Understanding School Segregation

Explores the impact of urban fragmentation processes, migration and global educational policies on school segregation in Europe and the Americas, providing evidence of the opportunities for educational policy to undertake de-segregation.

During recent decades, social inequalities have increased in many urban spaces in the globalized world, and education has not been immune to these tendencies. Urban segregation, migration movements and education policies themselves have produced an increasing process of school segregation between the most disadvantaged social groups and the middle classes. Exploring school segregation patterns in Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Chile, England, France, Peru, Spain, Sweden and the USA, this volume provides an overview of the main characteristics and causes of school segregation, as well as its consequences for issues such as education inequalities, students’ performance, social cohesion and intercultural contact. The book is organized in three parts, with Part 1 exploring the systemic dimensions of education inequalities that shape different patterns of school segregation, and the extent to which public policies have addressed this challenge. Part 2 focuses on the consequences of school segregation on student performance and other educational aspects, and the Part 3 explores how school segregation dynamics are shaped by market forces and privatization of education. Whilst focusing on different dimensions of school segregation, each chapter explores the magnitude, trends and consequences of school segregation, providing readers with a comprehensive overview of the phenomenon and facilitating cross-country comparisons. Moreover, the volume provides important evidence about the dynamics and characteristics of school segregation, which is key for the planning and implementation of de-segregation policies.