Study Finds Mexican Mothers Nurturing, but Less Likely to Emphasize Education

Posted on September 13, 2012 by Katherine Leal Unmuth

A study released this week shed some positive light on the nurturing nature of Mexican immigrant mothers, while at the same time confirming that a warm home environment doesn’t necessarily translate to educational success.

First, the positive findings on Hispanic culture. The researchers found that on average Mexican mothers established warmer home environments, had fewer fights with their spouses and were in stronger mental health than their white and Chinese counterparts.

Study leader Bruce Fuller, a Berkeley professor and sociologist, said the “robust social relations” inside of Mexican immigrant homes was the biggest surprise. These positives occurred even though Hispanics are significantly more likely to be poor.

“Until now, little national evidence has been available to distinguish the home settings of major immigrant groups,” study coauthor Claudia Galindo, a University of Maryland sociology professor, said in a press release. “And many policy makers have assumed that poverty necessarily leads to poor parenting.”

But the study’s findings weren’t all good news. Researchers observed that Mexican women read to their toddlers infrequently and also did not organize many educational activities. Early learning opportunities make children to more likely to succeed in school. In comparison, Chinese mothers provided their children many learning opportunities, but had more conflict in the home.

So how did the researchers make these conclusions? The research team tracked more than 5,300 Mexican, white and Chinese mothers from across the United States. They conducted two home visits over the course of the three-year study, asking the women about their home lives. Researchers also observed the mothers interacting with their children and spouses.

A statistic raising particular concern: Mexican mothers read to their toddlers about 71 percent less often than the U.S.-born white mothers. Chinese mothers read to their toddlers 12 percent more often than white mothers.

The study notes that Mexican mothers reported that they had 21 percent fewer arguments than their U.S.-born white peers and 39 percent fewer arguments than Chinese peers.

The notion that Mexican mothers are more nurturing than white mothers is causing a stir over on The Huffington Post comments section, where the study was also highlighted.

The research was published this week in the scientific journal, Child Development.

- “Family functioning and early learning practices in immigrant homes.” Child Development.

- “English language learners with more educated mothers fare better on assessments.” Latino Ed Beat.

Democratic National Convention: Mayor Julián Castro Slips Pre-K Reference Into Keynote Speech

Posted on September 5, 2012 by Katherine Leal Unmuth

San Antonio Mayor Julián Castro introduced himself to millions of Americans Tuesday night when he became the first Hispanic to deliver a keynote speech at the Democratic National Convention.

Squeezed into his speech supporting President Obama and telling his own story, he briefly mentioned a passion project of his own–increasing the number of children enrolled in full-day pre-kindergarten in San Antonio.

“We know that pre-K and student loans aren’t charity,” he said. “They’re a smart investment in a workforce that can fill and create the jobs of tomorrow. We’re investing in our young minds today to be competitive in the global economy tomorrow.”

Despite education being a key issue for Latinos, it so far has not been mentioned much in the run-up to the election.

In San Antonio, Castro has proposed a one-eighth-cent sales tax that would pay to expand full-day pre-K classes to more 4-year-olds. San Antonians will go to the polls on Nov. 6 to vote on the Pre-K 4 SA proposal. The San Antonio Express-News reported that as locals watched the speech on television, former Northside Independent School District trustee Ray Lopez yelled “Sell it, boy! Sell it!”

According to a fact sheet from the mayor, about 5,700 4-year-olds in the city are eligible for state-funded Pre-K but are not enrolled in full-day programs. Some are not enrolled in any program and others attend half-day programs. He estimates that the tax could fund full-day classes for more than 22,000 children over an eight-year period. The city would open four education centers with classrooms, rooms for use by parents and teacher training space.

Castro proposed the pre-K initiative after a task force he commissioned recommended that expanding early learning would have the biggest impact on raising education levels in the city. Latino children have lower preschool attendance rates than both black and white children. The recent Kids Count study found that between 2008 and 2010, about 63 percent of Latino children did not attend preschool.

Castro believes the initiative will free teachers from slowing lessons down for children who weren’t in pre-K classes.

San Antonio City Councilman Rey Saldana recently wrote a commentary in support of the proposal.

“The aim of the proposed initiative is not to replace the role of parents; it is simply to put more four-year-olds in front of a professional educator at a time they are most likely to be receptive to positive development,” he wrote.

