Linguistic integration and academic outcomes of students of migrant origin in spanish schools: Welcoming, ethical othermess and conditions for educational success
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Keywords
Linguistic integration, Schooling language, Migrant students, Ethical otherness, Educating function, Equity, School failure, Early school leaving, School segregation, Conscious pedagogical model
Abstract
Schooling is a key arena of citizenship for students of migrant origin—not only because it legally guarantees the right to education, but because it can turn this right into belonging, bonds, a shared language and future expectations. This paper examines (i) linguistic integration in Spanish schools and (ii) academic performance and school failure, arguing that both are intertwined: unequal access to the schooling language, school segregation, socioeconomic disadvantage, late arrival and discontinuous schooling trajectories. The legal framework is reviewed and recent evidence synthesized (PISA, administrative indicators and early school leaving statistics), revealing persistent gaps by nationality/origin and a pattern of concentration of foreign-national students in the public sector. The philosophical backbone is the Conscious Pedagogical Model (CPM/MPC), formulated by Julio César Arboleda (2026), which frames the educating function as an unconditional welcoming of the learner in their singularity and vulnerability: the migrant student is not a deficient subject but a singular being— precarious and in need of accompaniment— whom the school must receive with ethical otherness. Actionable strategies are proposed: integrated (non-segregating) language support, academic-language scaffolding across all subjects, formative non-punitive assessment, family mediation and balanced enrolment policies. The paper concludes with an indicator set and applied research agenda to turn linguistic integration into genuine educational success.
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Antonio José Entrena Utrilla, IES “María de Córdoba”, Las Navas del Marqués (Ávila, Castilla y León, Spain)
Regional Government of Castile and León (“IES María de Córdoba”, Las Navas del Marqués, Ávila, Spain). UNED – Master's Degree in Theoretical and Practical Philosophy (student). Master's Degree in Secondary Teacher Training (2016). Master's Degree in Coaching, Emotional Intelligence, and NLP (2022). Master's Degree in Organization and Management of Educational Centers (2022). Secondary and High School Philosophy Teacher. Head of the Philosophy Department.