Considerable research concerning determinants of teacher efficacy focuses on teachers' individual characteristics. School characteristics, such as the socioeconomic and gender composition of the school, are largely overlooked. The scant research including schools' student composition suggests that teachers feel less efficacious when teaching boys…

Strain theories expect socio-economically disadvantaged students to be overrepresented among perpetrators of school-deviant behavior. Empirical research, however, is inconclusive about the SES-deviance relationship. Recently, strain theorists argued that economic deprivation, rather than a socio-economic status (SES) index is related to…

This study aimed to investigate the relationship of classroom composition factors with reading and listening comprehension achievement and progress in socially and ethnically segregated primary schools in Flanders (Belgium). Specifically, using a three-level multivariate repeated measures analysis, it examined the association of reading and…

Recent research has increasingly been studying the long-lasting effects of secondary education structures and processes on higher education (HE) outcomes. While the influence of socioeconomic composition on higher education enrolment is established, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. We posit that the composition effect partially runs…

The assumption that (early) attendance of universal pre-school enhances the future academic performance of pupils with lower socio-economic and/or immigrant backgrounds underlies many education policies in Europe. The purpose of this study is to assess this assumption for Flanders -- a case characterised by near-general enrolment and a…

In 2016, Uruguay started gathering longitudinal student data to improve educational trajectories by putting in place an 'early alert' system. Underlying the system is the understanding that prior schooling predicts likelihood of grade repetition and grade repetition predicts later school dropout, while close follow-up can help prevent both…

This article examines the association between school ethnic composition and immigrant students' intentions to finish high school and to move on to higher education. We used data from 1324 immigrant and 10,546 native students gathered in the school year 2004-2005 in a sample of 85 Flemish (Belgian) secondary schools. Logistic multilevel analyses…

At-risk students are overrepresented in disadvantaged segregated primary schools. Often, these students begin with an educational delay and have less parental support, which makes them more dependent on the quality of their education. Since quality of education depends in great measure upon mechanisms at the class level, it is crucial to gain…

Given the importance of relatedness for study motivation, motivation might be associated with faculty trust in students and, as such, with schools' student composition. Representative Flemish data of 5162 students and 1247 teachers in 57 Flemish secondary schools, gathered at the end of the 2013/2014 school year (April--May 2014), reveal that the…

Teacher recommendations are an important factor in the process of track placement, but research has shown that they are biased by pupils' social background. Pupils from higher socio-economic backgrounds are more likely to get the advice to enrol in an academic track than pupils from lower socio-economic backgrounds, irrespective of prior…

This study examines whether secondary schools' gender composition and levels of laddish attitudes influence the degree of ethnic prejudice among Flemish pupils. We hypothesize that in addition to pupil-level predictors of prejudice, the school's gender composition and its laddish culture play roles in pupils' attitudes toward ethnic minorities. We…

Urban-rural disparities in educational outcomes have so far primarily received attention in U.S.-based research. These studies show that pupils in rural areas are at a disadvantage compared with pupils in (sub)urban areas. This article aims to examine urban-nonurban differences in educational choice in a European context, namely Flanders (the…

This study explores how structural, compositional, and cultural characteristics of the teacher workplace affect an individual teacher's trust in colleagues. In particular, we investigate whether a homogeneous staff culture facilitates trust among teachers. Multilevel analyses on data of 2,104 teachers across a representative sample of 84 secondary…