Immigrant Student Achievement and the Performance Disadvantage

Abstract

Education is a human right, and among the indicators of human development, education is indisputably one of the most important ones for its impact both on individuals’ lives as well as on communities and countries at large. Despite its evident importance, it cannot be taken for granted that everyone has access to (high quality) education. Equality and equity in access to education is a priority policy issue not only in developing countries but also in developed countries. In this era of knowledge based economy, the extent to which countries are able to provide high quality education (however it may be defined) to all members of their society is a significant predictor of economic growth and socioeconomic development. Within this context, identifying the disadvantaged groups within the student population and finding ways to mitigate the negative effects of these disadvantages while at the same time targeting the students with special support needs are crucial policy objectives. The objective of this book is to focus on the case of a growing and diverse group, namely students with a migration background. We seek to examine the extent to which immigrant students are integrated to education systems in their new settlement countries, whether their relative achievement in schools require special attention in comparison with their native peers, and how the receiving countries with diverse immigrant populations deal with challenges related to immigrant student achievement in their education policy.