Geographic Variation in the Relationship between Bilingualism and Education among Children of Immigrants

Jennifer C. Lee

Almost one out of four school-age children has at least one immigrant parent, and recent studies have found that children of immigrants who are fluently bilingual in English and their parents’ native languages have higher academic achievement than their monolingual peers. Although more immigrants are now settling in cities others than traditional immigrant gateways, research on bilingualism and academic achievement typically focuses on immigrant gateway cities or areas with historically large concentrations of co-ethnics (individuals of the same national origin). Little research has examined if and how patterns vary by geographic area and neighborhood characteristics. This project seeks to better understand relationships between bilingualism and educational outcomes among children of immigrants by examining how they vary across geographic areas. Using data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study (ECLS-K), the Educational Longitudinal Study (ELS), and the National Educational Longitudinal Study (NELS), this project will assess whether the relationships between bilingualism and educational outcomes (school performance, test scores, and educational attainment) differ between traditional and non-traditional immigrant gateway areas and/or between urban and rural areas, and how these relationships vary by neighborhood racial/ethnic composition.

About Jennifer C. Lee

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