" Virtually all children from immigrant families seem to place a higher value on education than U.S.-born children from nonimmigrant families do. Eric Nadelstern, who has been the school's principal since it was formed as an alternative school 15 years, is skeptical of the new research findings about high achievement among first-generation students like those in his school. He says: "If that were the case, you would expect that all recent immigrants would be successful no matter where they went".
There are several reasons for this phenomenon. One reason is that American-born students take education for granted, these students say, is because it's free. In many of the countries from which these students emigrated, schooling costs money. Even if they don't have to pay tuition, these students say, their families might have to pay for books, uniforms, or lunches. Another motivator is poverty. Once they get to the United States, the parents of immigrant children, even some who went to college in their home countries, are often forced to take low-paying jobs. Maria Gallon, a Colombian-born senior at International High says: ""Right now, my mom is cleaning banks, and I'm helping her at night," I think, What if I turn 37 and I'm still doing this?' It makes me realize, Maria, you do not want to do this for the rest of your life.'" Education is a "way out" of poverty of American society.
What's more, these newcomers are not only doing well in school. A survey by the National Academy of Sciences suggests that they also are healthier than many of their U.S.-born peers. Foreign-born children or children with at least one immigrant parent are less likely to be obese, for example, to use drugs or alcohol, to smoke, to suffer from asthma, or to give birth to low-birth-weight babies.
The second kind is the generation gap between the African-American people. According to a recent study, the generation gap between older and younger African Americans is growing, and finding expression in markedly different cultural and political outlooks.
