From the OC Register:
A recently published study conducted by two UC Irvine professors has found that Mexican American mothers’ formal immigration status has significant influence over the education achievement of their U.S.-born children. The researchers – Frank Bean and Susan Brown from the School of Social Sciences – showed that Mexican American children of authorized immigrant mothers had an average of two additional years of education compared with those with unauthorized immigrant mothers. On average, U.S.-born children of undocumented immigrant mothers had 11 years of education, while children of authorized mothers had 13 years of education. “The key point of the study is that when mothers remain unauthorized, the kids don’t do as well,” said Brown. “It’s not so much entering unauthorized, it’s remaining unauthorized that is the problem.” There are several reasons why a mother’s immigration status is important to a child’s educational success, said Bean. “(When) the mothers are unauthorized, they don’t interact as much with other people in the community or the schools, and they’re not as well-equipped to help their children with schooling,” said Bean, lead author of the study.

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