Ethnic school segregation

Date and country of first publication

2007
Italy

Definition

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Ethnic school segregation refers to the practice of separating students into schools based on their ethnicity or race. This form of segregation can be both de facto, occurring due to neighborhood demographics, or de jure, enforced by policies or laws.

Historically, ethnic school segregation has been prevalent in many societies, particularly during times of widespread discrimination and inequality. In the United States, for example, schools were often segregated based on race until the landmark Supreme Court case Brown v. Board of Education in 1954, which deemed racial segregation in public schools unconstitutional.

In some cases, ethnic school segregation continues to persist today, often due to the socio-economic factors that influence residential patterns and school enrollment. This can result in schools predominantly serving students from a particular ethnic or racial background, leading to unequal opportunities and disparities in educational quality.

Ethnic school segregation has been criticized for perpetuating inequality, promoting stereotypes, and limiting social integration and understanding. Many argue that diverse schools provide more inclusive learning environments that foster tolerance, empathy, and cultural exchange among students from different backgrounds.

Efforts to address ethnic school segregation include implementing policies to promote diversity and integration, such as using affirmative action measures in school admissions, creating magnet schools or specialized programs to attract a diverse student body, or redrawing school district boundaries to ensure diverse student populations.

However, achieving a fully integrated and diverse education system can be complex and faces challenges such as resistance from communities or logistical issues. Nonetheless, many believe that it is crucial to work towards eliminating ethnic school segregation to ensure equal access to quality education and foster a more inclusive society.

Further reading

Dronkers J.; Levels M. (2007) "Do school segregation and school resources explain region of origin differences in the mathematics achievement of immigrant students?", Educational Research and Evaluation, 13(5), pp. 435-462. . DOI: [htttp://doi.org/10.1080/13803610701743047 10.1080/13803610701743047]

Kristen C. (2008) "Primary school choice and ethnic school segregation in German elementary schools", European Sociological Review, 24(4), pp. 495-510. . DOI: [htttp://doi.org/10.1093/esr/jcn015 10.1093/esr/jcn015]

Valiente O.; Rambla X. (2009) "The new Other Catalans at school: Decreasing unevenness but increasing isolation", International Studies in Sociology of Education, 19(2), pp. 105-117. . DOI: [htttp://doi.org/10.1080/09620210903257190 10.1080/09620210903257190]

Alegre M.À.; Ferrer-Esteban G. (2010) "How do school regimes tackle ethnic segregation: Some insights supported in PISA 2006", Quality and Inequality of Education: Cross-National Perspectives, 137-162. Springer Netherlands. DOI: [htttp://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-3993-4_6 10.1007/978-90-481-3993-4_6]

Di Bartolomeo A. (2011) "Explaining the gap in educational achievement between second generation immigrants and natives: The Italian case", Journal of Modern Italian Studies, 16(4), pp. 437-449. . DOI: [htttp://doi.org/10.1080/1354571X.2011.593749 10.1080/1354571X.2011.593749]

Hamnett C. (2012) "Concentration or diffusion? the changing geography of ethnic minority pupils in English secondary schools, 1999 2009", Urban Studies, 49(8), pp. 1741-1766. . DOI: [htttp://doi.org/10.1177/0042098011422573 10.1177/0042098011422573]

Agirdag O.; van Houtte M.; van Avermaet P. (2012) "Ethnic School Segregation and Self Esteem: The Role of Teacher Pupil Relationships", Urban Education, 47(6), pp. 1135-1159. SAGE Publications Inc.. DOI: [htttp://doi.org/10.1177/0042085912452154 10.1177/0042085912452154]

Makles A.; Schneider K. (2015) "Much ado about nothing? The role of primary school catchment areas for ethnic school segregation: Evidence from a policy reform", German Economic Review, 16(2), pp. 203-225. Blackwell Publishing Ltd. DOI: [htttp://doi.org/10.1111/geer.12048 10.1111/geer.12048]

Wicht A. (2016) "Occupational aspirations and ethnic school segregation: social contagion effects among native German and immigrant youths", Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 42(11), pp. 1825-1845. Routledge. DOI: [htttp://doi.org/10.1080/1369183X.2016.1149455 10.1080/1369183X.2016.1149455]

Teltemann J.; Schunck R. (2016) "Education systems, school segregation, and second generation immigrants’ educational success: Evidence from a country fixed effects approach using three waves of PISA", International Journal of Comparative Sociology, 57(6), pp. 401-424. SAGE Publications Ltd. DOI: [htttp://doi.org/10.1177/0020715216687348 10.1177/0020715216687348]

Van der Bracht K.; D’hondt F.; Van Houtte M.; Van de Putte B.; Stevens P.A.J. (2016) "The role of ethnic school segregation for adolescents’ religious salience", Oxford Review of Education, 42(2), pp. 129-145. Routledge. DOI: [htttp://doi.org/10.1080/03054985.2016.1151409 10.1080/03054985.2016.1151409]

Plenty S.; Jonsson J.O. (2017) "Social Exclusion among Peers: The Role of Immigrant Status and Classroom Immigrant Density", Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 46(6), pp. 1275-1288. Springer New York LLC. DOI: [htttp://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-016-0564-5 10.1007/s10964-016-0564-5]

Waldring I. (2017) "Practices of change in the education sector: professionals dealing with ethnic school segregation", Ethnic and Racial Studies, 40(2), pp. 247-263. Routledge. DOI: [htttp://doi.org/10.1080/01419870.2017.1245434 10.1080/01419870.2017.1245434]

Brandén M.; Birkelund G.E.; Szulkin R. (2019) "Ethnic Composition of Schools and Students’ Educational Outcomes: Evidence from Sweden", International Migration Review, 53(2), pp. 486-517. SAGE Publications Ltd. DOI: [htttp://doi.org/10.1177/0197918318769314 10.1177/0197918318769314]

Nielsen R.S.; Andersen H.T. (2019) "Ethnic school segregation in Copenhagen: A step in the right direction?", Urban Studies, 56(15), pp. 3234-3250. SAGE Publications Ltd. DOI: [htttp://doi.org/10.1177/0042098019847625 10.1177/0042098019847625]

Lund S. (2020) "Immigrant Incorporation, Education, and the Boundaries of Belonging", Immigrant Incorporation, Education, and the Boundaries of Belonging, 1-131. Springer International Publishing. DOI: [htttp://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-36729-9 10.1007/978-3-030-36729-9]

Sage L.; Flache A. (2021) "Can ethnic tolerance curb self reinforcing school segregation? A theoretical agent based model", JASSS, 24(2), pp. -. University of Surrey. DOI: [htttp://doi.org/10.18564/jasss.4544 10.18564/jasss.4544]

Tapia E. (2023) "Schools’ priority rules and ethnic school segregation", British Journal of Sociology of Education, 44(2), pp. 331-354. Routledge. DOI: [htttp://doi.org/10.1080/01425692.2022.2154640 10.1080/01425692.2022.2154640]

Mitchell P.M. (2023) "Measuring ethnic school segregation within local educational markets in England", Cambridge Journal of Education, 53(1), pp. 19-42. Routledge. DOI: [htttp://doi.org/10.1080/0305764X.2022.2061914 10.1080/0305764X.2022.2061914]