School Ethnic Composition Research Articles

Racialized Decoupling and Race-Neutral School Integration Policies From the Implementers’ Perspective

Today’s school integration policies in the United States are often “race neutral.” Scholarship on these race-neutral school integration policies finds they do not change the racial and ethnic composition of schools or do so under very specific conditions. Yet, we know relatively little about the mechanisms explaining these outcomes. Building on 2 years of qualitative data collection in two public elementary schools in a New York City implementing a voluntary, race-neutral integration policy, I find school leaders experience a racialized decoupling of their commitment to racial equity from the policy’s race-neutral design, its choice-based design, and the implementation context. I show how school leaders navigated this decoupling and how it led to racialized outcomes. I contribute to our understanding of the mechanisms shaping the outcomes of race-neutral policies, a point of growing importance given recent Supreme Court decisions on higher education.

Minorities moving out from minority-rich neighbourhoods: does school ethnic context matter in inter-generational residential desegregation?

Abstract This paper aims to develop a fuller understanding of the relationship between the ethnic composition of childhood residential neighbourhoods, schools, and residential neighbourhoods later in life in producing and reproducing segregation. We apply a longitudinal research design on linked individual-level data from Estonia. Estonia is an interesting case because of the Soviet era population distribution policies and its ubiquitous state-funded educational system where minority parents can choose in which school—Russian-language or Estonian-language—their children study. We find that minority parents mostly opt for minority-dense schools and, if they do so, their children who grew up in minority-dense neighbourhoods also end up living in minority-dense neighbourhoods as adults. An inter-generational vicious circle of segregation forms. However, minority children who live in minority-dense neighbourhoods but study in majority-dense schools are more likely to end up living in majority-dense neighbourhoods later in life. Hence, intervening in school choice has the potential to contribute to inter-generational residential desegregation.

Does teachers’ ethnic bias stress them out? The role of teachers’ implicit attitudes toward and expectations of ethnic minority students in teachers’ burnout

Research on diversity-related burnout has led to a variety of mixed findings. Several factors have been investigated that may come into play in this relationship (e.g., ethnic school composition). In this study, the hypothesis is that the experience of burnout may result from teachers’ own implicit attitudes and expectations towards ethnic minority students, which are usually negative, rather than explicit prejudices, which are found to be positive Two different implicit measures (Implicit Association Test and Relational Responding Task) and a scale to assess ethnic prejudices have been used. Implicit attitudes toward ethnic minority students and implicit expectations of students’ performance were both negative, but only implicit attitudes predicted teachers’ burnout. Explicit prejudice was low and did not predict burnout. These results highlight the role of teachers’ ethnic implicit attitudes towards ethnic minority students in their own well-being. Future research should further investigate this relationship to get a better understanding of how implicit aspects are involved in the development of burnout.

Moderating Effects of School Ethnic Composition of Acculturative Stress and Academic Outcomes in Latinx Youth.

Acculturative stress has demonstrated significant negative relationships with Latinx students' academic outcomes. Framed through interpersonal contact theory, we examined the moderating roles of school ethnic representation (proportion of same-ethnic peers) and school ethnic diversity (proportion of different ethnic groups in student body) in the relationship between acculturative stress and both academic self-efficacy and school belonging. A sample of 190 Latinx youth (14-18 years old) completed measures of acculturative stress and school functioning, and they provided the name and location of their high school to facilitate calculation of school ethnic composition. Both ethnic representation and ethnic diversity moderated relationships between English Competency Pressure (ECP), a specific form of acculturative stress, and academic-self efficacy. School ethnic diversity also interacted with ECP to predict school belonging. Negative relationships between ECP and academic self-efficacy or school belonging only emerged for students in schools with very low ethnic diversity. In contrast, ECP was significantly negatively related to academic self-efficacy only for students in schools with the highest ethnic representation. These findings add complexity to the discussion of how school context matters for Latinx students' academic performance.

Students’ citizenship competencies: The role of ethnic school composition and perceived teacher support

ABSTRACT The current study examined the effects of school ethnic composition and teacher-student relationships (teacher support) on students’ citizenship competencies. Additionally, this study investigated the moderating effect of teacher support on the relationship between school ethnic composition and citizenship competencies. Citizenship was operationalized as competencies and knowledge concerning acting democratically, acting in a socially responsible manner, dealing with conflicts, and dealing with differences. Multilevel analyses among a sample of 4,902 students from 75 Dutch secondary schools showed that the degree of school ethnic diversity is positively related to competencies in acting democratically, acting in a socially responsible manner, and dealing with differences, but it is negatively related to knowledge regarding acting in socially responsible manner and dealing with conflicts. Teacher support was positively associated with both competencies and knowledge in all social tasks. Except for one outcome, no moderation effect of teacher support was found.

