In Western Europe, due to the recent refugee crisis, immigration from the Middle East has risen substantially in the past year. In recognition of these socio-political shifts, the education system needs to respond in a way that effectively supports youth coming from these regions and addresses the cultural transformation for youth born in the receiving countries. In the past, immigrant origin students were often funneled into lower vocational tracks at a substantially higher rate than students from the dominant groups (Brinbaum, Monguérou, & Primon, 2010; Glock & Krolak-Schwerdt, 2013; Baysu & Phalet, 2012). This issue, along with other educational inequities, represented a larger systemic failure of European education systems, as well as those of other developed nations, to truly provide equitable educational opportunities for these youth who grow up within systems of oppression in receiving countries where they were treated as perpetual foreigners.

In relation to discrimination, studies have found that Turkish youth are typically more marginalized than other immigrant origin groups in Western Europe (Moldenhawer, 1999). In addition, and likely related, Turkish origin students in particular, compared to other immigrant populations in Europe, are overrepresented in the lowest academic tracks, usually vocational schools (Baysu & Phalet, 2012; Glock and Krolak-Schwerdt, 2013). Higher dropout rates have been cited with this group, compared to other immigrant groups, (Baysu & Phalet, 2012), as well as higher levels of unemployment (Moldehawer, 1999). In France, Turkish origin students have substantially lower percentages in passing the baccalauréat, an academic qualification taken at the end of secondary schooling (lycée): Only 32.9% of Turkish origin youth receive the degree, compared to 50.8% of Maghrebi origin youth (the second lowest percentage), and 64.2% of non-immigrant origin students (Maurin, 2012). In understanding these discrepancies, it is essential to examine the role of societal discrimination within the educational system. This particular factor is one that is essential to examine at this moment in time, in consideration of the current refugee crisis in Europe, as well as the attacks in Paris on November 13, 2015. After the attacks in New York City on September 11, 2001, Islamophobia increased drastically throughout the Western world (Taylor, 2009). A similar effect has already been evident after the attacks in Paris, which demands a response on the part of the educational systems in Europe to combat this unjust marginalization.

This review of the research seeks to analyze the role of the education system in relation to Turkish immigrant origin youth, as documented within refereed research. The review was undertaken with the goal of reviewing pedagogical approaches that have been effective or ineffective with these youth in order to develop recommendations for educators that teach Middle Eastern origin youth. The central question that this review seeks to answer is: What does educational research say about the role of the education system in the growing disenfranchisement of Turkish youth? Within this larger question, there will be a focus of how different educational systems and programs have promoted or suppressed the cultures of Turkish origin youth, understanding culture as political in nature. 

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