Chapter 2: Education of Immigrants’ Children¹: A Review of Four Decades of Empirical Research in the United States 1965–2011²

In 2011, about one out every four children ages 0–17 come from an immigrant family, representing a doubling of this population from 1990.³ The shift of American demography in the U.S. has sparked widespread discussions on issues related to immigrants. There is wide concern and interest over issues such as immigrants’ children’s adaptation to the society and their school performance, and what this means to the future of American society. This chapter reviews four decades of empirical research in the United States relevant to education of immigrants’ descendents in order to provide an overview of the research results for policymakers, scholars, educators, and others working closely with children of immigrants.