{"id":5356,"date":"2024-11-21T15:24:07","date_gmt":"2024-11-21T14:24:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rivistaeco.com\/?p=5356"},"modified":"2024-11-21T15:24:07","modified_gmt":"2024-11-21T14:24:07","slug":"why-foreign-students-do-not-enrol-in-licei","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rivistaeco.com\/en\/2024\/11\/21\/why-foreign-students-do-not-enrol-in-licei\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Foreign Students Do Not Enrol in Licei"},"content":{"rendered":"

Nearly one million students in Italy attend school without holding Italian citizenship. They could help mitigate the negative consequences of the country’s declining birth rate. However, a rigid division in the paths of secondary education limits their full integration. Therefore, it is essential to enhance guidance and social inclusion, starting from the early grades.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

In schools, nearly a million students grow up “like Italians” despite not holding Italian citizenship. Yet, the Italian education system remains marked by inequalities that hinder the integration of foreign students, with long-term repercussions on their social mobility. Various studies\u2014such as one by David Deming in 2022 and another by Janet Currie and co-authors in 2010\u2014suggest that good school placement, combined with satisfactory academic results, is closely linked to greater success in the labour market and has positive effects on health and psychological well-being.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Crossroads of High School Enrolment<\/b><\/h3>\n

The empirical evidence is clear: first- and second-generation immigrant students in Italy face difficulties in achieving high levels of academic competence, and even when they attain similar results to their Italian peers, they struggle to fully express their potential. One of the critical points where inequalities emerge is in the choice of high school. The Italian education system is characterised by a rigid division of educational paths, with limited interaction between students from different schools.<\/span><\/p>\n

Data from the Ministry of Education and Merit and Invalsi show that even when students have similar skills at the end of middle school, those without Italian citizenship tend to attend fewer scientific or technical high schools and more vocational schools. The chart below focuses specifically on scientific and classical high schools, which typically attract students with the highest academic performance and provide targeted preparation for access to universities with the best salary prospects. For an Italian student in the top 10% of academic performance, the probability of attending a classical or scientific high school exceeds 70%. This probability drops to about 50% for foreign students with the same skills. Among the top 40% of students (deciles 7 to 10), more than half of Italian students attend a scientific or classical high school, while only one in three immigrant students does.<\/span><\/p>\n

Percentage of students enrolled in scientific or classical high schools (2018-2019)<\/b><\/h3>\n


\n<\/span>Note: On the horizontal axis are the Invalsi deciles in mathematics at the end of middle school.<\/span>
\n<\/span>Source: Author’s calculations based on data from Invalsi and the Ministry of Education and Merit.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The process of choosing a high school is complex, and schools strive to guide and inform all students about the various available options through orientation programs. During the final year of middle school, each student receives a non-binding recommendation from their teachers regarding the educational path they should pursue, based on their \u201cabilities and aptitudes.\u201d However, data show that these recommendations often reflect the same patterns as high school choices. Among the top 40% of students based on Invalsi-measured competencies, nearly half of Italian students and just over one in four immigrant students receive the recommendation to enrol in a scientific or classical high school (see the chart below, deciles 7 to 10). Similar dynamics are observed when considering grades assigned by teachers. Although grades and competencies do not fully capture students’ “abilities and aptitudes,” these data raise important considerations about how orientation recommendations may not help overcome the obstacles to social mobility caused by the rigid division of secondary school paths.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Percentage of students with an orientation recommendation for scientific or classical high school<\/b><\/p>\n

Note: On the horizontal axis are the Invalsi deciles in mathematics at the end of middle school. The analysis includes students enrolled in the third year of middle school in 2017-2018.<\/span><\/p>\n

Source: Author’s calculations based on data from Invalsi and the Ministry of Education and Merit.<\/span><\/p>\n

Differences in orientation recommendations between Italian and foreign students may be influenced by teachers’ expectations regarding the challenges these students might face in the future. Economic and cultural barriers could reduce the likelihood of success for foreign students in a demanding high school, even if they excelled in middle school with high grades. In a 2022 study conducted with Eliana La Ferrara and Paolo Pinotti (\u201cGoals and Gaps: Educational Careers of Immigrant Children\u201d), we show how high-performing immigrant students, when supported in their high school choice through an orientation intervention (“Equal Opportunities in School Path Choices”), are more likely to attend more challenging high schools without a significant increase in the risk of failure. The intervention, implemented in nearly 150 Italian schools with the support of Fondazione Cariplo, Compagnia di San Paolo, and Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Padova e Rovigo, provided substantial support to students and their families during the orientation and high school transition process, demonstrating how well-targeted resources can make a difference in the educational careers of immigrant students.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Damaging Effects of Social Exclusion<\/b><\/h3>\n

