2-058 - Shifting Neighborhoods and Schools: The Educational Experiences of Young Latino Children

Session Type: Paper Symposium

Integrative Statement

Amidst the rekindled debate over racial integration, and as Latino settlement shifts to new destinations, we must learn more about how schools serve Latino children. The majority begins kindergarten lagging in early math and reading, and racial achievement gaps persist (Guerrero et al., 2013; Reardon & Galindo, 2009). While upward mobility takes place for some Latino families (Bean et al., 2015), most children grow up in poverty.

The outward migration of some Latino families to new destinations and the persistence of others in urban enclaves means Latino children experience a wide range of neighborhoods and schools. Many communities have limited relevant resources: urban enclaves tend to be low-income and most “new destinations” are not familiar with serving non-White children (Dondero & Muller 2012), although some Latino children may benefit from high-quality schools and proximity to middle-class peers (Park & Myers, 2010).

As Latino settlement shifts, we know little about how neighborhood and school mechanisms influence Latino children’s learning. We will inform policies and practices that advance effective integration and positive outcomes for Latino children with:

• “Raising Latino Children in Shifting Neighborhoods and Schools” examines how features of neighborhoods and schools serving Latino children have changed 1998-2010.
• “Highly Recommended and Nearby: Latino Families’ School "Selection"” provides in-depth description of how Latino mothers view and “select” schools and neighborhoods.
• “School Quality and Young Latino Children’s Growth in Segregated and Integrated Elementary Schools” examines how the varied composition and quality of schools that serve Latino kindergartners relate to their learning.

Sub Unit

• Race, Ethnicity, Culture, Context

Chair

• Margaret Bridges, UC Berkeley

Individual Presentations

• Raising Latino Children in Shifting Neighborhoods and Schools, 1998-2010 - Presenting Author: Bruce Fuller, UC Berkeley; Yoonjeon Kim, UC Berkeley; Margaret Bridges, UC Berkeley

• Highly Recommended and Nearby: Latino Families’ School "Selection" - Presenting Author: Alma Guerrero, UCLA School of Medicine

• School Quality and Young Latino Children’s Growth in Segregated and Integrated Elementary Schools, 1998-2010 - Presenting Author: Claudia Galindo, University of Maryland, College Park