This report re-examines previously gathered ethnographic data derived from approximately 3,000 hours of interviews with migrants across the United States to determine what factors associated with migration affect children’s educational outcomes. The data suggest the existence of a “culture of migrancy,” which is manifested in similar attitudes, lifestyles, and behavioral patterns among migrants of different ethnic and cultural backgrounds in the three major migration streams. The survival-oriented priorities of the culture of migrancy make all migrant children potential dropouts. Migrant children are affected by poverty, poor living conditions, isolation from mainstream society, fragmented education received between moves, and low self-esteem related to the trauma of moving. A migrant child’s success or failure in the educational system is related to the emotional and economic support available to the child, the child’s decision-making power, and the child’s economic contribution to the family. Migrant education programs differ greatly among states and often are not coordinated with other social services. The seven chapters in this report define the migrant population, outline the ethnographic methodology used, discuss migrant lifestyles and living conditions in home-base states and “upstream” states, describe the move from the first kind of state to the other, examine role relationships and social behavior among migrants, detail the component parts and services of the Migrant Education Program, and highlight national questions of educational policy. (SV) (ERIC No. ED327246)