The gap in high school choice between students with and without Italian citizenship has deep roots that emerge even before the orientation phase in middle school. Students who, in the fifth grade of primary school, reported feeling excluded by their peers are 6 percentage points less likely to choose a scientific or classical high school\u2014a 17% decrease compared to students who did not report feelings of social exclusion (data from Invalsi and the Ministry of Education and Merit). Even with equal scores on Invalsi tests from the third year of middle school, the difference is still 12% lower. Already in primary school, the most isolated students tend to be foreign-born, as we show in a study conducted with Sule Alan and Marinella Leone (\u201cInclusive Teaching: Spotting Social Isolation in the Classroom\u201d). Even before the pandemic, which exacerbated this phenomenon, only 53% of Italian-citizen students in the fifth grade reported not feeling excluded or isolated by their schoolmates\u2014a percentage that drops by 12 points among foreign students.<\/span><\/p>\n

What happens when an individual feels socially excluded or isolated? Why is it important to address this phenomenon from the early years of school? Neuroscientific research shows that social pain activates the same neural pathways as physical pain, particularly the anterior cingulate cortex. Prolonged periods of social exclusion can have profound consequences on the brain, leading to severe forms of depression, aggressive behaviour, and insecurity about one’s abilities, which in turn result in academic and career failures.<\/span><\/p>\n

A recent study conducted by the World Bank in collaboration with Leap-Bocconi University highlights how severe the situation is for recently arrived refugee students from Ukraine in Italy. By integrating quantitative data collected through questionnaires and qualitative interviews, the study provides a snapshot of the challenges these new foreign students face in Italian secondary schools. The research reveals that one in three refugee children experienced bullying in the Italian school system, 19% were unable to form any friendships since arriving in Italy, and a staggering 35% had not made any Italian-citizen friends. Bullying incidents and the lack of friendships are associated with higher levels of mental distress and increased school absences, as reported by administrative data from the Ministry of Education and Merit. The social isolation experienced by Ukrainian children arriving in Italy will have negative consequences for their mental well-being, academic performance, and integration into Italian society. These figures underscore the extreme difficulties schools face in integrating newly arrived students, partly due to a lack of resources for linguistic mediators and psychologists who could help address the traumas these children have endured.<\/span><\/p>\n

A Complex Issue<\/b><\/h3>\n

School guidance and integration are complex issues intertwined with the daily challenges faced by school staff and students. It is not easy to identify the best way to intervene to prevent the social exclusion of students in schools. Most individuals, including teachers, are unaware of their own biases and the negative effects these can have on the people they interact with every day. Scientific research shows that some solutions are effective and can be implemented immediately in Italian schools. For example, in a 2014 study with Alberto Alesina, Eliana La Ferrara, and Paolo Pinotti (\u201cRevealing Stereotypes: Evidence from Immigrants in Schools\u201d), we indicated that increasing teachers’ awareness of their own biases and their impact on students\u2014like a “self-fulfilling prophecy”\u2014can help resolve part of the problem. Complementing this, my research with Sule Alan and Marinella Leone in 2024 (\u201cInclusive Teaching: Spotting Social Isolation in the Classroom\u201d) clarifies how greater awareness of students’ social isolation encourages teachers to find innovative solutions to improve classroom relationships and reduce antisocial behaviour.<\/span><\/p>\n

Our education system is characterised by early and rigid segregation in high school paths, with a high risk of social exclusion for students from disadvantaged backgrounds, as concluded in a 2007 study by Giorgio Brunello and Daniele Checchi (\u201cDoes School Tracking Affect Equality of Opportunity? New International Evidence\u201d). This peculiarity of the education system requires special attention from schools and teachers to avoid exacerbating inequalities. Using data is essential to promote talent and encourage social mobility, especially for students who are unfamiliar with the system and face serious inclusion challenges, like many foreign students.<\/span><\/p>\n

Bio<\/span><\/p>\n

Michela Carlana is an associate professor at the Harvard Kennedy School and a visiting associate professor at Bocconi University. She specialises in education and labour economics with a focus on gender inequality and immigration issues. She has published in leading economic journals.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Nearly one million students in Italy attend school without holding Italian citizenship. They could help mitigate the negative consequences of the country’s declining birth rate. 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