Ethnic discrimination in secondary education: Does the solution lie in multicultural education and the ethnic school composition?

Ethnic discrimination is a serious problem in education. Previous quantitative research is predominately focused on the consequences of ethnic discrimination. Very little is known, however, about the characteristics of the school context that influence the initial experience of ethnic discrimination. This knowledge is essential to support schools in how to organize in a way that diminishes the likelihood of adolescents being discriminated against. This study examines the relationship between multicultural education and perceived ethnic discrimination, and the moderating role of the ethnic composition of the student population. Multicultural education is a broad concept. The focus lies on the three main actors: multicultural policy from the perspective of the principal, multicultural teaching from the perception of the teacher and students’ perception of multicultural teaching. The results of a multilevel analysis on a large-scale dataset (N = 2715 students, 38 schools) collected in secondary education in Belgium show that students of ethnic Belgian descent are more likely to report ethnic discrimination by peers if the school applies a more multicultural policy or if the school has a high concentration of students with an other-than-Belgian background. Students with an other-than-Belgian background are more likely to report ethnic discrimination by teachers if the school applies a more multicultural policy. If students perceive that their teachers pay attention to multicultural education, they are less likely to report ethnic discrimination by teachers, but more by peers. The ethnic composition is not directly related to perceived ethnic discrimination, nor does it play a moderating role.

What is the association between the ethnic composition of neighbourhoods, workplaces and schools and the formation of mixed‐ethnic unions?

AbstractAlthough ethnic diversity and the types of interpersonal ties that are experienced in various domains of life may vary considerably, studies regarding the local marriage market rarely focus on the relationship between the formation of mixed‐ethnic unions and the ethnic composition of more than one spatial context. In this study, by applying event history analysis methods to longitudinal register data from Finland, we address three spatial contexts: residential neighbourhoods, workplaces and schools. The main finding is that getting in contact with natives in all three spatial contexts elevates the probability of the formation of a mixed‐ethnic union between migrants and natives. Exposure to natives in residential neighbourhoods and workplaces does not lose its relevance for partnership outcomes among immigrants who have arrived in the host country as children, or among the descendants of immigrants. On the contrary, the effects that can be associated with higher concentrations of immigrants in neighbourhoods and workplaces tend to increase in strength for the second generation rather than decrease.

Connected and satisfied. The relationship between ethnic connectedness, life satisfaction and ethnic school composition among adolescents from nine ethnic groups

For young people with a migration background it has never been easier to create and maintain a bond with their country of origin (further: feelings of ethnic connectedness). Previous research has already revealed the importance of such feelings of ethnic connectedness for (young) people’s subjective well-being. In this study we investigate whether the relationship between the presence and the degree of ethnic connectedness and life satisfaction is moderated by the ethnic school composition. We study this relationship by performing multilevel analyses on 2091 adolescents (aged 14–18 years old) from nine different ethnic groups. Our results shed light on the importance of the ethnic composition of the school in two ways. First, the proportion of adolescents from one’s own ethnic group at school is related to higher life satisfaction. Second, the relationship between life satisfaction and the presence of ethnic connectedness is moderated by the extent to which schools are ethnically diverse. More specifically, ethnically diverse schools have a positive influence on the life satisfaction of young people who feel connected to their ethnic group, whereas ethnic diversity at school is negatively related to life satisfaction among young people who do not feel connected to their ethnic group. In the conclusion we elaborate on the implications of our findings.

The relationship between ethnic school composition, school diversity climate and students’ competences in dealing with differences

ABSTRACT In societies that are characterised by diversity, citizens are required to have the competences to handle differences. Schools differ in their degree of ethnic diversity which means that they provide different contexts for learning to deal with differences (DD). This study investigated the association between ethnic school composition, the diversity climate (the importance that teachers collectively attach to diversity and the attention they pay to teaching diversity) and students’ competences in DD. Multilevel analyses were performed on data from 4,402 students and 535 teachers across 62 secondary education schools in The Netherlands. The results showed a positive relationship between ethnic school diversity and DD-reflection and DD-attitudes. In addition, the degree of ethnic school diversity was associated with more diversity-related practices. However, no relationship was found between ethnic school diversity and teachers’ diversity-related educational goals. Moreover, diversity climate was not related to students’ DD competences. Lastly, the diversity climate did not mediate nor moderate the relationship between school composition and DD. Implications and suggestions for future research are discussed.

