza–The Twentieth Century.
This chronological anthology consists of documents and articles on the history of Mexican American people in the 20th century. The anthology may be directed to students in higher education, historians, and those interested in the Mexican American people. Section I spans the period from 1900 to 1920 and introduces immigration as the starting point for the history of La Raza in this century. Section II, covering from 1920 to 1930, describes the movement of Mexicans and Mexican Americans from their Southwest heartland to steel mills, packing plants, and \colonias\ of the Midwest. Other sections address themselves to the development of a hostile attitude on the part of many Americans to the rising tide of Mexican immigration, as was exemplified by the Harris and Box bills in Congress. Section III deals with repatriation in the 1930's. Chicano World War II experiences both at home and overseas are described in Section IV. The Second World War introduced a new era in Mexico-United States…
(1990). The Houston Community College Eligible Legalized Alien Program. Evaluation Program. Evaluation Report.
The Houston Community College (Texas) program (TOTAL ACCESS) designed in response to the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, is described and evaluated. The program offers classes to eligible aliens (97% Hispanic Americans from Mexico, El Salvador, and Guatemala) wishing to pursue the educational program required for legalization. Program components include English as a Second Language and citizenship instruction, basic literacy, and high school equivalency. This report describes the curriculum; the need for and nature of the program; initial evaluation activities; evaluation data (including enrollment, effect on television viewing for literacy, and use of the local newspaper for literacy lessons); attainment of specific program objectives; student demographic data (previous place of residence, age, birthplace, gender, length of residence in Houston, occupations, marital status, children, educational background); teacher data (background, credentials); student values, goals,… [PDF]
(1971). Migratory Farmworker Problems and Needs.
Despite much publicity, hearings, legislative efforts, and other minor accomplishments in recent years, migrants are still one of the most disadvantaged and impoverished groups in the U.S. Among their problems is that they have neither the political, economic, nor other means of mitigating their problems. Some of their problems include uncertain jobs, changing work locations, seasonally induced intermittent work periods, traveling to distant areas, temporary and often inadequate housing, low earnings, fewer educational opportunities, and lower educational attainment. Their only hope of alleviating these problems remains in congressional action to: (1) change current laws which exclude farmworkers from social protections and (2) amend the Immigration and Nationality Act, thus reducing the excessive and potentially endless supply of workers from Mexico. Yet, the migrant's crucial need is for a more active and effective policy by the Federal Government to: (1) mitigate the extreme… [PDF]
(1996). Children of La Frontera. Chapter 1: Introduction.
This introduction to the papers assembled in \Children of La Frontera\ provides background information on Mexican immigration to the United States, Mexican migrant workers and their children, and implications for schools. It discusses economic forces in both Mexico and the United States that push and pull Mexicans to \El Norte\; the economic impact of the migrant agricultural workforce, including its contribution to an inexpensive food supply, subsidizing of California agriculture, payment of taxes, and underutilization of social services; the view of immigrants and migrant workers as economic and cultural threat; efforts to deny education to the children of undocumented immigrants; assimilationist approaches to education in U.S. schools versus bilingual, bicultural approaches; international collaborations in education at the national and state level; the involvement of migrant children in agricultural labor; factors in the migrant life style that affect educational performance; and… [PDF]
(1992). Teaching about Law and Cultures: Japan, Southeast Asia (Hmong), and Mexico.
To meet the needs of students who are Asian and Hispanic refugees, as well as the needs of a democratic society, teachers must be able to teach effectively an understanding and appreciation of the U.S. legal and judicial system while acknowledging, responding to, and integrating the cultural backgrounds and experiences of a diverse student population. This program is the result of a statewide program to develop, test, and train teachers in an innovative approach to law-related education that integrates the teaching of law and culture. The program focused on materials, strategies, teacher training, and community partnerships for teaching law-related education through an exploration of law and culture in the United States and three societies strongly represented in Colorado's population: Mexico, Japan, and Southeast Asia (Hmong). An outline is included to be used as a structural framework to guide the analysis of legal systems. Areas for consideration include the concept, purpose, and… [PDF]
(1978). La Raza: A Selective Bibliography of Library Resources Addenda.
Books, periodicals, recordings, art works, government documents, and bibliographies, dating mostly from 1960, are included in this 1978 addendum to the 1973 edition of "La Raza: A Selective Bibliography of Library Resources". Similar in format to the earlier volume, the addendum contains 1,616 non-annotated entries organized into 31 Library of Congress subject areas: Reference Materials, Agricultural Labor, Archeology/Anthropology, Art Forms, Biography/Autobiography, Chicano Lifestyle, Civil Rights, Economic/Labor Conditions, Education, Folklore, Geography, Health, Historical Emergence of the Chicano, Housing, Immigration, Language Study/Bilingualism, Law Enforcement, Literature, Juvenile Literature, Mexico, Media, Music, Recordings, Newspaper/Journal Resources, Political Rights, Religion, Philosophy, Theater Arts, La Chicana, and Third World. The sections for La Chicana and the Third World are new. Within each section entries are listed alphabetically by author and… [PDF]