Immigrant Children In The 21st Century Essay

Immigration has dominated the 21st century, it has been at the forefront of thought for the education field, politics, public policy, and health care. In the United States “one out of every four children are born of immigrant parents, or immigrants themselves” (Tamer, 2014). Thus, the face of the 21st century student is undergoing a metamorphosis. Immigration is costly, and often surrounded with negative contexts. However, there are unsung pros, to having immigrant students in the classroom. Educational policy reform is necessary to protect all children who live and learn in America.

American society is excellent at focusing on how immigration negatively affects the country, what about the effects immigration has on the development of a child of immigration? Examples include but are not limited to, low parent involvement at school events, language barrier between the teacher and parents, fear of deportation, and poverty. These factors can negatively affect an immigrant child’s ability to perform in school. Issues grow as children grow. For example, adolescents can have issues getting a driver’s license, obtaining work, and financial aid. Unfortunately, these advantages are not available to undocumented peoples.

In American society,

It is imperative that all children learn that being different is a good thing, since this is not a natural characteristic of human behavior, this must be taught to America’s youth. Second, all educators must become familiar with all of their students backgrounds by learning how to support learners of more than one language, foster bicultural identities, identify connecting points with their students, and assist those students with cultural straddling. This will aid in the socio-emotional development of the immigrant child, which in turn will directly impact their cognitive abilities, increasing their chances to meet