Ethnic differences in achievement - Patterns and trendswhat

how did the policy ‘school inclusions’ try and improve achievements of children from ethnic minority backgrounds

school inclusion- in the late 1990s social inclusion of pupils from ethnic minority groups, and policies to raise their achievements, became the focus. policies include:

• detailed monitoring of exam results by ethnicity

• amending the Race Relations Act to place a legal duty on schools to promote racial equality

• help for voluntary ‘saturday school’ in the black community 

• English as an additional language programmes

however, Heidi Sofia Mirza (20050 see’s little genuine change in policy. she argues that, instead of tackling the structural causes of ethnic inequality such as poverty and racism, educational policy still takes a ‘soft’ approach that focus’s on culture, behaviour and the home. 

how did the policy assimilation try and improve achievements of children from ethnic minority backgrounds

assimilation- policies in the 60s and 70s focused on assimilating pupils from ethnic minority’s into mainstream British culture as a way of improving their achievements (especially helping those who’s first language wasn’t English)

however, critics argue that some ethnic minority groups who are of risk of underachieving, already speak English and that the real cause of their under achievement lies in poverty or racism

how did the policy Multicultural education (MCE) try and improve achievements of children from ethnic minority backgrounds

policies through the 1980s and into the 1990s that aimed to improve achievements of ethnic minority groups byb valuing all cultures in the school curriculum, thereby rasing minority pupils self-esteem and achievements

However, MCE has been criticised by Maurean Stone (1981) who argues that black pupils do not fail for the lack of self-esteem so MCE is misguided.  

how do Tony Lawson and Joan Garrod define an ethnic group

people who share common history, customs and identity, as well as, in most cases, language and religion, and who see themselves as a distinct unit.

external factors- how does cultural deprivation effect achievements of ethnic groups

this theory claims that some minority ethnic group children underachieve due to their own deficiencies as a result of inadequate socialisation by their parents.

the explanation has three main aspects: language, attitudes and values, family structure and parental support 

how does language effect ethnic differences in achievements in education

language is cultural deprivation

cultural deprivation theorists see a lack of linguistic skills as a major cause of underachievement for some minority ethnic group children, leaving them poorly equipped for school.

Bereiter and Englemann (1966) claimed that language spoken by low-income black american families is inadequate for educational success, arguing that its ungrammatical and disjointed.

critics reject this claim like Labov (1973) found that black american speech was perfectly logical.

children who do not speak English at home arent held back educationally proven by the attainment 8 statics which tell us that students with English as a second language actually preform better than those who speak English at home

Demie and McLean ranked the different reasons for the underachievement of black Caribbean pupils in order of importance and found that language barriers and literacy levels came behind internal factors like stereotyping. this proves language may not be that important in explaining underachievement  

how does attitudes and values effect ethnic differences in achievements in education

this is an external factor 

cultural deprivation theorists see lack of aspiration as a major cause of underachievement. Children gain aspirations, competitiveness and willingness to make sacrifices for long term goals by being socialised into the mainstream culture.  these attitudes and values equip them for success in education

however some some cultural deprivation theorists state that some minority ethnic groups are socialised into a subculture that installs a fatalistic attitude that does not value education and leaves them unequipped for success. 

however, studies have shown that minority ethnic group pupils have high aspirations. for example Lucinda Platt and Samantha Parsons (2018) found that among 7-14 year olds, minority ethnic group girls and boys had higher carer aspirations that their white classmates. therefore ethnic group families are not socialising their children into low aspirations. 

how does family structure and parental support effect ethnic differences in achievements in education

cultural deprivation theorists argue that this failure to socialise children adequately is the result of a dysfunctional family structure where ,as Daniel Moynihan (1965) argues, black children only have a lone mother and are therefore deprived of adequate care because she likely struggles financially in the absence of a male breadwinner. as well as this the fathers absence also means the boys lack a role model of male achievement. Moynihan sees cultural deprivation as a cycle where inadequately socialised children from unstable families go on to fail at school and become inadequate parents themselves.  

