Using data from the New Immigrant Survey, a study based on a nationally representative sample of legal immigrants, the present study extends prior research on the academic outcomes of immigrants' children by examining the roles of pre- and postmigration parental characteristics and the home environment. An analysis of 2,147 children aged 6-12 shows that parents' premigration education is more strongly associated with children's academic achievement than any other pre- or postmigration attribute. Premigration parental attributes account for the test score disadvantage of Mexican-origin children of legal immigrants, relative to their non-Latino counterparts. The findings reveal continuities and discontinuities in parental socioeconomic status and demonstrate that what parents bring to the United States and their experiences after arrival influence children's academic achievement. © 2012 Society for Research in Child Development, Inc.

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Parents cultural anthropology educational status South and Central America Latin America psychological aspect human statistics Central America language ethnology Hispanic Americans achievement United States Humans Hispanic parent Emigrants and Immigrants cognition Socioeconomic Factors socioeconomics Parenting Caribbean Region Article Family Relations migration family relation child parent relation Culture Child