School Careers of Students from Ethnic Minorities in the Netherlands

This study investigated the influences that are related to a successful school career for students in the Netherlands and compared ethnic minority students with students from a Dutch background. Data were drawn from a study on Dutch educational policy for 5,311 students in elementary and secondary school, 24.5% of whom were ethnic minorities largely from Surinamese, Turkish, or Moroccan backgrounds. Students of Dutch background clearly had higher levels of academic achievement, and their parents had higher socioeconomic status and more cultural capital. Findings suggest that it is better to study cultural capital than socioeconomic status alone when considering the academic achievement of ethnic minority students. (Contains 4 tables, 2 figures, and 22 references.) (SLD)