2008 National Symposium on Family Issues
Development of Hispanic Children in Immigrant Families: Challenges and Prospects
Where and When
October 23-24, 2008
Nittany
Lion Inn, Penn State
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Registration Information
Registration for Penn State Faculty, Staff and Students
Registration for Individuals Outside Penn State
Speakers
Program
One in five children in the U.S. has immigrant parents, and children of immigrant parents are the fastest growing component of the child population. Given the different circumstances and experiences of immigrant populations, our symposium's focus is on Hispanic families. They are themselves a diverse group, and constitute the largest ethnic minority group in the nation.
A range of challenges face immigrant children and their families. Negative sentiments toward immigrant families have not been as high as they are now for nearly a century. National immigration policy appears to be in a gridlock, but local policies are rapidly changing. Immigrant destinations have expanded to include both new metropolitan locations and rural areas. These and other changes have altered the social, political, and economic forces in host communities and the broader social contexts in which children develop. Thus, the study of children and youth in immigrant families is timely and important.
The purpose of the 2008 Family Symposium will be to examine four arenas of research and policy that are significant in the development and well-being of children and youth in immigrant Hispanic families: (1) the social ecologies of children and youth in immigrant families, including the range of setting characteristics and the ways in which setting characteristics have implications for child and youth well-being and development, (2) the role of families in children's successful adaptation to new "host" environments; (3) the implications of the school and community contexts as well as education policies for children's school experiences and academic achievement; and (4) the roles of health care, social service provision, and health policies in children's health and well-being.
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| 8:30 - 11:30 |
Session 3: Schooling and the Development of Children and Youth in Hispanic Immigrant Families Characteristics and practices of schools include school size, the SES and ethnic composition of the student body, teacher characteristics and training, bilingual education practices and policies, and patterns of parental involvement and school-family "fit". The larger community contexts in which schools are embedded are also important. Discussion will focus on policies and practices that have proven successful in promoting school achievement, educational aspirations, school attachment, and school completion among Hispanic children and youth in immigrant families. Lead Speaker: Carola Suarez-Orozco, Department of Applied Psychology, New York University Discussants:
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| 11:30 - 1:00 p.m. | Lunch |
| 1:00 - 4:00 p.m. |
Session 4: Access to Health Care and Well-Being of Children and Youth from Hispanic Immigrant Families Hispanic children are disproportionately more likely than Anglo children to experience diabetes, obesity, asthma, poor oral health, depression, and many other health problems, but patterns vary by generational status. Barriers such as language, poverty, access to health services, and lack of health insurance are major contributors to children's health problems; parents' legal status is another factor that merits consideration. Discussion will focus on the consequences of current health care and social service policies and practices for the health of children and youth in Hispanic immigrant families. Lead Speaker: Margarita Alegria, Department of Psychiatry and Center for Multicultural Mental Health Research, Harvard Medical School Discussants:
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The National Symposium on Family Issues is organized by Alan Booth, Distinguished Professor of Sociology, Human Development and Demography and Susan M. McHale, Professor of Human Development and Family Studies, and Director, Social Science Research Institute and Children, Youth and Families Consortium. For more information, please see the National Symposium on Family Issues home page.
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