One in five children in America today is a child of immigrants. And those numbers are only rising.

Yet as the immigration debate rages, the real lives of those children are too often invisible. Transplanted to a new country, they struggle to master a new language — and a new culture. Some will thrive in school. Others will drop out — or worse, end up in jail.

Now, two scholars argue that if these children don’t get the education and support they need, all Americans, not just immigrants, may pay a steep price.

Up next, On Point: Immigrant children and America’s future.

-Jane Clayson

Guests:

Marcelo Suarez-Orozco, professor of globalization and education and co-director of immigration studies at New York University, he’s co-author of “Learning a New Land: Immigrant Students in American Society.”

Carola Suarez-Orozco, co-author of “Learning a New Land: Immigrant Students in American Society,” she’s a professor of applied pyschology at New York University.

Tags: children, globalization, immigration, youth