Is Educating Immigrant Students Too Expensive? Essay

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The topic of immigration has always given rise to heated discussions among America’s policymakers and regular people. Pivovarova and Powers note that it has become especially relevant now, in the context of incessant and increasing socio-economic inequalities in the United States (Pivovarova and Powers). Many seem to think that it is important to evaluate the possible impacts of immigrants on American schools. It might be deemed a reasonable concern: immigrants and their descendants are currently one of the fastest-growing population units, accounting for around one fourth of the population of the United States (Pivovarova and Powers). It prompts elected officials to express their worry that a major portion of social benefits is consumed by this demographic group, which negatively affects the academic success of U.S.-born children.

However, this portrayal of immigrant students as the education system’s pricey expense needs to stop. In 2021, Figlio et al. conducted research in which they analyzed more than a million birth and academic records of students in a number of Floridian communities and came to impressive conclusions. They determined that the presence of immigrant students actually positively impacts the academic achievement of their U.S.-born peers (Figlio et al., 22). The students’ test scores raised with the increase of the size of schools’ immigrant population, with the benefits particularly significant for low-income students (Figlio et al., 23). Granted, initially immigrants might face assimilation problems requiring additional resources, but by working hard many of them prove that it is worth it, excelling and positively influencing U.S.-born students’ attitude to education.

In addition to that, Terada et al. note that such improvements might be due to the fact that English language learners in the classroom push teachers to improve their pedagogy (Terada et al.). In understanding that information must be presented in a way intelligible to everyone, teachers tend to consider students’ prior knowledge on the subject, pay attention to their choice of words, and learn to maximize accessibility. All these factors point to the immigrants not only not harming the American education system but contributing to the success of its students.

Works Cited

Figlio, David N., et al. “Diversity in Schools: Immigrants and the Educational Performance of US Born Students.” National Bureau of Economic Research, no. 250, 2021, pp. 1-77.

Pivovarova, Margarita, and Jeanne M. Powers. Brookings, 2019.

Terada, Youki, et al. Edutopia, 2021.

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