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The Hidden Divide: School Segregation of Teachers in the Netherlands

Author

Listed:
  • Rafiq Friperson

    (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam)

  • Hessel Oosterbeek

    (University of Amsterdam)

  • Bas van der Klaauw

    (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam)

Abstract

We use Dutch register data to document the understudied phenomenon of teacher segregation. We show that teachers in primary and secondary schools in the four largest cities of the country – Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague and Utrecht – are segregated in terms of their migration and social backgrounds. While segregation by social background is not much higher than what would be expected under random teacher-school assignment, segregation by migration background is substantial even after accounting for randomness. Relating schools’ teacher composition to their student composition, we find in most cases that schools with a high proportion of teachers from a particular background tend to have a high proportion of students from that same background.

Suggested Citation

  • Rafiq Friperson & Hessel Oosterbeek & Bas van der Klaauw, 2023. "The Hidden Divide: School Segregation of Teachers in the Netherlands," Tinbergen Institute Discussion Papers 23-034/V, Tinbergen Institute.
    • Handle: RePEc:tin:wpaper:20230034
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Frankel, David M. & Volij, Oscar, 2011. "Measuring school segregation," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 146(1), pages 1-38, January.
    2. Fagernäs, Sonja & Pelkonen, Panu, 2017. "Where's the Teacher? How Teacher Workplace Segregation Impedes Teacher Allocation in India," IZA Discussion Papers 10595, IZA Network @ LISER.
    3. Rebecca Allen & Simon Burgess & Russell Davidson & Frank Windmeijer, 2015. "More reliable inference for the dissimilarity index of segregation," Econometrics Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 18(1), pages 40-66, February.
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    5. Douglas Massey & Jonathan Tannen, 2015. "A Research Note on Trends in Black Hypersegregation," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 52(3), pages 1025-1034, June.
    6. Oosterbeek, Hessel & Sóvágó, Sándor & van der Klaauw, Bas, 2021. "Preference heterogeneity and school segregation," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 197(C).
    7. Gautam Rao, 2019. "Familiarity Does Not Breed Contempt: Generosity, Discrimination, and Diversity in Delhi Schools," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 109(3), pages 774-809, March.
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    JEL classification:

    • I24 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Education and Inequality

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