An interesting study.
However many of us who work with ESL students who are first generation
Americans often notice an amazing drive to succeed in school. Their parents
view this as a means to "making it" in the US and convey that to their kids.
I am reminded by a student from Mexico who began the 5th grade school year
as a recent immigrant. He was placed in a class with 2 other Spanish
speaking students. The first student began by selecting classic novels to
read every week. Once his English was good enough for a conversation, we
asked about his reading choice - books shunned by other 5th graders. He told
us that his Dad ( a manual laborer) told him that reading good books was the
way to learn correct English. By the end of the school year he was speaking
passable English and doing well in school. The other two students hadn't
learned much English and socialized only with the others in their Spanish
speaking group.
The Asian ladies who do my nails are always anxious to tell me about the
progress of their children in school because they know that I work in a
school. I doubt they are college educated but are very interested in their
children succeeding in school.
My own parents were not born in this country and not highly educated but
made books available in the home and modeled library use when I was a
toddler by taking me along on weekly visits. College educations for their
kids was a goal that they achieved by hard work and sacrifice.
So although I agree that in Hispanic neighborhoods in Los Angeles better
educated parents' push for early readiness may account for success in
school, I don't think that this is indicative of all ethnic groups.
Jo
*********************************************
Josephine G. Dervan, Library Media Specialist
Strathmore Elementary School, Aberdeen, NJ
home:rderva@infionline.net
school:jdervan@marsd.k12.nj.us
He who has a garden and a library, wants for nothing- Cicero
----- Original Message -----
From: "Sybil Finemel" <sfinemel@COMCAST.NET>
To: <LM_NET@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU>
Sent: Sunday, January 23, 2005 1:02 PM
Subject: [LM_NET] GEN:Educational Achievement Reflects Family Background
More Than Ethnicity or Immigration article from the RAND Corporation
> A Matter of Class
> Educational Achievement Reflects Family Background More Than Ethnicity or
> Immigration
> http://www.rand.org/publications/randreview/issues/fall2004/class.html
>
> By Sandraluz Lara-Cinisomo, Anne R. Pebley, Mary E. Vaiana, Elizabeth
> Maggio, Mark Berends, and Samuel R. Lucas
>
> Sybil Finemel
>
> Library Director MLIS.CIO.
>
> Los Angeles CA
>
> Contributor, lii.org, Librarians' Index to the Internet http://lii.org/
>
> Virtual Reference Desk Volunteer
>
> 24/7 Reference Librarian.
>
> sfinemel@comcast.net
>
> "Manners are of more importance than laws. Manners are what vex or soothe,
> corrupt or purify, exalt or debase, barbarize or refine us, by a constant,
> steady, uniform, insensible operation, like that of the air we breathe
in."
>
> Edmund Burke (1729-1797)
>
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