ABSTRACT
While there are notable exceptions such as Canada and Australia, in most countries migrant pupils tend to suffer from an achievement gap compared to native pupils. A substantial part of the performance gap is related to socio-economic status and language spoken at home. At the individual level, school-related and education system-related factors, such as the presence or absence of early tracking and the level of academic or socio-economic segregation, play a role. Limiting the performance gap between migrant and non-migrant pupils is important to assure equal opportunities and strengthen social cohesion. Research on migrant pupils and education – whether quantitative or qualitative – needs a structural and intersectional approach to better understand the school experience of pupils with a foreign background. Policymakers should be aware that, next to the overall quality of the educational system, the level of social segregation (which should remain limited) is a crucial factor impacting on performance levels of migrant pupils. Empirical evidence suggests that targeted policies that take into account the school population’s ethnic diversity seem to be a drop in the ocean if the issue of social and ethnic mix in the schooling system is not addressed.
