Between home and school : children of migrants in the educational system : a Norwegian case

The issue of the educational system should be one of the main points in the discussion about the integration, assimilation of immigrants, and multicultural societies. Since the introduction of compulsory schooling, the school became one of the main instruments to integrate the young generation into a society and culture, to provide the most equal opportunities for individual development, to acquire knowledge, skills or professional qualifi cations. On the macro-level we are asking if the educational system works properly in the society as a whole. On the mezzo-level, the problems of local communities and individual schools are raised. Finally, on the micro-level, we consider the needs of individual pupils or classes, their educational opportunities, aspirations and motivations, but also their feeling of discrimination