There are some critics. Judson Independent School District trustee Steve Salyer wrote an opinion piece calling the initiative a “band-aid” that is only a stop-gap measure until the Texas Legislature needs to adequately fund public education.

Castro, a Mexican-American, graduated from Thomas Jefferson High School and grew up on the city’s economically depressed west side. About 95 percent of Jefferson’s students are Latino and 85 percent are economically disadvantaged. He graduated from Stanford University and then went on to attend Harvard Law School, often crediting affirmative action with getting them there. His wife is a trained teacher and he has a three-year-old daughter himself.

Castro also mentioned Pell grants and the new pathway to temporary legal status for undocumented immigrant students. He mentioned that San Antonio also opened a program called Cafe College, offering students help with preparing for tests and filling out financial aid forms.

Related Links:

- Pre-K 4 SA fact sheet.

- “San Antonians cheer Castro’s DNC keynote address.” San Antonio Express-News.

- “Education attainment still outside S.A. grasp.” Julian Castro.

- “Catch-em while they’re young.” San Antonio Express-News.

- “Pre-K 4 SA just another Band-Aid.” San Antonio Express-News.

NCLR Spotlights Four Pre-K Programs Successful With Latino Children

Posted on August 27, 2012 by Katherine Leal Unmuth

The National Council of La Raza has released a new report listing best practices for use by early education programs seeking to improve their services for Hispanic children and English language learners.

The civil rights group profiled four programs from around the country that are making progress and made policy recommendations for replicating those models elsewhere. According to NCLR, the programs highlighted exemplify the key areas of professional development, student assessments, language instruction and family engagement:

Youth Development, Inc., of New Mexico. The program provides Head Start to 1,600 children, of whom about 76 percent are Latino. The organization’s professional development goes beyond federal training requirements by providing ongoing lessons throughout the year on topics such as dual-language instruction. Community college professors also lead sessions. Other supports include mentor-coaches who develop goals with beginning teachers and observe classroom instruction.
The Latin American Montessori Bilingual Public Charter School in Washington, D.C. The LAMB charter school offers dual-language classes from pre-K through fifth grade. The school has three ways of assessing children: only in their home language; in a language that the children are proficient in, even if it isn’t the home language; or both languages the children know. The school uses formal assessments such as DIBELS and informal assessments including student portfolios and weekly plans.
East Coast Migrant and Seasonal Head Start Program in southern Florida. This program with 60 sites serves primarily Mexican migrant farm worker families and focuses on providing dual-language instruction. The group developed a curriculum for toddlers and pre-K students that gradually increases the amount of English used. Learning benchmarks are used, classrooms are labeled in both English and Spanish, and home visits are conducted.
The Concilio in Dallas. This group formed in 1981 works closely with the Dallas Independent School District to increase Hispanic parent involvement . The organization operates the Parents Advocating for Student Excellence program at 29 schools and four prekindergarten sites in the district. Past graduates of PASE recruit parents of preschool students to attend a series of 30 meetings during the school year focused around lessons and activities. Parents who participate must complete homework assignments tied to the sessions.

- “Best Practices in Assessments.” NCLR.

- “Best Practices in Language Instruction.” NCLR.

- “Best Practices in Family Engagement.” NCLR.

- “Expanding early education for Latino children imperative, group says.” Early Years blog, Education Week.

One in Four Public Elementary Students Is Hispanic, Study Shows

Posted on August 21, 2012 by Katherine Leal Unmuth

A new report by the Pew Hispanic Center shows that the Latino population hit record highs in college and public school enrollment in 2011.

The analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data illustrates the shifts of the population through the school system. Most notably, researchers found that Latinos are now the largest minority among 18-24 year-olds on four-year college campuses. The number of Latinos in college grew by 15 percent, or 265,000 students, between 2010 and 2011. Meanwhile, the white college population grew by just three percent.

Latinos now make up about 16.5 percent of all college students, 25.2 percent of two-year college students, 24.7 percent of elementary public school students and 26 percent of public kindergarten students.

While the increase in college enrollment may be cause for celebration for advocates and the number of Latinos earning degrees is increasing, the Hispanic population still is lagging in the share of students completing. According to Pew, in 2010 among 18 to 24-year-old degrees recipients, Latinos made up 13.2 percent of those earning an associate and 8.5 percent of those earning a bachelor’s degree.

