Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0
Author-Name: Contini Dalit
Author-Email: dalit.contini@unito.it
Author-Workplace-Name: University of Turin
Author-Workplace-Homepage: http://www.est.unito.it/
Title: Immigrant background peer effects in Italian schools 
Abstract: This article provides an empirical assessment of the effect of immigrant concentration on student
learning in Italian primary and lower secondary schools, using the data of a standardized learning
assessment administered in 2010 to the entire student population of selected grades at the national
level. Identification is accomplished by exploiting the within-school random variability observed in
the share of immigrant students across classes. I estimate peer effects allowing for heterogeneous
effects between native and immigrant background children, and among natives, between children of
different socio-economic status. The main finding is that the proportion of immigrant students has a
weak effect on child learning outcomes, and that this effect is somewhat larger for children from
disadvantaged backgrounds (immigrants and low socio-economic status).
Length: 31 pages
Creation-Date: 2011-12
File-URL: http://www.est.unito.it/do/home.pl/Download?doc=/allegati/wp2011dip/14_wp_contini.pdf
File-Format: Application/PDF
Handle: RePEc:uto:dipeco:201114