Educating the Educator: Hispanic women in a new social context

Abstract

Abstract The Hispanic population in the United States continues growing steadily and rapidly. This fertile and constant growth has reorganized the country’s social milieu and exposes immigrants to social, linguistic and educational realities that were previously unknown. Hispanic immigrant English Language Learners are immersed in a completely unfamiliar academic system, and face linguistic challenges that must be overcome if they are to be successful in school. In the same way, immigrant parents undergo similar challenges in their work environments in which language and other social barriers impede their professional success and involvement in their children’s academic life. This work presents the experiences of Hispanic students and mothers in the United States through the eyes of four Hispanic immigrant women. In depth interviews were used to test for the impact that parental involvement has in the academic development of Hispanic students in the United States.