About 46 percent of Latinos who complete high school go on to enroll in two- or four-year colleges, compared with 51 percent of white students. Again, it’s important to remember that due to high dropout rates, many Latinos in this age bracket are not included in this percentage.

In addition, Latinos lag other populations in their preschool enrollment. When Pew took into account both public and private schools, they found that in October 2011 Hispanics made up just 20 percent of nursery school enrollments.

You can use this data to see whether this growth is trickling down to the local level. How much has Latino K-12 and college enrollment grown in your area? If growth has stalled at the college level, are administrators doing anything to address the issue? While public schools are improving preschool access for Hispanic children, do you know of any nonprofits or private schools with their own initiatives geared at providing services for this young population?

And don’t forget that the Pew Hispanic Center’s Richard Fry is a very good resource for reporters who responds amazingly quickly to inquiries regarding demographic data.

- “More Hispanics are in College, Report Finds.” The New York Times.

- “Latino college enrollment is surging.” Fronteras.

Researchers to Create Science Curriculum for Latino Pre-K Students

Posted on July 25, 2012 by Katherine Leal Unmuth

Researchers at the University of California Santa Barbara are working on creating a health and biology curriculum for Latino preschool students with the help of a $1.2 million award from the National Institutes of Health.

The university reports that the curriculum’s goal will be to teach low-income Hispanic 4- and 5-year olds who are English language learners. The children will learn about topics such as food and nutrition. They will also learn about cold and flu prevention, and practices such as the importance of washing hands to prevent illness.

The university said the children will also learn about how to approach science through questioning, developing explanations and also making predictions.

“With the project, we’re also trying to develop information-seeking and explanatory discourse skills so when the preschool children get to kindergarten, they’re comparable to their peers,” lead investigator Laura Romo said in a press release.

Romo is an associate professor in the department of education at UCSB and is director of the university’s Chicano Studies Institute. She will work on the curriculum with the Santa Barbara Head Start program.

Beyond concepts, the researchers hope to learn what sort of language support the preschool ELLs need to develop their academic language and also learn content at the same time.

Report Outlines Education Agenda for Latino Students in Illinois

Posted on June 26, 2012 by Katherine Leal Unmuth

Nearly one in four Illinois public school students is Latino. And their story is no longer confined to the Chicago Public Schools, where Hispanics are 43 percent of the enrollment. Most of the state’s Latino student population is now in the suburbs and rural areas.

A new report by the Latino Policy Forum lays out the challenges facing the population. Only one in three Latinos are enrolled in preschool. By the time they reach the third grade, these Latino students lag white students by 31 percentage points in reading scores. English Language Learners, 86 percent of whom speak Spanish, lag 48 points in reading by third grade.

“Such statistics are alarming, and these trends left unchecked will have devastating implications for Illinois: ensuring positive outcomes for their community is no longer simply a Latino issue,” the Shaping Our Future report says. “The well-being of Latinos–whose population has increased by nearly 500,000 over the last decade–is inextricably linked to the well-being of all of Illinois?”

So, what can be done?

The report identifies areas of interest and specific action items to be taken on:

Raising Academic and Instructional Standards:

The report suggests providing linguistically appropriate tests for students, such as increasing students’ time to take tests and allowing students to respond in Spanish. In addition, it advises that students complete college prep coursework and be provided programs such as dual-language instruction.

Preparing Teachers and Academic Leadership:

The Forum urges racial diversity among the teacher and administrator workforce. It urges that bilingual and mainstream teachers have proper training to deal with the diverse student population. In addition, it seeks to promote Latino students’ access to highly qualified teachers.

Addressing Funding and Facility Concerns.

The state’s heavy dependency on property taxes to fund schools has perpetuated continued unequal funding districts, with high-minority districts receiving about $1,595 less per student than low-minority districts. The Forum promotes advocating for increased funding and new strategies for distributing funds. In addition, it suggests building schools to be able to prevent overcrowding and increasing students’ access to technology.

Fostering Partners in Education.

The organization has planned the Acuerdo group geared at bringing Latino organizations and leaders together to advocate for the community’s needs and push initiatives forward.

