Second generation learners are a litmus test for integration success. The educational achievement of the second generation relative to their native peers tells a compelling story of how some communities are succeeding and others are falling behind.

This month we profile Good Ideas in the area of education. We look at the Toronto District School Board (TDSB), winner of the prestigious international 2008 Carl Bertelsmann Prize, and the canton-wide success of the QUIMS program from Zurich, also nominated for their work in city schools in Switzerland.

The Toronto District School Board (TDSB) was recognized by the Carl Bertelsmann Prize in 2008 for its exemplary work in promoting social integration and improving equal learning opportunities at its schools. According to data from the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) the TDSB has successfully closed the average achievement gap between second generation students of immigrant origin and their Canadian peers.

In Zurich the QUIMS program is tailoring supplementary teacher training and classroom support to the needs of school communities in areas of high diversity (40%+). Their targeted ‘quality standards’ approach improves academic outcomes in the classroom and promotes social cohesion within Swiss communities.

Educational outcomes do not tell the whole story. Matriculation to post-secondary education, for example, doesn’t always mean higher rates of success in accessing the labour market, as the TIES research program at the University of Amsterdam has shown.

In Canada, young second generation women are more successful than their native peers, earning higher grades and higher wages. But this is not true of their male counterparts, where lower labour market outcomes for visible minorities may point to lingering forms of racial discrimination in Canadian workplaces; see Statistics Canada report.

But the data is less important than what we choose to do with it. The good news is that individual families, communities and institutions are using school, sport and other everyday activities to ensure that no one and no child is left behind.

Browse our Good Ideas in Integration collection for ideas and inspiration for your community!

• Frankfurt: “School For Mama and Me!”: Language Lessons For Parents
• Toronto: Making Their Mark: Educational Opportunity for Young Refugees
• Cardiff: Language from the Law: The Cardiff E.S.O.L. Police Project
• Auckland: Walking School Bus
• Toronto: Jump Math
• Singapore: Tuition Program for International Students