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A majority of Latino youths in the U.S. are from foreign-born parents, unlike two decades ago, a study finds
By DAVID OLSON
The Press-Enterprise
More than 60 percent of Latino kids in the United States are sons or daughters of immigrants, a reversal from the 1980s, when most were descendants of U.S.-born parents, a new study finds.
The study, by the Washington, D.C.-based nonpartisan Pew Hispanic Center, did not break down data by counties. But Riverside and San Bernardino counties, where a majority of students are Hispanic, appear to reflect the national trend.
The number of English as a Second Language students -- an indication of whether parents are likely to be immigrants -- nearly doubled in the Inland area between 1995-96 and 2007-08, to almost 200,000, according to the California Department of Education. About 23 percent of all Inland pupils are ESL students. The large majority come from Spanish-speaking households.
The huge growth in the number of first- and second-generation Hispanics -- first-generation is foreign-born; second-generation children are descendants of at least one immigrant parent -- is a reflection of the massive immigration wave from Latin America over the past three decades.
A 2005-07 U.S. Census survey estimates that nearly 650,000 Inland residents are Latin American immigrants. They comprise three-quarters of foreign-born residents; most of the rest are Asian. Nearly half of Inland children who live with their parents have at least one foreign-born parent, the Census found.
Many of those children will grow up to have their own kids, creating another demographic shift. The Inland area is expected to have a Latino majority within the next several years, because of births and further immigration.
The Pew survey found that, following the well-worn pattern of other immigrant groups, third-generation Hispanics tend to earn greater incomes and achieve higher educational levels than their parents.
But experts say it is unclear how the fourth generation of recent immigrants will fare. Mexican-Americans of the fourth generation and beyond today have higher poverty levels and lower educational achievement than the third generation, said Frank Bean, director of the Center for Research on Immigration, Population and Public Policy at UC Irvine.
Bean helped conduct an intergenerational study of people of Mexican ancestry in metropolitan Los Angeles, including the Inland area.
Bean said the descendants of recent immigrants may not face some of the same problems as earlier Mexican-Americans, who may have been brought down by the lingering effects of factors such as economic recessions and depressions and discrimination.
Some statistical flukes may overestimate the gap between the third and the fourth generation and beyond, he said.
Many Hispanic descendants of U.S.-born parents come from families that have been in the United States -- or in the Southwest when it was part of Mexico or Spain -- for generations.
The percentage of those types of families will decline as the descendants of the millions of recent immigrants have children and grandchildren, said Jeffrey Passel, coauthor of the Pew study. It is unclear how that will affect Mexican-American communities, he said.
In 1980, nearly 60 percent of U.S. Hispanic children were third-generation or beyond. Today, only 37 percent of U.S. Hispanic kids -- and 29 percent of Latino children in California -- are third-generation or higher, the Pew survey found.
Pew projects that the percentage of Hispanic kids with immigrant parents will rise only slightly in the next few years before falling.
Only a small number of third-generation Hispanic children are not fluent in English. But 43 percent of first-generation Latino children and 21 percent of second-generation kids are not fluent, the study found.
The cost to educate those students is higher than for other pupils, officials in the Riverside and San Bernardino County school superintendents' offices said. With state budget cuts, some districts in the two counties are cutting back services for ESL students.
That could slow students' transition out of ESL, said Kenn Young, Riverside County superintendent of schools. Once students move out of ESL, they often excel, because they develop strong cognitive skills as they learn two languages, he said.
The Pew study found that more than 40 percent of first- and second-generation Hispanic children have parents with less than a high-school education, compared with 16 percent of kids in the third generation and above. Immigrant parents were also more likely to be poor than nonimmigrant Hispanics.
Young said that poverty and parental educational levels affect students' academic performance. Less-educated parents, especially those who are not fluent in English, are less able to help their children prepare for tests and do their homework, he said.
They're also less likely to know how to navigate the educational system and guide their children toward college-preparation classes in high school, said Rollanda O'Connor, a professor of education at UC Riverside.
