5
1968). As Cuban immigration continued, the Cuban population in the
U.S. began to take on characteristics more closely resembling the
island population in terms of race, economic and social levels (Clark,
1975).
The most recent and massive immigration, termed by the press as
the "Freedom Flotilla" or the "Mariel Boatlift" because most immigrants
left from the northern port of Marie!, began in April 1980 and
officially terminated in September of the same year. Although some
reports are conflicting, until recently most of the information about
these people has been negative, categorizing them as Castro himself
labeled them, "the scum of Cuban society, 'gusanos,' or worms." With
the exception of the work of Rivero (1981), little is known about the
special needs, problems, or abilities of the Cuban children who entered
the Florida public school system in 1980. These children who have been
raised in a socialist society have attitudes and habits which differ
from those who came in previous migrations. Because of the lack of
research, little is known about the way these students are adapting
to the new social and educational environment.
This study was designed to collect data on a specific population
of 1980 Cuban immigrant junior high school students, their parents,
and other significant family and community members. It investigates
students' Spanish proficiency and their progress in learning English.
Data have been collected through participant observation, linguistic
measurements, surveys, and interviews. Correlations have been performed
which indicate some of the factors which facilitate or inhibit second
language acquisition for these students.
Because of the sensitive nature of the data collected, no references
are made to the specific location of the community, school, or students