PARACHUTE KIDS IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA - THE EDUCATIONAL-EXPERIENCE OFCHINESE CHILDREN IN TRANSNATIONAL FAMILIES

''Parachute kids '' are a highly select group of foreign students who have come to the United States to seek a better education in American elementary or high schools. Upon arrival in America, these children we re typically between ages 8 and 17; many were admitted on F-l student visas; some were on B-2 visitor visas but later adjusted to F-I studen t visas. To the extent that they are in their preteens or teens in sea rch of self-identities, however the parachute kids and other similarly situated immigrant children are subject to similar demands and pressu res imposed on them by their families, their American peers, and the h ost society. This article discusses how parachute kids as a social gro up have come about and provides an analysis of the risks inherent in t ransnational families. In an attempt to sort out possible factors infl uencing the educational experience of parachute kids, the article also seeks to highligh policy implications for educating America's new sec ond generation.