By DAVID OLSON
The Press-Enterprise
More than 60 percent of Latino kids in the United States are sons or daughters of immigrants, a reversal from the 1980s, when most were descendants of U.S.-born parents, a new study finds.
The study, by the Washington, D.C.-based nonpartisan Pew Hispanic Center, did not break down data by counties. But Riverside and San Bernardino counties, where a majority of students are Hispanic, appear to reflect the national trend.
The number of English as a Second Language students -- an indication of whether parents are likely to be immigrants -- nearly doubled in the Inland area between 1995-96 and 2007-08, to almost 200,000, according to the California Department of Education. About 23 percent of all Inland pupils are ESL students. The large majority come from Spanish-speaking households.
The huge growth in the number of first- and second-generation Hispanics -- first-generation is foreign-born; second-generation children are descendants of at least one immigrant parent -- is a reflection of the massive immigration wave from Latin America over the past three decades.
A 2005-07 U.S. Census survey estimates that nearly 650,000 Inland residents are Latin American immigrants. They comprise three-quarters of foreign-born residents; most of the rest are Asian. Nearly half of Inland children who live with their parents have at least one foreign-born parent, the Census found.
Many of those children will grow up to have their own kids, creating another demographic shift. The Inland area is expected to have a Latino majority within the next several years, because of births and further immigration.
The Pew survey found that, following the well-worn pattern of other immigrant groups, third-generation Hispanics tend to earn greater incomes and achieve higher educational levels than their parents.
But experts say it is unclear how the fourth generation of recent immigrants will fare. Mexican-Americans of the fourth generation and beyond today have higher poverty levels and lower educational achievement than the third generation, said Frank Bean, director of the Center for Research on Immigration, Population and Public Policy at UC Irvine.
Bean helped conduct an intergenerational study of people of Mexican ancestry in metropolitan Los Angeles, including the Inland area.
Bean said the descendants of recent immigrants may not face some of the same problems as earlier Mexican-Americans, who may have been brought down by the lingering effects of factors such as economic recessions and depressions and discrimination.
Some statistical flukes may overestimate the gap between the third and the fourth generation and beyond, he said.
Many Hispanic descendants of U.S.-born parents come from families that have been in the United States -- or in the Southwest when it was part of Mexico or Spain -- for generations.
The percentage of those types of families will decline as the descendants of the millions of recent immigrants have children and grandchildren, said Jeffrey Passel, coauthor of the Pew study. It is unclear how that will affect Mexican-American communities, he said.
In 1980, nearly 60 percent of U.S. Hispanic children were third-generation or beyond. Today, only 37 percent of U.S. Hispanic kids -- and 29 percent of Latino children in California -- are third-generation or higher, the Pew survey found.
Pew projects that the percentage of Hispanic kids with immigrant parents will rise only slightly in the next few years before falling.
Only a small number of third-generation Hispanic children are not fluent in English. But 43 percent of first-generation Latino children and 21 percent of second-generation kids are not fluent, the study found.
The cost to educate those students is higher than for other pupils, officials in the Riverside and San Bernardino County school superintendents' offices said. With state budget cuts, some districts in the two counties are cutting back services for ESL students.
That could slow students' transition out of ESL, said Kenn Young, Riverside County superintendent of schools. Once students move out of ESL, they often excel, because they develop strong cognitive skills as they learn two languages, he said.
The Pew study found that more than 40 percent of first- and second-generation Hispanic children have parents with less than a high-school education, compared with 16 percent of kids in the third generation and above. Immigrant parents were also more likely to be poor than nonimmigrant Hispanics.
Young said that poverty and parental educational levels affect students' academic performance. Less-educated parents, especially those who are not fluent in English, are less able to help their children prepare for tests and do their homework, he said.
They're also less likely to know how to navigate the educational system and guide their children toward college-preparation classes in high school, said Rollanda O'Connor, a professor of education at UC Riverside.