Partners with schools, classrooms and school districts can include community-based organizations, foundations, businesses, faith-based organizations, health organizations and families. They can provide resources for issues such as funding support and providing support such as gang prevention programs.

The report also stresses the importance of family involvement initiatives, such as sharing with parents school information such as the benefits of preschool. Schools can also be educated themselves about how to go back to school and learn English. In addition, the report points out that suburbs often have fewer community organizations that provide services than Chicago, and are in need of more partners.

***

The Latino Policy Forum also hosted a discussion today along with leaders from the National Council of La Raza, Chicago Public Schools and Illinois State Board of Education in conjunction with the report’s release. WestEd’s Aida Walqui, an expert on ELLs, also spoke about the common core standards.

- Education Acuerdo.

- Latino Policy Forum

Children of Immigrant Parents More Likely to Fall Behind in School Early

Posted on June 20, 2012 by Katherine Leal Unmuth

Children with immigrant parents are much more likely to live in poverty, lack health insurance and drop out of high school than children of U.S.-born parents, a recent study concluded.

The children face these challenges even though their parents’ employment rates are similar to those of American parents and they actually are more likely to live in two-parent homes.

The Foundation for Child Development in New York examined the gaps between the groups in a recent policy brief.

The children’s academic performance was also affected by their status as English language learners. According to the study, only about 7 percent of ELL students were proficient in reading in English by the end of third grade, compared with 37 percent of children who spoke English as a first language.

In addition, about 14 percent of ELLs were proficient in mathematics by the end of third grade, compared with 44 percent of children who spoke English as a first language.

“This is the canary in the coal mine for dropping out,” Richard Fry of the Pew Hispanic Center told the Wall Street Journal.

Children of immigrants from Mexico and Central America tend to fair the worst in education measures. Many of those parents don’t have an education beyond elementary school, and are unable to help their children with school work. Those parents also don’t know how to navigate the American school system.

The Journal spoke with Karen Arroyo, 14, a student at the Aspiring Centennial College Preparatory Academy in Los Angeles, about how her parents encouraged her to get a good education. ”[R]ight now, my parents don’t know much about what I am doing because they didn’t go to high school,” she told the newspaper.

“Studies have found that those who are unable to read by the fourth grade are unlikely to ever catch up, and are four times more likely to drop out of school,” the report’s author, Daniel Hernandez, said in a press release. “These data show us that our education system is failing nine out of ten Dual Language Learner students in the U.S., and even a substantial majority of children whose first language is English.”

The organization makes a number of policy recommendations, including the suggestion that the government must make greater investments in Pre-K programs, provide adequate funding for ELLs and expand programs that seek to improve the job skills of immigrant parents.

The other numbers in the report are broken down here:

- 30 percent of the children of immigrants live below the federal poverty level, compared with 19 percent of those born to non-immigrant parents

- 25 percent of the children of immigrant parents don’t graduate high school, compared with 18 percent of those born to non-immigrant parents

- 15 percent of children in immigrant families lack health insurance, compared with 8 percent of those of American-born parents

- “Immigrant Children Lag Behind, Posing Risk.” Wall Street Journal.

- “American Children born to Immigrant parents trailing behind, new study finds.” New American Media.

Report Calls on Schools to Meet the Needs of ELL Pre-K Students

Posted on June 7, 2012 by Katherine Leal Unmuth

A new report by the Center for American Progress calls on federal, state and local leaders to meet the needs of preschool students who are English language learners by providing dual-language services.

The study says there is a need to increase the numbers of bilingual teaching staff to better serve Hispanic, low-income children entering programs unable to speak English. It cites Head Start principles that focus on supporting a child’s native language while introducing English. ”To be clear, we recognize that early childhood programs must focus on English language competency to ensure school readiness,” the report notes. “But rigorous research indicates that helping children improve their home-language skills can markedly augment and support English-language competency.”

The report also cited a 2009 longitudinal study of four-year-olds by the National Center for Education Statistics that found that Hispanic children lagged behind Asian, white and black children in basic letter and number recognition. About 23 percent of Hispanic 4-year-olds were proficient at recognizing letters, compared with 37 percent of white children. And 51 percent of Hispanic children were proficient at recognizing numbers and shapes, compared with 73 percent of white children.

