A double disadvantage occurs when the interaction of two disadvantages generates an additional disadvantage. We show that second-generation immigrant children in the Italian primary school experience a double disadvantage that, relative to the average native, reduces scores in Italian by 17% and...

Apart from family, the integration of second-generation immigrant children begins at school, where age is known to affect the performance through different channels. We study whether the immigrant background interacts with absolute and relative age effects, generating additional barriers (...