Education, Diversity, and the Second Generation: A Discussion Guide

This discussion guide, prepared for the June 2009 Extraordinary Meeting of the Transatlantic Council on Migration: Integration at the Local Level – Diversity, Social Cohesion & the Descendants of Immigrants in Berlin, Germany, draws on a number of background papers to provide a framework for discussing policy and practice issues in immigrant education and integration.

The guide offers a brief demographic and statistical profile of the immigrant student population in the United States, with comparison points drawn to Germany, and paints a portrait of rapidly growing immigrant student population that is predominantly young (0 to 5 years), concentrated in lower income schools, linguistically isolated, and lagging behind its native peers in academic achievement and graduation rate. After sketching the broad policy implications of the demographic data, the guide provides a set of policy and practice issues to facilitate a Roundtable inquiry in two areas: early childhood care and education, and secondary education, with particular focus on those whose proficiency in English or German lags.