Do immigrant students succeed? Evidence from Italy and France based on PISA 2006

This paper uses data from PISA 2006 on science, mathematics and reading to analyse
immigrant school gaps – negative difference between immigrants’ and natives’ scores - and the
structural features of educational systems in two adjacent countries, Italy and France, with similar
migration inflows and with similar schooling institutions, based on tracking. Our results show that
tracking and school specific programs matter; in both countries, the school system upholds a
separation between students with different backgrounds and ethnicities. Residential segregation or
discrimination seem also to be at work, especially in France. Given the existing school model, a
teaching support in mathematics and science in France and in reading in Italy would help immigrant
students to converge to natives’ standards.