Unequal Attainments

Abstract

Western countries have become increasingly diverse in recent decades and these demographic trends are certain to continue. The resulting ethnic diversity is a major challenge to policy-makers, who need to tackle issues of social justice and social integration. Education plays a pivotal role since it is the major stepping stone for the children of immigrants to successful economic integration and also plays a major role in social and political integration more generally since education gives access to the skills, resources and contacts which enable individuals to participate fully in the life of their society. Our central research questions are: Do the descendants of migrants experience equality of educational opportunity relative to their peers from the majority population in their country of residence? Do minorities experience ‘ethnic penalties’ in Western educational systems in addition to the social class disadvantages which we know to be pervasive? Are some minority groups are more successful than others? And do some national contexts provide more favourable conditions for achieving equality of opportunity and avoiding ethnic penalties? The chapters describe the extent to which minorities experience inequality of opportunity in ten Western countries (Belgium, Canada, England and Wales, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland and the USA) and examine whether disadvantages cumulate or are mitigated across the educational career as a whole. We explore reasons why the children of migrants seem to make greater progress in some countries than others, focusing on the extent to which their parents were ‘positively selected’ and on the nature of each country's educational systems.

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