Some states are making efforts to address ELLs. Illinois requires bilingual preschool, and 27 other states allow bilingual pre-K classes. But state standards vary widely. According to the report, eight states require early education providers to write a plan for dealing with ELLs and 17 states require providers to screen and assess ELL students. The study points out that the states don’t specify how the children should be assessed and only Delaware requires the assessment to be done in the child’s home language.

Increasing dual-language services was just one of 10 education reforms the study calls for. The list also includes improving early childhood data and partnering with states to align their early learning standards.

- “Cultural and Linguistic Responsiveness,” Head Start.

- “Starting Early With English Language Learners: First Lessons from Illinois.” New America Foundation.

Latinos Fuel ‘Majority Minority’ Birth Milestone

Posted on May 21, 2012 by Katherine Leal Unmuth

With the announcement last week that white non-Hispanic babies are now officially in the minority, the United States has reached a pivotal tipping point. Demographics are shifting, and the news headlines have made this even more evident to the broader public.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, white babies now make up about 49.6 percent of babies one year old or younger. The data are from April 2010 to July 2011. Latinos account for 26 percent of all births. Many of these children are second-generation Americans born to immigrants.

According to a 2010 report from the Pew Hispanic Center, Hispanic women give birth to an average of 2.4 babies, compared with 1.8 babies for white women. On the front lines of this shift, where the population is youngest, we should identify and write about early learning programs that are targeting the needs of these young children and their parents.

This news should also prompt journalists to examine more closely the demographic changes in local communities to make the story more relevant to readers. For example, the suburbs outside urban centers once were regarded as “white flight” destinations. But at this point in time, many suburbs have become “majority minority.” You can see this just by getting out and visiting the classroom. How are school districts that have never before dealt with large percentages of minority children coping with this new reality?

In an interview with PBS NewsHour, New York University education professor Marcelo Suarez-Orozco stressed that the education system plays a critical role in ensuring the future success of these young children of color.

“While there are optimistic contours to these numbers, there are also a number of issues that we really need to pause and rethink,” he said. “First is the matter of are we as a society going to be able to transfer the skills, the competencies, the sensibilities to this new generation of Americans to thrive in the 21st century economy and society, and economy and society that is very, very different from what our education system in a way evolved to deal with? And that’s where we’re falling behind.”

For ELLs, Storytime with Mom Leads to Learning in Kindergarten

Posted on May 1, 2012 by Katherine Leal Unmuth

Young children who are English language learners from low-income homes perform better in kindergarten when their mothers read to them beginning when they are just six months old, says a new study.

Researchers at the University of Utah analyzed the impact of early literacy initiatives on 40 low-income Latina immigrant mothers and their children. All of the families had incomes below the federal poverty level, 87 percent of the mothers were from Mexico and 44 percent of mothers had not completed the 8th grade.

The mothers all participated in the Reach Out and Read program, in which children and families are given books and advice during medical checkups. Doctors and nurses speak with the parents about the importance of reading. In the clinic studied, most of the doctors were bilingual. The parents were first offered books in Spanish because of their language skills, and then gradually given bilingual books. Parents were provided reading instruction. The clinic also had a library and bilingual librarian available in part through the Salt Lake County Library System.

An estimated 37-45 percent of the children were identified as at high risk for reading difficulty during the summer before kindergarten, but they actually fared quite well during their first year in school. Kindergarten teachers identified 60 percent of the children as intermediate or proficient in reading; the children had average or above average literacy skills by the end of the year. Teachers also responded that 77 percent of the children in the study were average, above average or far above average in their reading ability when compared with other children in the same grade.

When the children were interviewed before they began kindergarten, researchers found that 76 percent of them could name a favorite book, half were able to identify a word and 56 percent were able to write their first name.

Families are given about 10 books through the program, and half of participants reported owning 25 or more children’s books. About 59 percent of the mothers said they had read to their child the day before being surveyed, compared with a daily rate of about 36 percent for all low-income children.

Do you know of early intervention programs in your community? The Reach Out and Read program has sites in multiple states. In addition, I’ve blogged before about the HIPPY and AVANCE programs, which both teach mothers about the importance of literacy and emphasize their role as their child’s first teacher.

A thank you to Education Week’s Learning the Language blog for calling my attention to this study. The study, “Kindergarten Readiness and Performance of Latino Children Participating in Reach Out and Read,” was published in the Journal of Community Medicine and Health Education.

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