Huddled Classes

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development released results of a 2006 study on how migrant children fare in host countries, based on performance in language, math and science. One conclusion is that “almost everywhere immigrant students fare worse than locals,” largely because of difficulties with language, yet first-generation immigrant children tend to have more motivation than second-generation and native-born students. Among the world’s best performers are Chinese children taught in Australia, reports this article in the Economist, and researchers suggest that immigrant students recognize the need to work hard to succeed. Education policies on tracking children by ability or income contribute to performance, as well as diversity of populations in individual schools. The OECD concludes, “any country that figures out how to let incomers shine will reap big benefits.” – YaleGlobal