Education and social reproduction: Educational mechanisms and residential segregation in Athens and Dortmund

Abstract

Based on quantitative data depicting two different, but equally crucial transitions within the educational career of pupils in Athens/Greece1 and Dortmund/Germany,2 the paper focuses on the main social selection processes reproducing educational inequalities in each city. It draws on discussions on education as a mechanism of social reproduction, on parental strategies as well as on local research regarding educational inequalities. Though the different educational strategies of middle-class parents in Athens and Dortmund can be related to differences between the two cities in terms of school systems and policies as well as of segregation levels and housing market conditions, they seem to follow a similar logic, with their objective being to create further advantage for their children.

Recession, Local Fertility, and Urban Sustainability: Results of a Quasi-Experiment in Greece, 1991–2018

“…Third, a specific focus on education issues, for example., the so-called "educational white flight", could be an additional suggestion for further studies. This process implies a diverging pattern that distinguishes consolidated urban areas (where the native population usually prefers to send their children to expensive private schools) from more segregated suburban areas, where the student population in public schools is almost entirely native, and where people show much lower interest in private education [132][133][134]. As private education is more expensive, the private school choice may coincide with a lower fertility choice.…”

Spatial Underpinnings of Social Inequalities: A Vicious Circles of Segregation Approach

“…Comparative studies of residential segregation and school segregation have shown that levels of school segregation tend to be higher than levels of residential segregation (S. Burgess, Wilson, & Lupton, 2005). For example, having the opportunity to choose a school contributes to school segregation when affluent parents living in lower-income neighbourhoods send their kids to schools outside the home neighbourhood (E. Andersson, Malmberg, & Östh, 2012;Maloutas & Fujita, 2012;Maloutas & Lobato, 2015). When school choice is not available or heavily restricted, parents may also start to 'shop' for schools by renting or buying homes in the catchment areas of desired schools (Rich et al, 2021).…”

“…Hence, lowering levels of residential segregation would be the first important measure that would help to reduce school segregation and differences in learning outcomes (Nieuwenhuis & Xu, 2021). The second measure would relate to school choice; when parents have relatively unrestrained choice in which schools their kids learn, levels of school segregation rise as well as affluent parents compensate residential social mix with sending their kids to more attractive schools (E. Andersson et al, 2012;Maloutas & Fujita, 2012;Maloutas & Lobato, 2015;Maloutas, Spyrellis, Hadjiyanni, Capella, & Valassi, & 2019). Bonding ties form at schools between the peers and lowering levels of school segregation would facilitate bridging social ties between different ethnic and social groups.…”

Regional disparities in access to higher education in Greece

“…Maloutas et al (2013) studied educational outcomes in relation to urban inequalities in the Athens metropolitan area. Maloutas and Lobato (2015) have similarly discussed how the housing market in Athens and Dortmund is connected with educational inequalities. Noyes (2013) used spatial approaches to map mathematics attainment and participation in the United Kingdom, and Barthon and Monfroy (2010) studied the spatial dimension of school choices at the city of Lille.…”