Opening the Black Box of School Segregation: Mediating and Moderating Effects on Reading and Science Achievement

• In Event: Mind the Gaps: Educational Stratification by Race/Ethnicity and Ability/Disability

Abstract

Previous studies on school segregation focused on what the consequences of school composition are, rather than on the questions how these effects might be explained or whether school composition affects pupils from different social-class and ethnic background differently. These are the core focus of this paper. The results demonstrate that, all else being equal, SES composition is positively related to both reading and science achievement, while national origin composition does not have an impact. Secondly, we find that the effects of school segregation are not larger or smaller for a specific national origin group or SES. Thirdly, teacher and student expectations explain (partly) why school SES composition is related to reading and science achievement.

Authors

• Orhan Agirdag, University of Amsterdam

• Mieke Van Houtte, Ghent University