Starting off on the Right Foot—Language Learning Classes and the Educational Success of Refugee Children
研究德国小学适龄移民儿童参加预备语言班与直接进入普通课堂的学业效果比较，发现预备班学生在五年级标准化测试中表现更差，且更少进入学术中学轨道，表明预备班可能阻碍早期学业融合。
Abstract We study the effect of separate preparatory language learning classes on the academic outcomes of primary school-aged immigrant children in Germany compared to their direct integration into regular classrooms. Using administrative panel data and leveraging idiosyncratic assignment of refugee children to neighbourhoods, and, consequently, schools, as well as preparatory class roll out over time, we find that primary school-aged refugees attending a preparatory class perform significantly worse on fifth-grade standardised tests and are slightly less likely to pursue an academic secondary track. While limited to short-term outcomes, our results indicate that preparatory classes could impede early academic integration by clustering migrant peers, highlighting the need to consider complementary approaches to reduce achievement disparities.