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Lisette Gngora

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April 23, 2013
Culture Study: Mexicans
ESC 769

No other country in the world has as many total immigrants from all countries as
the United States has immigrants from Mexico alone. (Pew Hispanic Center, 2009)
Regardless of their residential status in the United States, Mexicans comprise a
considerable part of our population.
I chose to research the Mexican population in the United States because, not
only do Mexicans account for about 30% of the US immigrant population, regardless of
immigrant status (Brick and Rosenblum , 2011), they are also the largest Hispanic group
in the district where I teach. New Rochelle has followed the national trend; in 1990, 4%
of the citys population was Mexican, in 2011, approximately 15% was Mexican.
(Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture, Preservation and Planning,
2001). Additionally, 50% of our Hispanic students at New Rochelle High School are of
Mexican origin.
Since we covered most of the history of Mexicans in the United States in class, I
decided to focus on their successes and challenges within the educational system and
what the future holds for those of Mexican origin.
One of the challenges I face regarding my students of Mexican descent is the
prolonged absences in the middle of the school year. I have students who miss in
excess of three weeks of school because parents take them back to Mexico during the
colder months. This is a nationwide problem faced by schools in districts with a large
Mexican population. The situation is a double-edged sword. The parents cannot leave
the children here alone and return to Mexico to work. However, removing them from

Lisette Gngora
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April 23, 2013
Culture Study: Mexicans
ESC 769

school for prolonged periods interrupts their education and the student then falls behind
while he is away. The issue was so prevalent that it lead to the creation of the
Binational Migrant Education Initiative. (US Department of Education, 2009) Although
the document indicates that California and other individual states with a large migrant
student population implemented and support the program, it does not specify which
states have chosen to participate. Statistics show that California, Arizona and Texas
have the largest Mexican populations in the United States, with Californias population
consisting of 50% Mexican, I imagine the three are amont the participating states. It
would be interesting to propose that New Rochelle participate in the initiative.
Several years ago I transcribed a psychological study that involved interviewing
Mexican immigrant families with school aged children in New Rochelle and observing
their interactions. An issue that seemed to be repeated regarding teenage children
(mostly boys) and their parents, specifically the mothers, was the lack of discipline. By
the end of the transcription it became obvious that the problem was not that Mexican
parents cannot or do not discipline their children; the issue is that they do not know how
to discipline their children in this society. One blaring reason was the families legal, in
this case illegal, status in the country. As with many Hispanic families, often times
discipline involves physical contact. In school, students are taught about physical abuse
and told to notify a mandated reporter if they are abused by their parents. The students
in turn, tell their parents that they will call the police if the parents strike them. Fearing
deportation, many refrain from disciplining their children the only way they know how.
Unfortunately, the system has only done half the job to protect the children. The system

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April 23, 2013
Culture Study: Mexicans
ESC 769

effectively immobilized the parents without giving them an alternative method of


discipline to use with their children. Many of the cases involved children who stopped
attending school once they reached high school.
The Hispanics make up roughly 50% of the student population at New Rochelle
High School, yet only 66% of the Hispanic students graduated in 2010. Keeping in line
with national statistics, Latino males have the highest dropout rate in the country. The
same holds true for New Rochelle. According to a study on immigration by the
European Union, Mexicans are the immigrant group with the lowest levels of formal
education. (Brick and Challinor, 2011) However, the same study shows that there is a
direct correlation between the age of the Mexican immigrant when he arrives in the
United States and the level of education he completes. The difference is impressive,
ranging from less than 33% of immigrants arriving here between the ages of 15 and 21
and 78% of immigrants who came before 5 years of age completing high school.
Unfortunately, the dropout rate remains high among Hispanics and continues to
be an issue that needs to be addressed. After speaking to several Mexican students
and parents regarding educational success, I became aware of other issues that had
not been addressed in the articles and documents I read. From the students
perspective I learned the following. First, conscientious students become frustrated
when their parents remove them from school to take them back to Mexico for extended
periods. They feel they miss a great deal and struggle to catch up, and in some cases
pass the class. Additionally, several former students mentioned the fact that they had
little reason to succeed in school because there was nothing to look forward to after

