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ABSTRACT
Migration between Mexico and the U.S. has created a sizeable cohort of students whose education takes place on both sides of the border. These students are especially well suited to participate in the binational economy because of their cross-border cultural fluency. However, a host of pressures creates barriers to completing high school and college and uncertain pathways to job opportunities for these youth. As such, supporting their educational success should be a major regional workforce development priority. Based on a representative survey of 9th and 10th graders in San Diego and Tijuana, this paper examines how the migration of young people back and forth across the border can derail the educational trajectories of individual students. Data on cross-border ties of students in the region, the socioeconomic status of their families, and their educational aspirations, provides a basis for understanding the policies and programs needed to increase educational attainment and pathways to high-skilled job opportunities for binational youth.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Notes
1 For the purposes of this chapter, “binational youth” refers to young people who have experience living and studying in both the U.S. and Mexico, regardless of immigration status or country of origin.
2 For the U.S Census bureau “Latino or Hispanic refers to a person of Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican, South or Central American, or other Spanish culture or origin regardless of race” https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/note/US/RHI725218 Accessed 22 February 2020.
3 K-12 is a short form to refer to the school grades prior to college. The “K” stands for kindergarten and the “12” stands for 12th grade.
4 Floca, Melissa, Ana Barbara Mungaray-Moctezuma, Max Matus, Mariana Barragan-Torres, Alfonso Basulto, Zaira Razu Aznar, Pedro Ramonetti, and John Porten. (2017). 2016 Survey on Education and Migration in San Diego and Tijuana: 9th and 10th Graders. [Data file and code book]. La Jolla, CA: Center for U.S.-Mexican Studies.