Social mix in neighbourhood and school? Parental school choice and its impact on educational segregation
Final Report Abstract
School segregation is a central challenge for German and European cities and contributes to the reinforcement of social inequality. In Germany, there are few geographical studies examining the interplay between residential and school segregation. This research proposal aims to fill the gap in research on social and ethnic segregation structures in German primary schools and to contribute to educational geography as well as research on geographical segregation, neighborhoods, and inequality. For the first time in the German context, quantitative and qualitative data were combined to examine the interplay of parental social capital, access to information, and school profiling in school choice. This methodological combination made it possible to capture not only the quantity and development of school choice decisions but also the underlying motives and decision-making processes. The analysis focused on a socially and ethnically mixed neighborhood in a large city in North Rhine-Westphalia (with free school choice), where several primary schools with different social and ethnic compositions are located near each other. The study shows that despite moderate residential segregation, there is strong school segregation, similar to many cities in Northern and Continental Europe. The composition of the schools is shaped by the interplay of three factors: the social-spatial structure of the neighborhood, the selective choice behavior of parents, and the controlling factors of the school. Analyses show that even after the abolition of primary school catchment areas in North Rhine- Westphalia, the residential location still significantly influences the student composition. Children, especially from low-income households, are more unequally distributed across primary schools than in residential areas, which is primarily due to parental choice decisions. The results reveal socially selective choice behavior among parents of all social classes, which has often been overlooked in previous research, as it typically focused on resource-rich families. Two previously unexplored findings stand out: On the one hand, school choice particularly affects religious segregation, especially between Catholic and Muslim children. The causes are denominational primary schools and the selective choice behavior of non-Muslim parents. On the other hand, a differentiated picture emerges regarding the selection criteria: while resource-rich households avoid socially disadvantaged schools, low-income households more often orient themselves towards schools offering support services. The student composition is also shaped by norms and practices of school actors, with the lack of clear guidelines for dealing with segregation being considered a decisive factor. This leads to unclear admission criteria, which can enable unequal treatment and give room to racist and anti-Muslim prejudices.
Publications
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School choice or schools’ choice? How organizational practices shape access to primary schools in Germany. Think&Drink Colloquium, HU Berlin, 2023
Ramos Lobato, I.
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Social mixing in neighbourhoods and schools? How organizational practices shape primary schools’ social composition, AESOP Congress, Track: Education: In the face of uncertainty and complexity; Session: Planning and the Education Sector, 2021
Goldbach, A. & Hanhörster, H.
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Soziale (Ent-)Mischung in Quartier und Schule? – Segregationsdynamiken im Kontext elterlicher Schulwahl, Geowoche, 2021
Wettlaufer, A. & Goldbach, A.
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Social mix in neighbourhood and school? The role of parental choice strategies for the development of school segregation. DGfE-Congress, 2022
Goldbach, A. & Ramos Lobato, I.
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Freie Grundschulwahl in NRW: Katalysator für die Entstehung von Schulsegregation oder Chance für bildungsbenachteiligte Kinder?, Deutscher Kongress für Geographie, 2023
Wettlaufer, A.
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Grundschulen als Ko-Produzentinnen von Segregation und (sozial-)räumlicher Ungleichheit. Jahrestagung AK Geographische Migrationsforschung 2023: Produktion und Transformation von Räumen der Migration, 2023
Ramos Lobato, I. & Hanhörster, H.
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Grundschulwahl in NRW: Die Rolle der Zusammensetzung von Quartier und lokalen Bildungseinrichtungen für die für die Schulwahl, DOKORP – Dortmund, 2023
Wettlaufer, A.
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Schulen als Orte der Begegnung? Zum Zusammenspiel von schulischen Praktiken und elterlichen Präferenzen im Umgang mit Diversität. Deutscher Kongress für Geographie, 2023
Ramos Lobato, I. & Hanhörster, H.
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Segregationsdynamiken im Kontext der freien Grundschulwahl, Frühjahrstagung der Sektion Bildung und Erziehung (JuBilA - Halle), 2023
Wettlaufer, A.
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Soziale Entmischung in der Grundschule – wie die Wahl der Eltern Segregation verstärkt. In: ILS-TRENDS, 03/23
Ramos Lobato, I.; Wettlaufer, A.; Farwick, A. & Hanhörster, H.
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Wenn möglich, bitte mischen? – Wie im Kontext von Institutionen frühkindlicher Bildung das Zusammenleben im Quartier verhandelt wird, Session auf der Dortmunder Konferenz für Raum- und Planungsforschung, 2023
Farwick, A.; Hanhörster, H. & Ramos Lobato, I.
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“The kids get haggled over”: how institutional practices contribute to segregation in elementary schools. Frontiers in Sociology, 8.
Ramos, Lobato Isabel; Goldbach, Alina & Hanhörster, Heike
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Primary school segregation in the context of free primary school choice – More than just a reflection of residential segregation?. Urban Studies, 62(6), 1039-1061.
Wettlaufer, Andreas & Farwick, Andreas
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Segregation an Grundschulen. Berichte Geographie und Landeskunde, 98(2-3), 160-185.
Hanhörster, Heike & Ramos, Lobato Isabel
