Educational Experiences of Children in the Migrant Stream: Ecological Factors Necessary for Academic Success

This year marks the 40th anniversary of the Title I – Part C, migrant education programs in Ohio. Limited research has been conducted on the migrant educational experience and the ecological factors for academic success. The present life history study investigated educational experiences, family culture, and community connections of six adult Latinos/as who followed the migrant stream with their parents to obtain qualifying agricultural work. Interviews, data collection, and audio-recording were utilized for this research. Based on the qualitative data analysis, a conceptual model was created to illustrate how academic success was dependent on students’ nurturing educational experiences throughout their school-age years. The conceptual model also shows how social capital and strong familial sociocentric values were extremely important to student performance. These themes resulted in a set of culturally proficient based recommendations for leaders