October 17, 2014
The “Dreamers” on the Tijuana Side of the Fence: Navigating the Labyrinth of the Mexican Educational System as a Transnational Student in Baja California
Given the high rates of return migration of Mexican families from the United States to Tijuana, this investigation focuses on transnational students--specifically U.S.-born Mexicans--that currently attend public schools in Mexico as a result of the deportation of a family member or financial difficulties faced in the States. This investigation pays special attention to the linguistic, academic and cultural experiences of students and their families through an ethnographic approach of qualitative data collection. In addition, this investigation analyzes government statistics on the demographic composition of public schools in Baja California to quantitatively contextualize the effects of return migration on the public educational system in Mexico. Ultimately, I argue for an expansion of government-sponsored programs that facilitate the transition and adjustment of transnational students into the Mexican educational system as well as the need to develop programs for families to learn how to navigate the bureaucratic processes involved in (re)integrating their students in Mexico.
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