There are various studies that have been done on the effects of discrimination on US immigrants. A study done in 2015 showed that children of immigrants experience discrimination in schools early in their life. A study by the Migration Policy Institution showed that children of immigrants experience various disadvantages early in their educations. They include inexperienced teachers, fewer preschool options, and schools that are low-performing.
The report examined the school environments as well as the learning opportunities for children of US immigrants. It compared them with experiences of peers with parents who were US-born. The report showed various types of discrimination. One was personal discrimination that included tougher discipline, low expectations, and negative feedback from foreign accents.
There was also structural discrimination that includes low-quality resources, wrong English proficiency diagnosis, low parent/teacher engagement, segregation, etc.
A report a few years ago by UCLA discovered that Hispanic children have experienced the greatest rise in school segregation since the Supreme Court ruled in Brown v. Board of Education. Today the average Hispanic student attends schools that are almost 57% Latino, and are more segregated than blacks and Asians. It’s more likely for Latinos to experience segregation in cities but the report found that the situation still exists when they move to suburban areas.
The report showed that the poor schools are the “default” options for black and Latino students. The study notes that the children of Latino immigrants are also more likely go to schools that have high poverty and also low performance, but also teachers who have little teaching experience and cannot speak Spanish. That results in low engagement between teachers and parents.
The discrimination actually starts as soon as preschool. That’s due to a lack of communication, connection, and sharing of ideas between the teachers and parents of the teachers. This can have a negative effect on young learners. Not focusing on the assets of immigrant families and the suppression of the children’s cultural identification can also have a bad effect on the pre-schoolers.
The report states that its recommendation for schools is to serve immigrant families’ students better. The main goal is to equalize the relationship with the parents of the students as well as the immigrant communities.
Another suggestion is to bring cultural relevance to school classroom lessons. Another suggestion is to move away from the approach of teaching children as a method of preparing for tests. The group also encourages the schools to hire ESL/bilingual teachers who have the training to teach children in preschool. They also say that schools serving immigrant’s children should be creative. This will boost the chance of success for the students and also support linguistic/cultural differences.
There are several others issues related to the issue of US immigration and discrimination. There are other sectors where it exists besides schools. That includes work, housing, etc. There have been many other studies conducted about the issue. The reason is that it greatly affects several issues related to immigration.
However, while discrimination is certainly an issue for US immigrants, the overall experience is usually very positive. It can provide many positive experiences.