Ethnicity and education

1. Ethnicity and education Does cultural background act as a barrier or a benefit to educational success? Does prejudice and discrimination limit opportunity inside school? Is the curriculum ‘mono cultural’? What are recent trends in ethnicity and achievement? Andy Walker Learning Online

2. The Swann Report • Swann Report in 1985 reported the following observations: • Afro Caribbean children did worse than many other ethnic group in education (only 5% passed an A level and 1% went to University). • Indian and Pakistani heritage children in general did as well as white children (except in English language). • Children of Bangladeshi origin did worse than any other minority group (including Afro Caribbean children). • It is wrong to generalise and say all children of ethnic minority origin do badly at school as there are considerable variations across gender and class. Andy Walker Learning Online

3. More Recent Trends • Ofsted published a report in 2000 which concluded that all ethnic groups had improved their educational achievement • Children of Indian origin improved the most and were now achieving higher than White children • The performance of Black girls had improved significantly but the % pass rate for Black pupils was still the lowest • Bangladeshi children had improved significantly • The performance of girls in all ethnic groups was improving the quickest Andy Walker Learning Online

4. The Research of Leon Tikly • Tikly noted in 2005 that the educational attainment of mixed heritage children is below average and that there is an above average rate of exclusion for these children particularly males.His research indicates that there are five main reasons for this: Andy Walker Learning Online

5. Mixed heritage children Tikly’s research indicates that there are five main reasons for this: • The low socio-economic status of many of the families of mixed heritage children • Some racism from teachers coupled with low teacher expectations of dual heritage children • Racism from both White and Black peers aimed at their mixed heritage in the form of name calling and exclusion • Boys in particular, may experience considerable pressure by their peers to adopt to the norms of an "urban" or "street" subculture in which academic achievement, interest and success are seen as undesirable and useless • Mixed heritage children are often 'invisible' in school policy. until recently, many schools classified dual heritage children as Black and did not recognise them as a group with unique characteristics and needs Andy Walker Learning Online

6. Reasons for relatively poor performance of ethnic minority children • Low IQ – e.g. Eysenck has suggested that West Indian children have a lower IQ than others. The Swann report could find no evidence of this. Such views are now roundly discredited • Material deprivation – many ethnic minority groups are working class and their children experience similar material disadvantage of other working class children. • Hidden curriculum – culturally and linguistically biased against ethnic minority groups turning ethnic minority off learning • Labelling – teachers tend to stereotype ethnic minority students and attach negative labels which become self fulfilling prophecies. • Racism – racism in wider society diminishes self esteem. The school can be seen as representative of the Dominant culture and is therefore rejected. • High expectations amongst Asian families has been used as an explanation for the rapid progress of some ethnic minority groups Andy Walker Learning Online

7. Reasons for better performance of Asian children over Black children • Many Asian families have been seen as being more supportive and having higher aspirations for their children. Pryce has characterised West Indian families as “turbulent” and less close knit. • Asian families are statistically more likely to be of middle class income and culture. Andy Walker Learning Online

8. Social Policy since the 1980s has focussed on reducing in school factors by: • Better training of teachers in multiculturalism, tolerance and the avoidance of negative stereotyping. • Effective Equal opportunities and anti racism policies in schools. • An audit of teaching materials to remove all cultural bias and racism. • More teachers recruited from ethnic minority backgrounds – positive role models. • Positive discrimination/compensatory education – more resources to be allocated where they are most needed. The use of data to identify vulnerable groups and intervene with extra support • Ofsted requirements to ‘narrow gaps’ in achievement between groups • A more diverse National Curriculum Andy Walker Learning Online