The Case for Considering Historical Contingency of Immigration Context in Quantitative Educational Research

• In Event: Unveiling the Hidden Infrastructures in Schools: The Role of Race and Place in Reproducing (In)Equity

Abstract

In this paper, we draw on theoretical perspectives from QuantCrit, LatCrit, AsianCrit, and segmented assimilation to argue that historical contingency of immigration is a critical piece missing from many quantitative analyses of race/ethnicity in education. Using data from the Children of Immigrants Longitudinal Study, we demonstrate the importance of immigration context by comparing educational outcomes between children of pre- and post-Mariel Boatlift Cuban migration waves to South Florida. Post-Mariel migrants faced negative public images and fewer social resources upon arrival than pre-Mariel migrants. We find suggestive evidence that children of post-Mariel migrants attended lower-quality schools and had lower educational attainment than children of pre-Mariel migrants, further suggesting that parents’ immigration context was associated with different educational trajectories for children.

Authors

• Francisco Arturo Santelli, Vanderbilt University
  Presenting Author

• Shirley Hui Xu, Vanderbilt University
  Presenting Author