Buena Educación, Consejos, and Walls: Understanding Undocumented Latina/o Parents' Engagement in Students' College Readiness

• In Event: 16.060 - Roundtable Session 3
  In Roundtable Session: 16.060-19 - Exploring Issues of Parental Involvement for Immigrant Children in the United States

Abstract

Latina/o immigrant parents set the foundation for students’ higher education aspirations and achievement (Auerbach, 2006). Yet, research often conflates the experiences of undocumented parents with those of parents in first-generation immigrant families. Undocumented status limits access to resources and adds layers of distrust, discomfort, and fear of social institutions (Gonzales, 2015; Yoshikawa, 2011). This interview-based study with 25 undocumented Latina/o parents explores how undocumented parents engage with their children’s higher education pursuits. Considering how their context and “illegality” shapes their experiences, I find that parents use the consequences of their immigration status to motivate their children to pursue a higher education. At the same time, their status also shapes, and often limits, their interactions with their children’s schooling and education.

Author

• Stephany Cuevas, Harvard University