Dropout rate of US-born farm workers in 2005-06: 33%
[US Dept of Labor, "The National Agricultural Workers Survey: Public Access Documentation, at http://www.doleta.gov/agworker/naws.cfm]
National dropout rate for same years: 8%
[Thomas D. Snyder, Nat'l Center for Education Stats, Inst. Higher Ed Sciences, US Dept Education, "Mini-Digest of Education Stats 2009," at http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2010/2010012.pdf, p.35]
Dropout rate for same years among Hispanics: 18.35%
[Thomas D. Snyder, Nat'l Center for Education Stats, Inst. Higher Ed Sciences, US Dept Educ, "Mini-Digest of Education Stats 2009," at http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2010/2010012.pdf, p.35]
Among all farm workers, the median highest grade completed was 8th in 2005-06
[US Dept of Labor, "The Nation Agricultural Workers Survey: Public Access Documentation, at http://www.doleta.gov/agworker/naws.cfm]
Estimated dropout rate for migrant children in California, 2007: over 50%
[CA Dept of Education, "CA Migrant Education Program: Comprehensive Needs Assessment, Initial Report of Findings," 2007, at http://www.cde.ca.gov/sp/me/mt/documents/cnareport.pdf, p.2]
Average number of times a migrant child laborer changes school in a year: 3
[David Bell, "The National's Invisible Families: Living in the Stream," Rural Educator, vol. 15 no. 3 (Spring 1994), pp.27-30]
Migrant Education Program Data
"The mission of the Office of Migrant Education (OME) administers grant programs that provide academic and supportive services to the children of families who migrate to find work in the agricultural and fishing industries. The OME also administers several contracts and special initiatives."
Amount of federal funds awarded to state of Michigan for Migrant Student Education in 2010: $8,896,163
Amount in 2011: $6,718,817
This reflects a 24.5% decrease in funding.
There was no federal money allocated to this program under the Recovery Act (2009)
[U.S. Dept. of Education, raw data available at http://www2.ed.gov/about/overview/budget/statetables/11stbystate.xls#Michigan]
Amount of federal funds awarded to state of Texas for Migrant Student Education in 2010: $61,224,108
Amount in 2011: $35,885,261
This reflects a 41.4% decrease in funding.
[U.S. Dept. of Education, raw data available at http://www2.ed.gov/about/overview/budget/statetables/11stbystate.xls#Texas]
"The mission of the Office of Migrant Education (OME) administers grant programs that provide academic and supportive services to the children of families who migrate to find work in the agricultural and fishing industries. The OME also administers several contracts and special initiatives."
Info on OME http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/oese/ome/index.html
Same info for all states http://www2.ed.gov/about/overview/budget/statetables/11stbystate.xls
Programs offered by the OME: http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/oese/ome/programs.html
Farm work is dangerous
Fatality rate for laborers in crop production, 2008: 32.5 per 100,000 workers
[Bur of Labor Statistics, US Dept of Labor, "Fatal Occupational Injuries, total hours worked, and rates of fatal occupational injuries by selected worker characteristics, occupations, and industries, civilian workers, 2008," http://www.bls.gov/iif/oshwc/cfoi/cfoi_rates_2008hb.pdf]
Fatality rate for laborers across all industries nationwide: 3.7 per 100,000 workers
[Bur of Labor Statistics, US Dept of Labor, "Fatal Occupational Injuries, total hours worked, and rates of fatal occupational injuries by selected worker characteristics, occupations, and industries, civilian workers, 2008," http://www.bls.gov/iif/oshwc/cfoi/cfoi_rates_2008hb.pdf]
After logging and fishing, crop production/agriculture had the highest fatality rate of all industries in 2008. Higher fatality rate than oil extraction and coal mining.
[Bur of Labor Statistics, US Dept of Labor, "Fatal Occupational Injuries, total hours worked, and rates of fatal occupational injuries by selected worker characteristics, occupations, and industries, civilian workers, 2008," http://www.bls.gov/iif/oshwc/cfoi/cfoi_rates_2008hb.pdf]
Percent of all child occupational fatalities that were in crop production, 2005-08: 27%
[Sean Smith, Bureau of Labor Stats, US Dept of Labor, in email to Human Rights Watch, March 31, 2010.]
Factor by which fatalities are more likely for children 15-17 laboring in agriculture than other workplaces: 4.4
[US Dept of Labor, Bureau Labor Stats, "Report on the Youth Labor Force," Nov 2000, p. 58 http://www.bls.gov/opub/rylf/pdf/rylf2000.pdf]
AP's 1997 investigation into child labor found "104 children working illegally in agriculture in ... five months -- nearly three times the 35 that U.S. Labor Department inspectors witnessed nationwide [in one] year, according to the department's computer records." [Available at http://pangaea.org/street_children/americas/AP1.htm]