ethnic education Flashcards
Driver and Ballard
found that asian children whose first language was not english were as good at english as their mates by the age of 16.
Gillborn 1990
found that labelling played a significant part in the performance of different minority groups.
teachers had different expectations of different ethnic groups and particularly saw black males as more “trouble”
this study is old so not as modern
Mac an Ghaill 1992
studied 25 Afro-Caribbean and
Asian A level students and found that all had experienced some problems due to racism in school but had adopted ‘survival strategies’ to deal with them. They avoided teachers with particular
reputations, kept their heads down in some lessons and confided in other teachers whom they trusted. The most successful students were
the ones who learnt to steer themselves through these obstacles.
Mirza 1992
Mirza found that negative labelling did not necessarily lead to low self esteem for ethnic minority students. She found that black girls had positive self images and high aspirations. Some teachers were well meaning but paradoxically held back black girls by over compensating for them and not pushing them enough.
is the education system institutionally racist
yes,
1.5 % of the profession are black teachers
7 % in London
Bourne et al (1994)
African-Caribbeans have the highest exclusion rate, three times the rate of white pupils. Bourne et al believe that this because white teachers feel threatened by
these students.
Tony Sewelln1997
identified peer pressure and street culture as a key factor to explain why many black- Caribbean pupils achievement declines trough secondary school he see the high number of boys who grow up in female single parent families as a factor, and points out that this makes boys vulnerable to negative influences of peer pressure and street culture.
Mac an Ghaill 1988
illustrates this attitude with his description of the “rastas” who arrived late, disturbed other students, interrupted teachers, tried to cause arguments and talked incessantly
Smith and Tomlinson (1989)
Smith and Tomlinson studied 2,400 pupils aged 11-16 years from a range of ethnic groups who attended 18 multi-ethnic comprehensives. They found achievement levels varied enormously, suggesting that schools could make a significant difference to children of all ethnic groups.
Andrew Pilkington (1999)
Pilkington argues that research should centre around two key questions. Is there evidence of racial discrimination in the allocation of pupils to sets/streams? Is there evidence of racial discrimination by teachers in
their classrooms?
Cecile Wright (1992)
Wright researched four inner-city primary schools and found evidence that teachers treated ethnic minority children differently from White children. David Gillborn (1990) found something similar in secondary education. He believes underachievement amongst ethnic minority groups is due to racism.
Gillborn and Youdell (2001)
They found evidence that racism is still a key factor in educational underachievement. In a study of two London schools they found black children were the lowest achieving group when they left school after GCSEs despite being the highest achieving group when they started. Working-class and black pupils were more likely to be allocated to lower sets than middle class children doing work of the same standard. They were also less likely to be entered for higher
tiers of GCSE.
Trevor Phillips of the Committee for Racial
Equality in 2004
said that many Black parents want separate classes for Black
pupils in state schools. Some African-Caribbean parents suggest
the creation of ‘Black schools’ to foster a positive image of Black identity.
Trevor Phillips of the Committee for Racial Equality in 2004
said that many Black parents want separate classes for Black pupils in
state schools. Some African-Caribbean parents suggest the creation of ‘Black schools’ to foster a positive image of Black identity. Equally the Muslim community argues that education for their children should be based on Islam. They point out that ‘mainstream’ religious schools (Anglican, Roman Catholic and Jewish) receive government aid and so it is discriminating to refuse the same aid to Sikhs, Muslims and Hindus. A fear of Islamic fundamentalism appears to have dampened this enthusiasm, but interest in Faith Schools has been revived in the Education White Paper (2006).
