2025/09/05 by Pia Schilling, Lisa Sofie Höckel · 1 voice
Social Sciences · #Education and experiences of immigrants and refugees
paper · doi:10.1093/ej/ueaf087
openalex publication_date 2025/09/05 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/23
Abstract We study the effect of separate preparatory language learning classes on the academic outcomes of primary school-aged immigrant children in Germany compared to their direct integration into regular classrooms. Using administrative panel data and leveraging idiosyncratic assignment of refugee children to neighbourhoods, and, consequently, schools, as well as preparatory class roll out over time, we find that primary school-aged refugees attending a preparatory class perform significantly worse on fifth-grade standardised tests and are slightly less likely to pursue an academic secondary track. While limited to short-term outcomes, our results indicate that preparatory classes could impede early academic integration by clustering migrant peers, highlighting the need to consider complementary approaches to reduce achievement disparities.