ETHNIC-INEQUALITY IN THE GERMAN EDUCATION AL-SYSTEM

On the basis of previous research, the degree and nature of the disadv antages faced by immigrant minorities in the school system of the Fede ral Republic of Germany remain uncertain. We address these issues by t he analysis of two major data sets: the Microcensus of 1989 and the So cio-Economic Panel. Our analysis of the Microcensus reveals the extent of ethnic disadvantage remaining after the socio-economic origins and generational status of students are taken into account. The findings show that children from three groups, Italians, Turks, and Yugoslavs, are more likely than German children to be placed in the least desirab le track of the school system, the Hauptschulen, and to leave the syst em without an apprenticeship (i.e., without a Lehre). Greek children, by contrast, are more likely even than Germans to be found in the most desirable track, the Gymnasium, which feeds into the higher education al system. Our analysis of the Socio-Economic Panel indicates that the se ethnic disadvantages are associated with the cultural climate at ho me and with whether or not the student has had a continuous educationa l career in Germany. In closing, we discuss these findings in terms of theories about the nature of ethnic disadvantage.