Work

Social Exclusion and Ethnic Segregation in Schools: The Role of Teachers' Ethnic Prejudice

Year: 2021

Type: article

Abstract: Using data on primary school children and their teachers, we show that teachers who hold prejudicial attitudes towards an ethnic group create socially and spatially segregated classrooms. Leveraging a natural experiment where newly arrived refugee children are randomly assigned to teachers within schools, we find that teachers' ethnic prejudice, measured by an implicit association test, significantly lowers the prevalence of interethnic social links, increases homophilic ties among host children, and puts refugee children at a higher risk of peer violence. Our results highlight the role of teachers in achieving integrated schools in a world of increasing ethnic diversity.

Source: The Review of Economics and Statistics

DOI: 10.1162/rest_a_01111

Authors: Sule Alan, Enes Duysak, Elif Kubilay, Ipek Mumcu

Institutions: European University Institute, University of Essex, University of Exeter

Language: English

Topic: School Choice and Performance

Subfield: Education

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Reduced inequalities, Quality education, Peace, justice, and strong institutions

Open Access status: bronze

Funders: University of Essex, Bilkent Üniversitesi