School Dropout of Immigrant Students in the European School Systems: a Pedagogic Perspective

Abstract

In recent years, many scholars have highlighted persistent difficulties faced by the European school systems to contest school dropout of immigrant students (dropouts, delays, grade retention, school evasion etc.). As noted by the Council of Europe, with regard to immigrant students the average rate of school dropout in the UE is double that native pupils. Considering this situation, the objective of the paper is, on the one hand, to identify the factors that contributed to increase a similar failure and, on the other hand, to understand how Europe is trying to reduce this phenomenon. In particular, my attempt is to explain what are the educational measures and strategies adopted by UE school systems not only to clash this phenomenon, but also to achieve the ambitious target, set by the European Commission in 2015, for reducing to below 10% the percentage of school dropout by 2020.

Proposal for an action plan to reduce early school leaving in Spain

“…women: 16.5% and 11.2% respectively in 2022, compared to EU averages of 11.4% and 7.5 % (Figure 3) (MEFP, 2023 [9]; Ruiz-Valenzuela and Moltalbán Castilla, 2022 [17]).…”

Propuestas para un plan de acción para reducir el abandono escolar temprano en España

“…El género es otro factor de influencia. En muchos países de la Unión Europea y la OCDE, los hombres están sobrerrepresentados entre los alumnos que abandonan los estudios de forma temprana, como ocurre también en España, donde el porcentaje de hombres es significativamente superior al de mujeres: 16,5% y 11,2%, respectivamente, en 2022, frente a los promedios del 11,4% y el 7,5% en la Unión Europea (Gráfico 3) (MEFP, 2023 [9]; Ruiz-Valenzuela and Moltalbán Castilla, 2022 [18]).…”