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Research & Reports

Rights, Parents

Not a Great Beginning to the School Year: Despite New Regulation Immigrant Parents Still Face Major Language Barriers

by Advocates for Children of New York and The New York Immigration Coalition

Advocates for Children of New York and The New York Immigration Coalition. (2006, September). Not a Great Beginning to the School Year: Despite New Regulation Immigrant Parents Still Face Major Language Barriers. New York, New York: Advocates for Children of New York.

Topics Covered: Access, Equity, and Adequacy; Parent Outreach;

Tags: Parent Involvement and Outreach / PTA; Rights, Parents;

Target Population: Preschool, Elementary school, Middle school, High School

Research Questions the Report Poses: How effective was the New York City Chancellor's Regulation A-663 in providing translated materials to immigrant parents?

Summary: Half of the students in the New York City school system, the "largest and most diverse" system in the country, come from homes where English is not the primary language. Department of Education Chancellor Joel Klein put into place Regulation A-663 which required school materials to be available in both English and the next eight most prevalent languages in the school system. Upon investigation of 13 of 15 registration centers before the 2006-2007 school year started, the study finds that the centers were in various states of preparedness. Many centers, says the report, were not adequately prepared and lacked foreign language materials in any language other than Spanish. Some of the most important school documents were only available in English. The report concludes that while the regulation was an important "step in the right direction" more has to be done to make sure that schools follow through with adherence to the policy.

Findings:

  • 13 of 15 registration centers were investigated and most were found to be unprepared to offer parents materials related to their children's education in any language other than English.
  • Many parents were unaware that they were entitled to receive educational materials in a language that they were most comfortable with

Policy Recommendations:

  • Better advertisement of the regulation to parents so that they know that they are entitled to receive materials in a language that they are most comfortable with
  • Follow through with various schools and registration centers to make sure that the regulations are being followed through with and not paid lip service.

To order a hard copy of the report, contact:
Advocates for Children of New York
151 West 30th Street — 5th Floor
New York, NY 10001
E-Mail: info@advocatesforchildren.org
Phone: (212)-947-9779
Fax: (212)-947-9790

Perceptions of College Financial Aid Among California Latino Youth

by The Tomas Rivera Policy Institute / Maria Estela Zarate and Harry P. Pachon

Zarate, E.Z., and Pachon, H.P. (2006). Perceptions of College Financial Aid Among California Latino Youth. Tomas Rivera Policy Institute: Los Angeles, CA.

Topics Covered: Higher Education and Careers;

Tags: Latino ELL Students; Rights, Parents; Rights, Students;

Target Population: Post-Secondary

Research Questions the Report Poses: Are Hispanic students well-informed about their financial aid options for higher education? How does knowledge about financial aid affect Hispanic students' choices to pursue higher education?

Summary: Despite surveys and research showing that Hispanic parents and students alike both consider college to be both important and valuable, many Hispanic students do not pursue higher education. This report makes the assertion that if Hispanic students and their parents were better informed about the concepts involved with and procedure surrounding financial aid that more Hispanic students would pursue college.

Findings:

  • 98% of respondents in the survey said that they felt it was important to have a college education
  • 38% of respondents did not feel the benefits of college outweigh the costs
  • Not being able to work and incurring debt were the opportunity costs associated with going to college
  • The opportunity costs associated with going to college were not being able to work and incurring debt
  • More than 50% of the respondents incorrectly thought students have to be U.S. citizens to apply for college financial aid
  • Few respondents could accurately estimate the cost of attending either the University of California or California State University
  • Overall, respondents demonstrated a lack of familiarity with government grants for education

Policy Recommendations:

  • Students need to be better informed about the "less tangible, but real, social status differences that exist between the college-educated and the non-college educated" so that they feel that the opportunity costs of attending college are worth paying
  • Because of misperceptions about how much college actually costs, Latino students may continue to be underrepresented on college campuses. To this end, perceptions must be corrected by presenting students with information about the realistic costs of attending college.
  • Latino students need to be better informed about Cal Grants and Pell Grants, as well as other grant and loan opportunities available through state and federal government.
  • Students and their parents both need to be educated about the system of college finances, including scholarships, loans, grants, and government guaranteed loans.
  • Student perceptions about the significance of legal residency status vs. U.S. citizenship status need to be corrected, especially given the citizenship status of many students' parents

To order a hard copy of the report, contact:
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