Third-graders in class (symbolic image): Parents of naturalized children believe their offspring are capable of a higher school-leaving certificate
Photo: Patrick Pleul / dpa
Granting German citizenship to children born in Germany to foreign parents has a positive effect on the children's educational success.
This is the result of a new calculation by the Federal Institute for Population Research (BiB), which was exclusively available to SPIEGEL before publication.
The results show that naturalization affects the likelihood that parents will trust their child to graduate from higher education.
"The expectation of parents and children that the child will complete school with the Abitur increases by nine percentage points - compared to children who were not affected by the reform," explains Elena Ziege, educational researcher at the BiB.
Expectations affect educational pathways
According to the analysis, educational aspiration, i.e. expectations regarding future school qualifications, are an important indicator of the educational success of children and young people.
This has been shown by numerous national and international studies.
Citizenship also affects school choice.
After the reform, the probability that the child will actually attend a grammar school after fourth grade has increased from 46 to 62 percent.
For its calculation based on the National Educational Panel Study (NEPS), the BiB evaluated the reform of the Citizenship Act of 1999, which introduced the so-called place of birth principle: If the parents have already lived legally in Germany for at least eight years at the time their child was born, your child automatically received German citizenship.
The data was compared with the educational path of children born before the reform and those whose parents had not lived in Germany long enough.
"There are numerous indications in empirical research that a relaxation of the naturalization requirements could have positive effects on the educational opportunities of children and young people in Germany - also against the background of better opportunities for children with a migration background," says BiB Director C. Katharina Spieß.
German citizenship therefore increases the likelihood of attending a day care center.
In addition, their knowledge of German, socio-emotional behavior and school performance improve.
In addition, children are less likely to repeat a grade after citizenship reform.
According to BiB, 30 percent of children living in Germany currently have at least one parent with their own migration experience.
According to the analysis by the BiB, they would benefit from the reform of the naturalization law currently under discussion – the so-called right of residence.
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