D.C.'s Immigrant Community
[My students] are the nicest, most motivated and kind-hearted group ever! It was a unique experience I would definitely recommend to others.
- DCSP Tutor
While the DC population has been in decline, the immigrant population (including individuals with immigrant parents) is on the rise...
- Between 1990-2000, DC’s population decreased by 5.7%. In the meantime, the immigration population rose by 25%. The Asian population increased by 42% and the Latino population increased by 37% (Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees, 2006).
- According to the 2000 Census, Latino residents made up about 9% and Asian residents made up another 3% of DC's population. African-American residents were about 60% while White residents accounted for another 28%.
- About 16% of DC residents speak a language other than English at home. 55% of them speak Spanish. About 10% speak an Asian language.
- 13% of DC residents are born in another country. Half of them are from Latin America. 17% are from Europe, 17% are from Asia, and 12.5% are from Africa.
- Of the Latino immigrants, 22% are from El Salvador. The others come mostly from Mexico and other Central American countries.
- Asian immigrants are mostly from China and Vietnam (DC Office of Planning, 2006).
- Almost half of all African immigrants in DC are from West African countries, mostly from Nigeria, Ghana and Sierra Leone. Another quarter comes from East Africa, mostly Ethiopia. About 14% comes from North African countries (Brookings Institution, 2003).
DC students and students from immigrant backgrounds are struggling…
- Nationally and locally, Latino students, who make up the vast majority of the NEP and LEP populations, have the highest dropout rates among all ethnic groups (National Center for Education Statistics, 2006; Council of Latino Agencies, 2002).
- More than half of all DC 4th graders and 8th graders are scoring below basic reading level in standardized reading assessments (Anne E. Casey Foundation, 2006).
- About 75% of Latino fourth graders, many of whom are Non-English Proficient (NEP) or Limited-English Proficient (LEP), scored at a basic or below basic level in standardized reading tests (Education Trust, 2004).
The Limited-English Proficient student population is the fastest growing group in public schools nationally and in DC…
- Since 1994, the number of Limited-English Proficient students in the country rose by 65% while the total K-12 population grew 12% (Migration Policy Institute, 2006).
- While the enrollment in DC public schools has been decreasing, the numbers of children of immigrants and LEP students have been increasing. The number of children of immigrants increased by 28% at the K-5 level and by 57% at the 6-12 level since 1990. (Urban Institute, 2006). Since 1995, the number of students in DC public schools whose first language is not English grew by 69% (Council of the Great City Schools, 2002).
Immigrant families often have limited resources to support their children’s literacy development…
- Most of the LEP students at the elementary level live with families whose members are also LEP (Migration Policy Institute, 2005)
- Immigrant families not only tend to have limited English proficiency, they also tend to earn lower wages, experience higher rates of unemployment, and live in poverty. More than half of all LEP adults have less than a high school degree (Anne E. Casey Foundation & Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugess, 2006).
BUT, you can help! Research also shows that literacy levels of children and adult of immigrant backgrounds rise when:
- They receive consistent one-on-one or small group support;
- Caretakers in these families learn strategies to integrate literacy into their everyday family lives.
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