Like the HCP Prospectus, the AP Prospectus served to get my initial thoughts and ideas down about two possible solutions to solve the problem and aid immigrant children in receiving an equal opportunity to an education. My two proposed solutions were to provide continued support and emergency funding in English Language Programs, and to reform the visa system to make it easier for children to get an education and then a job along with the path to citizenship. My Prospectus borrows background "History" from my HCP and a more condensed version of the "Main Views" section. I also wrote a working thesis statement that merely states the two solutions but does not pick a side or explain which solution is the best.

Danielle Arellano

Dr. Brendan Shapiro

Writing 39C F16

08 November 2016

AP Prospectus

1. Problem:

     In a country that takes prides in itself on providing equal opportunity for all, there remains a widening gap between immigrant and non-immigrant families with regard to their children’s level of education and social mobility. The immigration debate has been a long-lasting issue for the nation, and even more so for states like California, which border other countries. For years, the topic of immigration, specifically those emigrating from Latin America, has generated a heated debate among politicians who argue whether or not it is the country’s responsibility to provide the same resources to these “illegal aliens.”

     Early on, people did not have to worry about their immigration status and immigration was welcomed. Both immigration and equal rights to education have a long drawn history, but it is necessary to get both histories to understand the problem of immigrant children’s right to an education. Although people have migrated for centuries, modern immigration began in post WWII to help U.S. society with the war effort. The Bracero Program was an agreement between Mexico and the U.S. where immigrant laborers were welcomed into the U.S. to aid in farm work while America was at war. Immigration began to become an issue between the 1980s and 90s when migration patterns shifted and the U.S. enforced a naturalization process for immigrants to become citizens (USCIS).

     Along with new enforcements, new legislation opposing immigrants was added to California’s 1994 general election ballot. The legislation was known as Prop 187 or the “Save our State” Initiative and barred state and other local agencies from providing public education, health care, and a variety of other social services to immigrants (CalVoter). The proposition was passed and legalized; however, health care providers and schools did not require proof of legal residence to provide services. Many saw the denial of public education as unconstitutional because it had been the topic of a Supreme Court case in 1982.

     The debate over immigrant children’s education began to come to light in a 1982 Supreme Court Case where the Court prohibited states from denying free education to immigrants and charging tuition based on immigration status in Plyler v. Doe (American Immigration Council). The court ruled that it was unconstitutional to deny education to these children because it violated the equal opportunity clause from the Fourteenth Amendment. In more recent times, the No Child Left Behind Act was passed in 2002 to ensure that all children receive an equal opportunity to get an education (Department of Education). Despite the policy, many immigrant children still do not receive a quality education or live in the fear of being deported. This trend also coincides with the fact that immigrant children earn less as adults, and their wages have been steadily falling since the 1940s. Figure 5 shows the differences in wage distribution as of 2000, but it is projected that their wages will continue to slowly decline over the next decade (Haskins). This decrease in wages would eventually affect the overall economy because immigrants would then have to rely on more social services to help provide for their families. Education plays a key role in the lives of immigrant children and their futures.

2. Debate

     According to Lisa Garcia Bedolla, a professor in education and political science from UC Berkeley, immigrant children deserve to receive an education because it would not only help with their own socioeconomic mobility, but it would also help the U.S. economy. In her research, she projects that the lack of educational attainment in Latino immigrants will ultimately decrease national per capita income by two percent by 2020 (24). Not only does immigration affect the overall education of the children, but a lack of education will ultimately leave its mark on U.S. society. Her findings reveal that a lack of education for immigrants would negatively affect per capita income, consequently placing a burden on the economy.

     On the other hand there are several think tanks against immigration reform. Mark Krikorian, executive director of the Center for Immigrant Studies, argues that providing the resources for education for immigrants would waste taxpayer’s money. He believes that providing education for immigrant children only opens the door for more illegal immigration. Policy in favor of immigrant children’s education would only allow children to reap the benefits of education while their parents would still remain without contributing to society (Jost). Also against education for immigrant children are several members from the Federation for American Immigration Reform. Like Krikorian, they also argue that providing education for immigrant children is not a good use of taxpayer’s dollars because too much school spending goes into language programs. Because English is not immigrant children’s first language, most are categorized with Limited English Proficiency (LEP) and are placed in special school programs. The cost of funding such programs places an added strain on schools since spending to upgrade schools has dropped 37% between 2008 and 2013. Additionally, 10% or more of students in California schools are enrolled in LEP programs and the programs are growing faster than the schools can keep up with. The two also point out that 98.9% of the cost to fund such programs is left to taxpayers at the local and state levels. This means that most of the school budgets go towards language programs and less is spent on funds for new textbooks or science programs (Ferris and Raley). Overall, taxpayers are left with the burden of funding language and other programs put in place to aid immigrant children’s education. Increased immigration places a burden on the taxpayers, but also on the schools that struggle to keep up with the programs and provide for the rest of their students.