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April 23, 2013
Culture Study: Mexicans
ESC 769

high school. They could not afford to pay for college; as undocumented residents they
did not qualify for financial aid. Some of those students left school to start working. I
also spoke to several Mexican parents. They all said that they want their children to get
a good education, that education is important to them. A couple of the same parents
admitted that a good work ethic was more important. These parents were also the ones
who would take their children to work with them to clean houses and offices and to do
landscaping and construction work. The children admitted that they wanted to earn
money to buy the things their parents could not afford to give them. They said it was
more important to work and earn money for themselves and to help their parents than to
stay in school.
The statistics are improving but the difference is hard to perceive given the rise in
the number of Mexican immigrants relative to the number of students achieving higher
degrees. It appears that the rise in higher level Mexicans educated in Mexico has
resulted in Mexicans receiving higher degrees in the United States. Since children of
highly educated parents usually enjoy higher levels of academic success, due to
parental influence, it seems that the Mexicans migrating to the United States with higher
degrees encourage their children to do better in school.
The future of the students holds promise for improvement. With each generation,
the students achieve higher levels of academic success. Although the numbers are still
low when compared to other races and ethnic groups, there has been improvement.
Between 2006 and 2010 alone, the graduation rate among Hispanic high school
students increased by ten percent. (Garcia, 2013) The hope is that the progress will

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April 23, 2013
Culture Study: Mexicans
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continue. The DREAM Act provides a source of recourse for the students who aspire to
earn college and postgraduate degrees. The proposal is the just way to deal with a
situation that the students face through no fault of their own. They arrived in the United
States as young children and were raised here. They are not always familiar with
another environment, yet they are not legally a part of this community. They feel
American and want to be recognized as such. (Dream Act Portal, 2013) Through the
Dream Act, students have the opportunity to attend college and get a degree while on
the path to obtaining American citizenship. Their legal status upon completing their
degree and other requirements makes it possible for them to get a job in their field of
study. Considering the large number of Mexican immigrants in the United States, the
Dream Act provides the incentive many need to continue their education. It is also a
stepping stone in the direction of more highly educated Hispanics.
On a national level, Mexicans are the single largest immigrant group in the
United States. With a few exceptions, they comprise the largest group among the
Hispanic population in most states. It behooves teachers to become versed in Mexican
history and culture since they are logically bound to have students of Mexican descent
in their classes. The creation of the Binational Migrant Education Initiative between the
United States and Mexico is a clear indication that the education of Mexican students is
not solely the responsibility of Mexico; it crosses national borders, along with the
students. (Pew Research, 2008)
New Rochelle reflects the predominant Mexican population in the country. It was
the logical group to study since most of my Hispanic students are of Mexican descent. I

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April 23, 2013
Culture Study: Mexicans
ESC 769

feel the information I learned is a good beginning toward expanding my understanding


of the situation Mexican students face in this country and specifically in New Rochelle.
The knowledge might help teachers to guide Mexican students and encourage them to
complete their education.

Works Cited

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April 23, 2013
Culture Study: Mexicans
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Garcia, Victor. "Latino High School Graduation Rates Up 10%." Fox News Latino. N.p.,
n.d. Web. 23 Apr. 2013.
"The Message the DREAM Act Sends." The Economist. The Economist Newspaper,
n.d. Web. 23 Apr. 2013.
Sharon. Census.org. N.p., n.d. Web.
United States. Department of Commerce. Census Bureau. Census.org. By Sharon R.
Ennis, Merarys Rios-Vargas, and Nora G. Albert. N.p., n.d. Web. May 2011.
United States. Department of Education. Pew Research Center. Mexican Immigrants in
the United States, 2008. N.p.: n.p., 2009. Web.
<http://thinkmexican.tumblr.com/post/372660366/pew-research-center-mexicandemographics>.
United States. Improving US and EU Immigration Systems. Migration Policy Institute.
Migrationpolicy.org. By Kate Brick, A. E. Challinor, and Marc R. Rosenblum.
European Union, June 2011. Web. 13 Apr. 2013.
"Welcome to the DREAM Act Portal." Welcome to the DREAM Act Portal. N.p., n.d.
Web. 23 Apr. 2013.

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