ERIC Number: ED527062
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2011-Nov
Pages: 60
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Up for Grabs: The Gains and Prospects of First- and Second-Generation Young Adults
Batalova, Jeanne; Fix, Michael
Migration Policy Institute
Youth and young adults from immigrant families today represent one in four people in the United States between the ages of 16 and 26--up from one in five just 15 years ago. This population will assume a greater role as the US workforce ages, and how it fares in the classroom and in the workplace is of signal importance not just for these individuals but for the vibrancy of the overall US economy and local communities. In this report, the authors profile first- and second-generation young adults ages 16 to 26 as they pass through differing stages of life, from adolescence to early and full adulthood. They define "first generation" (or immigrants) as persons with no US citizenship at birth and the "second generation" as those born in the United States to immigrant parents. Together the first and second generations make up "youth" of immigrant origin. They find that these 11.3 million young immigrant-origin adults are far from a monolithic group: they differ widely in their language, age of arrival, citizenship status, gender, and race and ethnicity--all factors that have a profound effect on their educational and workforce outcomes. This diverse population is notable for its substantial generational progress in terms of high school graduation, college enrollment, and ability to earn family-sustaining wages, in some cases making strides that equal or better those of third-generation/higher whites. However, they find that some of these young adults, particularly second-generation Hispanics, are not graduating from college at the same rate or on the same timeline because of family, work, or economic reasons. Appended are: (1) Description of the Datasets Used; (2) Population Projections Methodology; (3) State-Level Estimates of First- and Second-Generation Young Adults, 2010; (4) Percent of Young Adults (Ages 19 to 24) Enrolled in Postsecondary Education by Generation and Race/Ethnicity; and (5) Percent of Young Adults (Ages 22 to 26) with an Associate's or Higher Degree by Generation and Race/Ethnicity. (Contains 11 tables, 16 figures and 66 footnotes.)
Descriptors: Ethnicity, Citizenship, Graduation Rate, College Bound Students, Young Adults, Enrollment, Immigrants, Youth, Adolescents, Labor Force Development, Academic Achievement, Generational Differences, Developmental Stages, Wages, College Graduates, High School Graduates, Racial Differences, Hispanic Americans, Educational Attainment, Barriers, Language Skills, English (Second Language), Poverty, Family (Sociological Unit), Academic Persistence, Educational Quality
Migration Policy Institute. 1400 16th Street NW Suite 300, Washington, DC 20036. Tel: 202-266-1940; Fax: 202-266-1900; e-mail: communications@migrationpolicy.org; Web site: http://www.migrationpolicy.org
Publication Type: Reports - Research
Education Level: High Schools; Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
Authoring Institution: Migration Policy Institute (MPI)
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A