Local prerequisites for successful schooling of newcomer pupils

This study aims to explore the relationship between local education policy and the educational experiences and achievement of newcomer pupils in rural and urban school contexts.

The project examines secondary grades and transition rates to upper-secondary school using longitudinal register data for 12-year old newcomer pupils who settled durably in municipalities throughout Sweden between 2014 and 2016.

A survey will also collect data on the newcomer pupils’ educational aspirations and trajectories since they settled in the country.

Using the studies’ statistical data, we will identify four structurally similar case studies in different geographical contexts where transition rates are above average compared to similar locations after controlling for relevant characteristics.

Within these four local case studies, we draw upon a policy enactment perspective to analyze local policy documents and interviews with local actors ranging from municipal officials, politicians, school leaders and teachers, to decipher how local practices are initially planned and implemented and explore how it affects newcomers’ schooling context.

The study thus aims to explore potential practical pitfalls in newcomer education at the local level and identify successful practices that can be emulated.

Both through its scope and its methodological pluralism, the project will advance existing knowledge on educational inequalities, while aiming to contribute to key areas of scholarly debate.