failing education of mexican immigrants

It was recently measured that the dropout rate of Mexican students in New York City's school system is the highest of all other major immigrant groups. This fact is closely tied to the immigration issue; only 6 percent of all Mexican immigrants aged 19 to 23 are enrolled in college, significantly lower than the enrollment of other immigrant groups and native-born citizens.

Because many of these Mexican immigrants are in the country illegally and are living in poverty, both the need to work and the fear of contact with school officials tend to come before the need to ensure that their children are educated properly.

Perhaps more disheartening is the fact that many of the city's illegal immigrants claim that because they have very little access to college scholarships and employment opportunities, they see little value in staying in school. Many are unaware of the fact that in New York, they are permitted to attend the state's public university and are eligible for in-state tuition.

For children who were brought to the U.S. illegally by their parents, fear of deportation and mindset that opportunities for them will always be limited are two major factors in the very low educational achievements of Mexican students in New York City and other areas today. If more effort were put into making educational opportunities and assistance, as well as paths to citizenship for this large population of undocumented students, they could begin to contribute to the economy and move away from their status as a "burden" on society.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/25/nyregion/mexicans-in-new-york-city-lag-in-education.html?pagewanted=2&ref=immigrationandemigration