MEXICAN-ORIGIN CHILDREN IN MIXED-STATUS FAMILIES: WELL-BEING AND PUBLIC SCHOOL SUPPORT

Abstract

This Thesis examines the challenges that some Mexican-origin children can face in their school lives because of coming from a mixed-status family background. The specific challenges I researched involved exploring how 1) building a community, 2) having a high academic performance, and 3) practicing suitable behavior at school can be shaped by Mexican-origin children knowing that their parents or family members face deportation risks and the impacts of this knowledge on their educational experiences. Based on existing academic literature, each of these areas was greatly affected. Building a community for these students in school is challenging because of a lack of trust and feeling like sometimes their identity stops them from belonging. Their academic performance differed from that of children who come from families with US citizenship and an authorized documentation status (e.g., they performed lower in reading and math). The behaviors of some Mexican-origin children have led them to internalize their feelings and not speak out in classes because they can be scared to reveal their loved one’s immigration status. Informed by existing literature, I wanted to determine if public schools are providing proper, relevant resources for their students and families on school website pages. I decided to focus on only the area of Los Angeles because there is a high population of Latinos, and this action narrowed my scope to a more manageable individual research project. I looked within the Los Angeles districts and decided on the Los Angeles Unified School District since 73.97% of students identify as Hispanic or Latino. From there, I explored examining schools that are public, that offer Kindergarten-5th grade, and that are in the Los Angeles City area. Using those criteria, I narrowed my study to 143 schools, and of those 143, I generated a random sample of 50 schools. My results indicated that the schools did not have relevant sources on their websites for Mexican-origin children and their families with mixed-status backgrounds. Based on my analysis of school websites, I found nothing that outlined specific resources or tailored messaging for students or families of mixed status. The language used on these websites was very ambiguous (e.g., creating students to be prepared for the world/college and giving them the tools to succeed on their own). I found no action or additional materials to support their claims. Only two of the 50 schools provided written material that could be classified as relevant for the mixed-status students because they had a “Restorative Justice” program. The Restorative Justice program values inclusive and collaborative practices for trying to create a strong school community for its students. This example actively promotes accepting students’ backgrounds and creating a space where they can be comfortable. To further support this crucial effort, this Thesis concludes by offering several ideas for how schools can provide resources and messaging for students from mixed-status families so that all young people can flourish in public school settings.