The New Immigration and High School Performance

• In Event: 135 - Section on Sociology of Population Paper Session. Race/Ethnicity and Population Dynamics

Abstract

We present results from a project that aims to shed light on contemporary discussion of socioeconomic assimilation of school-aged youths, concentrating on the second generation. In particularly we consider trajectory, striver status, and school context. Within this framework we are concerned to estimate whether immigrant stock (first and second generation) students from lower socioeconomic background outperform, i.e. as “strivers” improve their relative position, all else controlled. We further estimate in this setting what additional predictive power obtains in the form of school context, including organizational control of the school, ratings of the safety of the environment, and immigrant stock concentration of the school. We make use of recently released nationally representative data within the series of education longitudinal studies. The High School Longitudinal Study of 2009 (HSLS:2009) has in its second wave information on test score progression from freshman (Fall 9th Grade) to junior (Spring 11th grade) year and on high school dropout. We estimate achievement models that include measures of prior academic performance, family background and ethno-generational status, as well as adjusting for attrition. Our results for within-high-school mathematical score gain point to (beyond controls for ethnicity itself and other background factors) variation across students by origin with modest deviations by generational status. School context clearly matters, although the immigration-related aspects of context as less predictive that school socioeconomic characteristics. The results point the way to additional analysis by more detailed national origin and for longer time spans.

Authors

• Michael J. White, Brown University

• Zhen Liu, Brown University