The Schooling of Puerto Ricans: Philadelphia's Most Impoverished Community

Abstract

Educational research relying on macrolevel variables shows a relationship between a group's economic status and its academic achievement. These findings are often used to provide a uniform, psychological description for a whole population, but they do not explain intragroup differences and the specific linkages between economic conditions and educational practices. This article reports on work conducted in poor Puerto Rican households in Philadelphia. It shows the complex relationship between household members' survival strategies, residential mobility, home‐school connections, and students' learning. This study reports that household stability, which is influenced by economic stability, is the strongest factor affecting students' learning. Educational reform programs need to consider the economic conditions of these households even more than linguistic and cultural factors.