Ruben P. Viramontez Anguiano

Families and Schools The Effect of Parental Involvement on High School Completion

This study examined European American, Latino, Asian American, and Native American parental involvement and their children’s high school completion. An examination of how different family structures have an influence on a student’s education was conducted. This study used the National Education Longitudinal Study (NELS) of 1988 and utilized a hierarchical linear model (HLM) for the statistical analysis. Social capital theory and a family ecological approach were used as the theoretical foundations. The findings demonstrated that different types of parental involvement were importantin a student’s highschool completion, dependingon ethnicity. Schoolinvolvement was not significant in influencingthe level of parental involvement and the relation to high school completion. Future research should focus on understandingthe ways in which a stronger relationshipbetween families and educational systems could be developed.

Are Household Factors Putting Immigrant Hispanic Children at Risk of Becoming Overweight: A Community-Based Study in Eastern North Carolina

North Carolina has one of the fastest growing populations of Hispanic immigrants in the U.S. The prevalence of overweight among Hispanic children in the state has increased to 17%. Therefore, the objectives of this descriptive, exploratory study were to identify potential risk factors for childhood overweight at the household level among 128 immigrant Hispanic families with school-aged children living in Eastern North Carolina. Data concerning parental beliefs about overweight children, family participation in physical activity, and household availability of higher-calorie foods were collected using a structured, close-ended interview form. Forty-seven percent of parents believed that overweight children are unhealthy, 11% that if a child is overweight, it is Gods will, and over 90% believed that overweight children should be taken to a nutritionist or physician for help with weight reduction. The activities undertaken by families four to seven times per week were watching television (70%), listening to music (69%), and reading (61%). Cookies, cold cereals, crackers, whole milk, ice cream, cheese, hotdogs, peanut butter, soft drinks, fruit drinks, chips, and pudding were regularly available in a majority of households. Regression analysis indicated that household income, parental education, and rural versus urban residence had no significant impact on frequency of family participation in physical activity or household availability of higher-calorie foods. Findings suggest a need for bilingual community health professionals to develop culturally sensitive wellness programs targeted at immigrant Hispanic families that promote greater engagement in moderate-intensity physical activity and more frequent consumption of lower-calorie foods.

El Miedo y El Hambre: Understanding the Familial, Social, and Educational Realities of Undocumented Latino Families in North Central Indiana

This study explored how different ecological factors, within and outside the family, affected the educational success of the children of undocumented families. The sample consisted of 63 immigrant Latino parents (40 families) who resided in North Central Indiana. This study utilized an ethnographic research design. Findings demonstrated that immigration laws were affecting the educational success of the children of undocumented families. Most parents expressed lack of familiarity of the American educational system and that they had culture and language barriers. Findings also demonstrated that undocumented families were adapting to their realities, as a result of the resiliency in their families and communities. Implications for practice and future research were provided.

Sufren Los Niños: Exploring the Impact of Unauthorized Immigration Status on Children's Well‐Being

The present study examines the effect of unauthorized immigration status on child well-being at a time of elevated immigration rates, economic decline, and unprecedented local lawmaking related to immigration. Immigrant families today are likely to differ from those of the past in that they are more likely to be from Latin America or the Caribbean and include unprecedented numbers of unauthorized immigrants. In addition, they are settling in destinations that have not historically had immigrant populations. The present study draws on interviews with 40 families from an emerging immigrant destination in north central Indiana to help illuminate the ways in which unauthorized immigration status influences child well-being. Results illustrate that unauthorized status extends beyond the individual to families and that mixed-status family situations create unique challenges for these families. More specifically, these results show the ways in which unauthorized immigrant status may impact family stress and uncertainty, health outcomes, and educational attainment and may result in increased social isolation for children in immigrant families.

Collateral Consequences: The Impact of Local Immigration Policies on Latino Immigrant Families in North Central Indiana

Concern over immigration has culminated in unprecedented legislative action at the local level, in particular state level legislation has begun to increasingly target immigrants and penalize immigration violations (Chavez and Provine, The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science 623:78–92, 2009; Hegen, State legislation related to immigrants and immigration: January 1–June 30, 2008). The present study examines the effect of state level immigration legislation on immigrant Latino families at a time of high immigration, when immigrants are settling into locations which have not historically had immigrant populations, and during an extended economic recession (Mather, Children in immigrant families chart new path: Reports on America, 2009; US Bureau of Economic Analysis, Economic downturn widespread among states in 2009: Advanced 2009 and revised 1963–2008 GDP-By-state statistics, 2010; US Department of Homeland Security, Secretary Napolitano announces deferred action process for young people who are low enforcement priorities, 2012). Immigrant families today are likely to differ from those of the past in that they are more likely to be from Latin America or the Caribbean and include unprecedented numbers of unauthorized immigrants (Passel and Cohn, Unauthorized immigrant population: National and state trends, 2010, 2011; US Department of Homeland Security, Secretary Napolitano announces deferred action process for young people who are low enforcement priorities, 2012). The present study draws on interviews with 40 families from an emerging immigrant destination in North Central Indiana to help illuminate the ways in which local legislation and enforcement impacts immigrant Latino families. Results illustrate how state level immigration legislation can create barriers and challenges for immigrant Latino families, with authorized and unauthorized status alike. This study also finds that many immigrant Latino families are “mixed status families,” where a family consists of both authorized and unauthorized immigrant status family members, and thus share the plight of unauthorized family members. Due to this “mixed status family” status, many families experience the collateral consequences of state level legislation, including family stress and uncertainty in the form of family level “liminal legality,” escalated intergenerational tension, and increased social isolation.

El Cambio, el Callejón, el Pueblo, y la Migra*: An Examination of Ecological Influences on Immigrant Latino Families' Adjustment in North Central Indiana

This study examined the adjustment experiences of immigrant Latino families in a rural Midwestern community during a time of major demographic changes, economic instability, and a sometimes hostile social and political climate. The sample consisted of 63 immigrant Latino parents who resided in North Central Indiana. Using Bronfenbrenner’s ecological model as a guide and ethnographic methodology, we explored (a) immigrants’ experiences within the social, economic, and political landscapes of their new community, and (b) the effect of these influences on immigrant adjustment. Findings demonstrated that familismo proved to be a source of social capital for the families. Other findings are discussed, as well as suggestions for working with immigrant families.