Institutional Racism in schools

Question 1

What is institutional racism

Answer 1

• practices and procedures within an institution that place one or more group at a disadvantage based upon their ethnic background
• Synoptic link to crime and deviance

Question 2

How are schools institutionally racist

Answer 2

• admissions policies and procedures
• ethnocentric curriculum and ethnocentrism in food, uniform, holidays
• Racist abuse tolerated - teachers don’t actively challenge racist behaviour

Question 3

How does this impact of students achievement

Answer 3

• Marketisation - many minority ethnic groups unaware or unable to understand admissions policies
• higher education - less opportunities for black and Pakistani pupils
• excessive disciplinary focus on black students
• lower expectations on black pupils leads to lower achievement or conflict

Question 4

Research evidence to support institutional racism

Answer 4

• Gillborn and Youdell - lower expectations of black and working class students
• Modood - Pakistani and black students less likely then white students to be placed in higher education
• Crozier - Pakistani and Bangladeshi students subjected to racism from pupils
• Cline - racism common from other pupils

Question 5

Evaluations

Answer 5

• teachers see themselves as challenging racism in classrooms
• multicultural polices and zero tolerance policies to racism
• black students more likely to be victims of off-rolling and educational triage
• Indian and Chinese students more resistant to racism, parents have higher cultural capital to get students placed in good schools