School bullying and minority identity as a menace to mental well-being of students in Greece.

Increasing migration and the resultant multiculturalism in Greek society has highlighted the importance of studying the role of school ethnic composition in bullying and peer victimisation, not least because ethnic minority students involved in bullying behaviours seem to experience high levels of internalising and externalising problems. It is imperative that schools work towards ensuring a safe environment for all students. This can be achieved through the implementation of policies that facilitate positive social interactions and address issues of bias-based bullying, thus contributing to social justice. This article examines school bullying and related policies in Greece in the context of increasing diversity and reviews their evolution in the past decade.

Separatist biopolitics: the dual discourse of the vocational education policy in Israel

ABSTRACTThis article offers a critical discursive analysis of the Israeli Ministry of Education’s renewed interest in vocational education. This analysis reveals three discursive practices for promoting vocational education among key participants in the field: the rhetorical transition from ‘vocational education’ to ‘technological education’; the disregard for the tracking involved in vocational education; the government’s refusal to collect or publish statistics on the ethnic and class composition of vocational schools; and a dual discourse that refers to vocational education students as ‘at-risk youth’ whose needs are minimal, to guarantee them a ‘routine’ life (‘being a person’) based on the morality of low expectations. Technological education, is described as populated by students who are the elite of excellence, promising them a rich life, an open future, and the acquisition of ‘tomorrow’s professions.’ Against this background, we proffer the term ‘separatist biopolitics’ to characterise the contemporary vocational education policy in Israel. Separatist biopolitics, offering divergent positive results (‘the good life’) to disadvantaged students (vocational education students) and elitist students (technological education students), is a tool for population management. The concept of separatist biopolitics also proposes adopting a critical reading of the vocational education policy to promote the consideration of alternative educational solutions.

The effect of the ethnic composition of schools on primary school maths results of pupils of immigrant origin

The effect of the ethnic composition of schools on primary school maths results of pupils of immigrant origin

Which New Yorkers vote with their wallets? The impact of teacher quality data on household sorting, and residential and school demographics

This paper examines the relationship between the February 2012 New York City teacher quality data release, the racial and ethnic composition of elementary and middle public schools and their neighborhoods, and housing prices. A unique dataset that links teacher quality to school characteristics, housing prices and characteristics, and Census data is used to estimate a difference-in-difference model to estimate the impact of the teacher quality release on housing prices. These results are then used to estimate the impact of the data release on residential and school demographics. The results in this study provide the first evidence of the effects of teacher quality measures on the housing market in New York City and the demographic shifts in residential and school mobility patterns as a result. The data suggests that the housing market responds significantly to the new information that was provided by the release of the teacher quality information, even when taking into consideration the school grades and other variables that may influence teacher quality measures. The magnitude of how much housing prices increase is greatly impacted by certain neighborhood demographics and the results show that Hispanic neighborhoods with a high proportion of free and reduced price lunch students are among the neighborhoods that had the highest increase in housing prices due to the teacher quality release. Not only that, but the areas that had the highest increase in housing prices due to the teacher quality release have experienced increases in the proportion of white students and the neighborhoods are becoming more racially diverse.

Individual- and school-level predictors of violence perpetration, victimization, and perceived safety in middle and high schools

ABSTRACTRelationships among individual- and school-level factors and students’ perpetration of violence, victimization, and safety were studied in two southeastern school districts (N = 26,160, Grades 6–12). Both student demographics (sex, ethnicity, and grade) and school level (high vs. middle school) were associated with perpetration, victimization, and perceived safety. After adjusting for only student demographics and school level, school poverty predicted more perpetration and poorer safety. After adjusting for all student- and school-level factors, school ethnic composition, absenteeism, and size were stronger predictors of perpetration and poor safety. Achievement predicted greater safety perceptions but more perpetration. Although larger schools had less perpetration, schools with fewer students per teacher were perceived as safer. Future research should examine constructs such as school climate and connectedness and student–teacher relationships.

