Strict Selection of School Type Limits Academic Performance of Disadvantaged Students
ResearchZEW Study on the Effects of Early Selection into Different School Types
Attending the Gymnasium (the most academically advanced secondary school in Germany) has positive effects on academic achievement and aspirations to pursue higher education – regardless of social background or previous grades, as shown by a recent study by ZEW Mannheim. However, children from disadvantaged families are less likely to have the opportunity to attend such an academically advanced school. The study is based on Hungarian school data, but the results can also be applied to Germany.
“Children with a lower academic performance or from a socially disadvantaged background benefit from attending a higher track, to the same extent as more privileged children or children with higher achievement levels do,” explains economist Sarah McNamara, researcher in ZEW’s “Labour Markets and Social Insurance” Research Unit and co-author of the study. “It is therefore not a lack of skills, but the difficulty of access that perpetuates existing educational inequalities.” Professor Thilo Klein, co-author and economist in the “Market Design” Unit at ZEW, adds: “Our study challenges the general assumption that strict grouping according to academic performance is necessary to advance high achievers.” When schools deicde admission criteria, it is important to not only consider primary school grades
McNamara concludes: “When schools decide admission criteria, it is important to not only consider primary school grades and teacher recommendations, but also motivation, perseverance and social behaviour. More flexibility in the transition between school types and a higher age at which the selection takes place could enhance educational equality without jeopardising the performance of the school system.”
Early selection disadvantages socially weaker children
In Germany, children are already assigned to a different type of school at the age of ten. By international standards, this is very early. The Hungarian data show that students in academically advanced schools, regardless of gender, origin and previous performance, achieve significantly better results in standardised maths and reading tests. Especially girls and students with a lower socio-economic status benefit from attending higher track schools. However, it also shows that access to academically advanced schools is unevenly distributed across society. As a result, educational inequality increases two years after selection, although all groups would benefit from attending the Gymnasium.
Behaviour has more effect on classmates than academic achievement
The analysis also questions the previous justification for a strict performance-based selection. There is little evidence of the presumed positive effects of homogeneous learning groups with academically high-performing classmates. Instead, the behaviour of classmates plays a much stronger role. Well-integrated and motivated students contribute more to a positive learning environment than their academic achievement alone.
Data foundation
The representative study is based on Hungarian enrolment data from different types of schools. The analysis covers data of students who were barely admitted to or just missed out on a place in the highest school type and thus have a comparable achievement level as a starting point.