3. Proposed Solution

     To help solve the problem, there is a two part solution that can be put in place to help immigrant children in both kindergarten through 12^th grade education and in pursuing higher education. For K-12 education, school districts that are more susceptible to large influxes of immigrant children, or those who tend to serve a large immigrant community, can set aside emergency funds. These emergency funds would help to provide the necessary resources for these children and wouldn’t take away from the children already enrolled in school. Districts that are prone to immigrant students and have an “English Learner Program” should also consider removing the time restriction it has on students to complete the program. Most schools have a set amount of years that a student can be enrolled in the English Learner program before they are deemed “proficient” and “complete” the program. Kicking students out of the program when they should be proficient doesn’t mean that they necessarily understand English and can complete their coursework. The limit to which they are in the program can create a greater disparity in their education (Migration Policy Institute)

            The second part of this solution involves helping immigrant children in higher education and becoming citizens. For the second part of the solution, immigrant children brought to the US should be able to apply for education and work visas under certain conditions. A special educational visa should be implemented that allows students to remain in the US as long as they are in school full-time between kindergarten and high school. After completing their high school education, they should be eligible for post-secondary education and/or work. If these students graduate with a two or four year degree, complete at least two years in the military, or own a successful business, then the they can be granted full citizenship. Ultimately, the children will be able to contribute back into society after time and an education has been invested in them (American Enterprise Institute).

4. Thesis

     In order to solve the problem of providing an adequate education and resources to immigrant children, the solution must be two-fold and deal with lower and postsecondary education. If these children are to remain in the US, there must be a system for educating them well enough that they can later contribute back to society and reciprocate the time and resources that have been invested in them. To do this, children should have to the opportunity to remain in the US so long as they are full-time students enrolled in kindergarten through twelfth grade. The second part of this solution is upon completion of high school, immigrant children should be eligible to remain in the US and pursue higher education or work. If these students graduate with a two or four year degree, serve in the military, or own a successful business then they can be granted full citizenship.

Works Cited

"Every Student Succeeds Act." U.S. Department of Education. N.p., 2015. Web. 17 Oct. 2016.

Garcia Bedolla, Lisa. "Latino Education, Civic Engagement, and the Public Good." Review of      Research in Education (2012): n. pag. SagePub. Web. 16 Oct. 2016.

 This is an educational article that discusses Latino education and the barriers Latino students and immigrants face in obtaining an education. The journal article is written by Lisa Garcia Bedolla, a professor in education and political science at UC Berkley. Bedolla discusses the challenges immigrant children face in education and how the country has a moral obligation to help these students. She provides statistics and information on the number of children who go without a high school education and the few that are able to seek higher education. Bedolla’s work is useful to my research and would help support my argument that immigrant children do deserve to be provided with the resources for an education.

Haskins, Ron. "Immigration: Wages, Education and Mobility." Brookings. The Brookings             Institution, 25 July 2007. Web. 9 Oct. 2016.

This article comes from the Brookings Institute, a nonprofit think tank that focuses on pressing issues. The article is written by Ron Haskins, the senior fellow on Economic Studies at the Brookings Institute. He discusses the economic implications a lack of education would have on immigrants and how this would affect the economy overall. He uses figures and statustsic to support his findings. This article will prove helpful in showing some of the background to the problem and how immigrant education can ultimately affect he economy if it isn’t addressed.

Jost, Kenneth. "Immigration Conflict." CQ Researcher 9 Mar. 2012: 229-52. Web. 8 Oct.             2016.

This article comes from CQ researcher, an editorial research engine that provides articles on today’s issues. The article is written by Kenneth Jost, a research fellow who graduated from Georgetown Law. Jost gives the opposing opinion in his article about immigrant education and how it would negatively affect the economy. He gives the opinion of Mark Krikorian, executive director for the Center for Immigration Studies. He argues that allowing immigrant kids to an education just allows for more illegal immigration. The article was written in 2012, making it fairly recent. This information can be used in my debate section and give some possible counterarguments for my proposed solutions.

"Late Twentieth Century." U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. N.p., 4 Feb. 2016. Web.     17 Oct. 2016.

Mayer, Matt A. "Getting Immigration Reform Right." American Enterprise Institute. N.p., 12       July 2016. Web. 30 Oct. 2016.

This is a nonpartisan public policy think tank that focuses on today’s issues as well as possible solutions to those issues. The article is written by Matt A. Mayer, a public policy expert who graduated from Ohio State University Moritz College of Law. Mayer has written for various public policy think tanks including the Heritage Foundation. Mayer argues that immigrant children should be allowed to receive an education in the US through special education and work visas. Children would have the opportunity to stay in the US as long as they are full-time students and then would be eligible to work to help put back into the system. Mayer comapares the US’s immigration problems to Brexit’s and uses this to support his arguments. This article was published in July of this year and proves very helpful because he proposes possible solutions to the problem that I am trying to address.

"Prop 187: Illegal Aliens. Ineligibility for Public Services." The California Voter Foundation.        N.p., 6 Aug. 1996. Web. 21 Oct. 2016.

"Public Education for Immigrant Students: States Challenge Supreme Court’s Decision in Plyler v. Doe." American Immigration Council. N.p., 15 June 2012. Web. 8 Oct. 2016.

Sugarman, Julie. "Funding and Equitable Education for English Learners in the US." Migration    Policy Institute. N.p., Aug. 2016. Web. 30 Oct. 2016.

This is nonpartisan nonprofit think tank dedicated to the analysis of migration worldwide. The article is written by Julie Sugarman, a writer of public policy whose work focuses on issues related to immigrant and English Language Learners. Sugarman argues that the English Language learner program should be reformed in order to help immigrant students succeed in school. She argues that school should not put a cap on the amount of time a student is in the program and thinks districts should put aside emergency funds for language programs and resources. She supports her argument by giving statistics and information on English language learners and the lack of resources they have. This piece was written in August in 2016 and I can use it to add to my solution for my problem.