Educational Achievement of Immigrant Children in Western Countries: Origin, Destination, and Community Effects on Mathematical Performance

This paper explores the extent to which macro-level characteristics of destination countries, origin countries and immigrant communities can explain differences in the educational achievement of immigrant children. Using data from the 2003 PISA survey, we performed analyses on the mathematical performance of 7403 pupils with a background of immigration from 35 different origin countries in 13 Western countries of destination. Our cross-classified multilevel analyses show that cross-national and cross-group variance cannot be fully explained by compositional differences. Contextual properties of host countries, origin countries and communities also affect the educational performance of immigrant children. We show that the better educational performance of immigrant children in traditional immigrant receiving countries can be explained by strict immigration laws. We further find that the level of economic development of origin countries negatively affects immigrant children’s educational performance, and that children who have a background in more politically stable countries, perform better at school. Finally, we find that socioeconomic differences between immigrant communities and the native population and relative community size negatively affect immigrant children’s scholastic achievement.immigrant; educational achievement; cross-national comparison; PISA; origin country; destination country

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contaminated air or ingestion of contaminated water. These levels may be higher near municipal waste incinerators, coal and petroleum fueled facilities or hazardous waste sites. � Exposure can occur by ingestion of minute amounts present in some foods and drinks. � Cresols are used as disinfectants and deodorizers. � Cigarette smoke is a source of cresols for smokers and for those who inhale second hand smoke. Occupational Populations � Workers involved in the manufacture of cresols or of consumer products that contain cresols. � Workers routinely involved in the combustion of coal or wood may be exposed to higher levels of cresols than the general population. � Workers at gas stations or those involved in distillation of crude tar or oil. Toxicokinetics an

Zinc and Copper Levels in Patients with Primary Hypertension and Normotension

One of the causes of primary hypertension is an exposure to free radicals. The formation of free radicals in the body can be prevented by taking antioxidants. Zinc and copper are cofactors of endogenous antioxidant enzyme superoxide dismutase. This study aimed to analyze the differences of zinc and copper levels in primary hypertensive and normotensive patients. This was an analytical observational study with cross sectional design and simple random sampling method. Subjects were patients aged 40-70 years at Haji General Hospital consisting of 15 primary hypertensive patients and 15 normotensive individuals (comparison group). Data was collected through interviews and laboratory test of blood samples. Zinc and Copper serum concentrations were measured by AAS. Data were analyzed by chi-square and independent samples t-test. The results showed that the mean levels of zinc and copper in primary hypertensive patients was lower than normotensive. However, statistically there was no difference in zinc serum levels (p=0.852) in the two groups, and there was a significant difference in copper serum levels (p=0.032). It can be concluded that there were differences in copper serum levels between the two groups but not with the levels of zinc