Social Capital and the Education of Immigrant Students: Categories and Generalizations

nterest in research on the educational experiences of immigrant students has increased dramatically in recent years. It is not surprising that this greater interest has coincided with the largest influx of new immigrants in U.S. history. It has also occurred at a time when communities outside America's large urban centers are grappling with how to adjust to the new immigrants. The Somalis in Lewiston, Maine; the Dinke in Fargo, North Dakota; and the Hmong in LaCrosse, Wisconsin, are just some of the groups whose experiences defy past generalizations and conventional wisdom on the relationship between immigration and education. After considerable debate over how to