Educational attainment of children of immigrants: a transatlantic comparison of family resources and school context

Helga A.G. de Valk, Vrije Universiteit Brussel

In this paper I focus on the importance of family resources and school context for the educational attainment of children of immigrants in two different institutional settings. I use data on 3,200 young adults aged between 18 and 32 years of age in an urban area in the Netherlands and the United States. In total seven ethnic groups are included. First, a comparison of the educational attainment of children of immigrants and natives in Amsterdam/Rotterdam and New York City is made. Second, I question how and to what extent the educational attainment of immigrant and native youth is shaped by family resources and school context in these different urban settings. My findings show that socio-economic and demographic family characteristics are of main importance for all groups and in both urban settings. In addition, I find that characteristics of the schooling career are of similar importance in both urban contexts.