Pathways and Challenges: Michael Fix Margie McHugh Migration Policy Institute National Center on Immigrant Integration Policy First and Second Generation Immigrant Youth and Postsecondary Education June 13, 2011

Immigrant Youth in Postsecondary Education  We are examining the needs and progress of 1 st and 2 nd generation immigrant youth – who account for a quarter of the nation’s population – and how PSE systems in 5 states are responding to the barriers immigrant youth face and the strengths they possess.  Key Questions: − Where will the jobs be? How have immigrants fared in terms of climbing job ladders in sectors where they have been concentrated? What are the characteristics and shares of immigrants who earn family-supporting wages? − Are immigrant youth on track to get good jobs? What are the demographic characteristics of first and second generation immigrant youth? Are they making progress in educational attainment and workforce outcomes? − How are work-preparing institutions in five states meeting the needs of immigrant youth? Are immigrant youth in these states earning the credentials needed to get good jobs? How have public budget cuts affected programs serving immigrant youth? © 2011 Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation | 2 June 13, 2011

Who will use the information we generate?  Audiences/Users  Federal, state, and local policymakers; higher education administrators; advocacy organizations; academics; foundations.  Policy Implications Inform workforce and economic development policies by identifying high-demand, family-wage jobs; Understand the size and diversity of first and second generation youth and their implications for PSE; Identify leverage points for investment—such as improving the college completion rates of second generation Hispanic women, who have relatively high PSE enrollment but lower graduation rates; Deepen understanding of multiple barriers that certain subpopulations of immigrant youth face including: LEP, lack of legal status, low levels of education, caring for dependent children.  Practice Implications Target college access and success initiatives to immigrant groups that are underrepresented in higher education, with a particular emphasis on the subgroups facing multiple barriers to success; Identify critical transition points in the workforce-preparing pipeline, and enhance interventions and supports for immigrant youth at these milestones; Highlight research-supported reforms that address the barriers faced by immigrant youth, and identify models that can be replicated by other institutions and states. © 2011 Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation | 3 June 13, 2011

How are we exploring this issue? Methods: − Conducted a field scan that involved interviews with advocates, government officials, researchers, and stakeholders in K-12, postsecondary, and adult education to inform the research design; − Assembled population data using the Current Population Survey and the American Community Survey; − Analyzed the skill levels of jobs held by immigrants by using Bureau of Labor Statistics’ assignment of skill levels to occupations listed in the ACS; manually assigned skill levels linked to selected occupations; − Currently assessing the strengths and weaknesses of work-preparing systems in five states through field interviews and analyses of state administrative data from the secondary, postsecondary, adult education, and workforce development systems. Measures: − US and immigrant workers in jobs by skill level (high, middle and low); percent earning family-sustaining wages by skill level and sector; percent job growth vs ; − Shares of 1 st and 2 nd generation youth in the population; enrollment in postsecondary education, by generation, ethnicity, gender, and age at arrival; percent of young adults with an associate’s degree or higher. Timeline: − Still an Hourglass? Immigrant Workers in Middle-Skilled Jobs: September 2010 − Up for Grabs? The Gains and Prospects of First and Second Generation Young Adults: Forthcoming, July 2011 − State Profiles and Final Report: June 2012 June 13, 2011 © 2011 Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation | 4

What are we learning?  Selected Findings The fastest growth in immigrant employment since 2000 has been in middle skill jobs. Roughly half of first generation youth are unauthorized. The immigrant youth population is rapidly transforming: until recently the foreign-born first generation predominated – but it has been surpassed by the US-born second generation, which is now almost 40% larger. We find considerable generational progress, as the education and employment outcomes of the second generation generally exceed the first. Immigrants who enter before age 16 do significantly better than those arriving after. Second generation Hispanic women enroll in PSE at the same rate as their native white counterparts; however, their completion rates lag considerably.  Expected Findings Most innovative and successful PSE programs for LEP and other immigrant populations reach only modest numbers of students and have lost significant resources following the recession. Adult education systems, which serve as important on-ramps for many immigrants, are often disconnected from postsecondary success initiatives and pathways to degrees and certificates with economic value. Some states have taken a more pro-active approach to expanding access to degree and career pathways for immigrant youth, and are targeting interventions to the needs of these groups. June 13, 2011 © 2011 Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation | 5

Rapid Growth in Number of Immigrants in Middle Skill Jobs June 13, 2011 © 2011 Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation | 6

Immigrant Origin Youth: Growth and Generation in the US June 13, 2011 © 2011 Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation | 7

How will we share our work?  Products Still an Hourglass: Immigrant Workers in Middle Skill Jobs: Report in Brief and Full Report: September 2010, Migration Policy Institute. Up for Grabs? The Gains and Prospects of First and Second Generation Young Adults: To be released July 2011, Migration Policy Institute. Reports on immigrant youth and work-preparing systems in California, Florida, Georgia, New York and Washington State will be released between May and July Final Synthesis Report: July  Dissemination Plan Share press releases of the MPI reports with several hundred reporters and bloggers, as well as about 8,000 other contacts who are interested in US integration and immigration issues; Post the reports on MPI website, and share word of the reports’ availability through social networking sites; Hold release events for the reports. Webstream the events, and share audio and video of the event on the MPI website and social media sites. June 13, 2011 © 2011 Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation | 8