The Concentration of Foreign Students in Primary Schools: A Study in Two Andalusian Cities

Abstract

The phenomenon of foreign students concentrating observed in some schools has often been explained by the fact that spanish families avoid them as well them being rejected by some colleges —especially privately subsidized ones— due to the influence of the foreign group. To a lesser extent, other reasons could be the significance of residential segregation, foreign families’ preferences and the Administration’s role. This article presents the results of research looking at primary schools in two Andalusian cities. It shows that principal cause of concentration are not family’s or schools’s choices, but Administration’s actions. However it’s possible observe avoidance phenomena respect to some groups: gypsy and Moroccan.