I he language skills of parents, particularly of mothers, may not be sufficient to allow them to assist their children in their schoolwork. This is especially the case in the Internet age, when media in the language of the country of origin are more present in immigrant households than they ever used to be. However, the variance in the performance gaps between immigrant and non-immigrant students across countries, even after adjusting for socio-economic background, suggests that policy has an important role to play in eliminating such gaps.