| Kathryn Simms
Old Dominion University
A hierarchical examination of the immigrant educational gap: The additional explanatory power of nationality and educational selectivity over traditional explorations of race and socioeconomic status
FINAL REPORT
This study compared immigrant and nonimmigrant educational achievement in math and reading by examining (a) the explanatory power of race versus nationality and (b) socio-economic status (SES) versus educational selectivity. Analyses consisted of growth curve modeling, factor analysis, and regression analysis conducted on participants in the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Kindergarten Class of 1998-99 (ECLS-K) from kindergarten to eighth grade (N = 6,861). Nationality appeared to play a greater role in determining immigrant performance than did race. For example, based on analysis of second-generation immigrants, mother's nationality explained an estimated 11 to 23% of the variability in math achievement in the presence of race. By contrast, race explained only an additional estimated 2 to 4% additional variability in math outcomes. Educational selectivity had explanatory power with regard to math outcomes in (a) accounting for gaps between immigrant and nonimmigrant achievement, (b) accounting for racial gaps in achievement among both 1.75- and second-generation immigrants, (c) accounting directly for achievement among 1.75-immigrants, and (d) moderating the explanatory power of SES among both 1.75- and second-generation immigrants. From a policy perspective, this study suggests that nationality may serve as a better indicator of those in need for educational services than does race. However, due to inconsistent findings regarding the sign of educational selectivity, no recommendation can be made about the usefulness of educational selectivity from a policy perspective.
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