Full Citation

Title: Persistence in School among Californias Immigrant Youth: The Impact of Generation Status

Citation Type: Working Paper

Publication Year: 2005

ISBN:

ISSN:

DOI:

NSFID:

PMCID:

PMID:

Abstract: The number of first- and second-generation youth in the nations schools has tripled since 1970. Californias diverse immigrant youth population has grown even more rapidly than that of the nation as a whole: nearly half of Californias school-age population had at least one foreign-born parent in 2000, more than double the national average. This paper uses 2000 Integrated Public Use Microdata Sample data for California and an augmented child-parent linking algorithm to determine generation status for children ages 16 to 18. Logistic regression quantifies the role of immigrant generation (i.e., first (further distinguished by age at arrival), second, and third+) on a youths school enrollment propensity while controlling for other individual, family and neighborhood determinants of participation. I exploit the large sample sizes in the census to examine how the impact of generation status differs by national origin, and whether school participation among at-risk immigrant groups catches up with natives across generations. Finally, I assess to what extent observable characteristics explain differential school participation behavior. While first-generation Hispanic youth (particularly Mexicans who arrived after age 6) and indeterminate-generation natives are least likely to be enrolled in U.S. schools, preliminary results suggest that much of the observed differential is due to differences in family structure.

User Submitted?: No

Authors: Garvey, Deborah

Series Title:

Publication Number:

Institution: Santa Clara University

Pages:

Publisher Location:

Data Collections: IPUMS USA

Topics: Migration and Immigration

Countries: