Intergenerational Returns to Migration ? Comparing educational performance on both sides of the German border

This paper compares the educational performance of the children of immigrants to the children in their parents’ home countries. I utilize the 2003 and 2006 PISA internationally standardized test scores for Italian, Polish, Turkish, former Yugoslavian, and former Soviet origin youth attending school in Germany, as well as youth attending school in the origin countries. Controlling for family background, I find that the children of immigrants in Germany perform better than peers in every origin country with the exception of Italy. Checks for selection bias suggest that positive selection may account for some, but not all, of this immigrant advantage.