Ethnic Composition of Schools and Students’ Educational Outcomes: Evidence from Sweden

We examine the impact of ethnic school composition on students’ educational outcomes using Swedish population register data. We add to the literature on the consequences of ethnic school segregation for native and immigrant students by distinguishing social interaction effects from selection and environmental effects through one- and two-way fixed effects models. Our findings demonstrate that native and immigrant students’ grades are relatively unaffected by social interaction effects stemming from the proportion of immigrant schoolmates. However, we find nontrivial effects on their eligibility for upper secondary school. Immigrants’ educational outcomes are weakly positively affected by the proportion of co-ethnics in school.

Ethnic Harassment and Immigrant Youth's Engagement in Violent Behaviors: Understanding the Risk Factors.

The present study aimed to examine whether ethnic harassment was related to violent behaviors among immigrant youth over time and to identify the risk factors. The sample comprised immigrant adolescents living in Sweden (N=365; Mage =13.93, SD=0.80). Results showed that the more youth were ethnically harassed, the more they engaged in violent acts over time. A separated identity significantly moderated the effect of ethnic harassment on youth's engagement in violent behaviors. Specifically, ethnic harassment positively predicted engagement in violent behaviors only at high levels of separated identity. Impulsivity and school ethnic composition did not act as moderators. The findings suggest that preventing violent behaviors among immigrant youth requires a focus on promoting positive interethnic relationships, and multicultural identity among immigrant youth.

School Context and Ethnic Minority Adolescent Religiosity: A Longitudinal Study

AbstractPrevious research has shown that ethnic school composition can have an impact on a number of outcomes for pupils. The influence ethnic school composition has on pupils’ religiosity, however, has not received much attention. Furthermore, the few previous studies that have examined this relationship have relied on cross‐sectional data, thus being unable to separate selection effects from causal effects. In this research note we use longitudinal data collected among pupils in the third (2011–2012) and sixth grade (2014–2015) of secondary schools in Flanders, the northern part of Belgium. We examine changes in religiosity among pupils using cross‐classified multilevel analyses. The results show that there is a positive impact of ethnic school composition on ethnic minority religiosity. This does not mean, however, that pupils become more religious in schools with a higher share of ethnic minority pupils. We rather see that a decline in religiosity among highly religious pupils is attenuated in schools with more ethnic minority pupils.

Increasing ethnic diversity moderates longitudinal effects of individual differences on friendship homophily

AbstractThis study examined direct and interactive effects of social–emotional adjustment, national and ethnic identification, and school ethnic composition on friendship homophily among 214 ethnic minority and 183 ethnic majority English children, aged between 5 and 11 years. The data came from a longitudinal study, which included 3 time points, spanning a 12‐month period. Results of multilevel latent growth curve models showed that among ethnic minority English children (teacher‐rated), peer problems and ethnic identity were associated with more friendship homophily, whereas a bicultural identity was not related to more friendship homophily. Among ethnic majority English children, the effects of peer problems and English identity were moderated by school ethnic composition, such that these factors were not associated with more friendship homophily in more ethnically diverse schools. The findings are discussed on the basis of theories of intergroup contact and intergroup threat.

Multicultural Teaching in Flemish Secondary Schools: The Role of Ethnic School Composition, Track, and Teachers’ Ethnic Prejudice

In this study, we investigate the association between a school’s ethnic composition, the track in which teachers teach, and their level of involvement with multicultural teaching (MCT) in the Flemish context, taking into account the ethnic prejudice of teachers. Multilevel analyses of data from 590 Flemish teachers in 40 Belgian secondary schools suggest that teachers in schools with more ethnic minority pupils, teachers in vocational education, and ethnically unprejudiced teachers implement more MCT. These findings highlight the need for more research into the relationship between school features, the sociopsychological characteristics of teachers, and their involvement with MCT.

Do limited English students jeopardize the education of other students? Lessons from the North Carolina public school system

ABSTRACTThe significant increase in immigration has altered the ethnic composition of public schools in many states. Given the perceived negative impact of immigrant students by some, we are interested in investigating whether higher concentrations of students with limited English (LE) skills in a school affect the academic performance of native students. To address this question, we analyze education data from North Carolina using LE ability as a proxy for immigrant students who are not native English speakers. Our analysis provides limited evidence of negative peer effects of LE students, though the effects are heterogeneous and the magnitudes are small.