International Migration and its Impact on Education: A Look at Germany and the USA

Abstract

This article looks at the impact of international migration on the German education system, including formal, non-formal and informal education at all levels. The first section provides an overview of the issue of international migration, and the international policy discourse about migration and education. The second section provides a brief overview of the German education system, providing a backdrop for the discussion. Section three takes in turn the impact of migration on the different levels of education (primary, secondary and tertiary), and also includes an account of the inspection of German schools, universities and selected educational institutions by the United Nations, in which the author participated as an observer, where special attention was given to the human rights of children and the experiences of migrant students. Section four compares the situation in Germany with that in the USA, and proposes a number of issues for consideration among practitioners, policy makers and researchers to build upon the current debate and to improve the situation in both Germany and in the USA. This is of particular relevance given the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development's most recent PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) study and continued concerns about Germany's lacklustre performance in comparison to other developed nations.