H.15. Migrant-background Youth in Education: the Role of Policy and Practice in (Re)producing and Challenging Inequalities

As societies become increasingly multiethnic, education systems are confronted with the democratic responsibility of ensuring equal access to meaningful learning for migrant-background youth. While educational rights are formally guaranteed, these young people often experience less favourable outcomes than their native peers, including lower grades and attainment, and overrepresentation in less prestigious educational and vocational tracks. Although important variation exists across countries and among migrant groups, these disparities contribute to the intergenerational reproduction of educational and socioeconomic inequalities along ethnic lines.

Research highlights significant barriers for immigrant-origin youth, most prominently socioeconomic disadvantage and limited familiarity with the country’s language and education system. Yet, studies focusing on the school context and practices also evidence how Eurocentric curricula, uneven capacities among educators to work with linguistic and cultural diversity, discrimination in grading and educational advice, and the concentration of migrant-background students in certain schools can exacerbate educational inequalities.

Against this backdrop, this panel seeks to examine the role of educational policies and everyday practices in either (re)producing or challenging inequalities linked to migration background. We invite contributions from a range of disciplinary and methodological perspectives, with a particular interest in empirically grounded research. Proposals may address how national and local policies, teaching and learning practices, guidance and support, and institutional norms, as well as the interplay among them, shape learning opportunities, educational stratification, and progression at different levels. We also welcome analyses of inclusive or innovative programmes or practices that support migrant-background youth and promote more equitable educational pathways.