Intergenerational Transfer of Educational Attainment among Immigrant Families: Findings from the Los Angeles Family & Neighborhood Study

Amy Carroll Scott, University of California, Los Angeles

Demographic shifts in immigration to the US since the 1960’s has yielded a diverse and substantial proportion of children of immigrant families in the school age population. Research into the social stratification and mobility of subsequent generations of immigrant families has yielded mixed evidence regarding educational attainment. Some demonstrate children of immigrants experience educational and social barriers that inhibit performance and life opportunities, and others suggest these children outperform their native-born peers. Drawing on data from the Los Angeles Family and Neighborhood Survey (L.A. FANS), this study examines a critical piece of this picture: whether immigration status strengthens or weakens the relationship between mother’s and offspring’s completed education. Analyses drew on 2,187 adult respondents of the first wave of L.A. FANS conducted between 2000-2002. Preliminary results suggest that mother’s educational attainment strongly predicts respondent’s education, and that this relationship differs according to the generational status and race/ethnicity of the respondent.