REGION, LOCALITY CHARACTERISTICS, HIGH-SCHOOL TRACKING AND EQUALITY IN ACCESS TO EDUCATIONAL CREDENTIALS - THE CASE OF PALESTINIAN ARAB COMMUNITIES IN ISRAEL

A limited number of studies attempted to account for regional and comm unity-level variables in exploring the mediating mechanisms conditioni ng the structure of educational opportunities. As a result, contextual dynamics of social stratification remain largely obscure. The aim of the present paper is to examine the relative effects of regional, loca lity (community level) and high school variables on access opportuniti es of Palestinian Arab high school pupils in Israel to educational cre dentials. We analysis is based on the aggregate data of 46 Arab locali ties. Findings reveal that while high school tracking patterns are aff ected by high school variables at community level (such as average all ocation of teaching-time per class and gender enrolment ratios), acces s to educational credentials (high school matriculation certificates) is determined by community-level SES and the locality's geographic loc ation (region). The implications of these findings for the broader stu dy of issues related to equality in educational opportunities are disc ussed.