Between two homelands : the experiences of undocumented Mexican mothers with the K-12 public school system in a rural community

This thesis seeks to gain an insight into the experiences undocumented Mexican mothers living in a rural community have with their children's public schools. Specifically I was interested in an understanding of their perceptions regarding the barriers that may impinge upon their children's educational success. Using a qualitative research approach and guided by phenomenological theory I used an open-ended questionnaire to interview six undocumented Mexican immigrant women living in Northern California. The semi-structured interviews provided a format for the women to decide the extent to which they chose to share rich narratives about their lives in Mexico, experiences during the crossing process, and incorporation into the local community following a successful immigration into the United States. Themes of connectedness and relationships emerged and these were mediated by a language barrier, racial identity, gender expectations, and an immigration process. Furthermore, the participants articulated numerous challenges to their children's educational outcome. Notably among these barriers were: a sense of disconnection with the school community, a concern for the physical and emotional safety of their children while in school, and a perception of social apathy by school officials for their struggles as undocumented immigrants. An inclusion of the perspectives of Mexican immigrant mothers in the conversation about Latino children's public school experiences, along with educators, administrators, and policy-makers, can be instrumental in the development of appropriate and effective interventions on behalf of their children's educational pursuits.