The Desire to Thrive: Families Overcoming Economic Hardships Through Educational Aspirations

Abstract

The immigrant Latino community is faced with political challenges unmatched in the United States. Many of these individuals came to the United States to find a more successful place to raise a family due to increased work opportunities. After the Great Recession, many of these opportunities were terminated with the closure of industrialized manufacturing corporations. With the loss of jobs, increased economic pressure mounted and hardships, especially in the educational system, increased. The current study addresses how immigrant Latinos view the education environment in North Central Indiana. A 3 year ethnographic research project presents a greater understanding of the complex economic and educational ecology. For this study, 40 families consisting of 63 parents were identified, along with seven school liaisons. Fifty-six percent of the participating Latinos received less than a high school diploma, adding additional economic strain to families. Qualitative reports are framed around in-vivo coding factors resulting in two themes, Policy, Educational Practices, and Sociological Perceptions and Cultural Desire to Better One’s Family. Evidence from this study calls for policy change to create unity and a place free from fear for Latinos to learn about programs available to aid their children’s academic attainment.