however Geoffrey Driver (1977) criticises cultural deprivation theorists for ignoring the positive effect of black family structure on achievement. he shows that girls often have positive role models of strong independent women. Driver argues this is why black girls out preform black boys in educational achievements. 

how do Asian pupils do in educational achievement

in Sewells view Indian and Chinese pupils benefit from supportive families that have an ‘Asian work ethic’ and place high value on education. Ruth Lupen also found that the adult authority in Asian families is similar to the model that operates in schools- she found that respectful behaviour towards adults was expected from children which had a knock on effect in school as parents were more likely to be supportive of school behaviour policies. 

however the is danger in over generalising ‘Asian-success’ 

how do white working- class families do in education

white working class pupils often underachieve and have low aspirations. research conducted by Andrew McCulloch did a survey of 16000 pupils and found that minority ethnic group pupils are more likely to aspire to go to uni than white pupils. the lack of aspiration and achievement may come from the lack of parental support. for example Lupen studied 4 mainly working-class schools, 2 were predominantly white, 1 having mainly Pakistani community and the other having a mixed ethnic community. she found that the teachers reported lower levels of behaviour and discipline in the white-working-class school even though they had less children on free school meals. teachers blamed this on lower levels of parental support and the negative attitude that white working class parents had towards education. by contrast, ethnic minority group parents were more likely to see education as “as a way up in society”

what is compensatory education

the main policy approach to tackle cultural deprivation. for example the aiming high scheme focused on increasing the participation of minority ethnic groups in higher education. Archer et al notes that its emphasis was on ‘fixing’ individuals supposedly low aspirations like through the use of learning mentors.  

criticisms of cultural deprivation theory

Nell Keddie (1973) sees cultural deprivation as victim blaming. she argues that minority ethnic group children are culturally different, not culturally deprived. they don’t underachieve because they lack language skills, parental support or aspirations, but because schools are ethnocentric: biased in favour of the dominant white culture. 

critical race theorists argue that the education system as a whole is institutionally racist and that racism is built into the way schools operate to produce underachievement for minority ethnic group students like over decisions about higher tier exams. 

how has internal factors effected ethnic minority groups educational achievements and how do we know

according to Gillborn and Mizra (2000), in one local education authority, black children were the highest achievers on entry to primary school yet by GCSE time they had the worst results of any ethnic minority groups.

Steve Strands analysis of the entire national cohort of over 530,000 7-11 year olds how quickly many black students fall behind after starting school.

how does the internal factor: labelling and teacher racism affect ethnic minority groups educational achievements 

internationalists focus on the different labels teachers give pupils from different ethnic minority backgrounds. their studies show that teachers see black and Asian pupils as far from being ‘ideal students’. black students are often seen as disruptive and Asian students as passive. these negative labels lead teachers to treat pupils from ethnic minority backgrounds differently therefore disadvantaging them and possibly leading them to their failure.

how does labelling effect black pupils

Gillbourn and Yodell (2000) found that teachers were quicker to discipline black pupils than others for the same behaviour. Gillbourn and yodell argue this is the result of teachers’ ‘radicalised expectations’.  they found that teachers expect black pupils to present more discipline problems and misinterpreted their behaviour as threatening or as a challenge to authority.  when teachers acted on this misperception the pupil responds negatively resulting in more conflict. in turn, black pupils felt teachers underestimated their ability and picked on them. Gillborn and Yodell concluded that much of the conflict between white teachers and black students stems from the racial stereotypes teachers hold, rather than the pupils actual behaviour.

how does labelling effect asian students

Cecile Wrights (1992) study of a multi-ethnic primary school shows asian students are also victims of teacher labelling. she found teachers held ethnocentric views: that is, they took for granted that British culture and Standard English were superior. this affected how they related to asian students as teachers assumed they would have a poor grasp of english and left them out of class discussions or used simplistic language when speaking to them. 

asian pupils also felt isolated when teachers expressed disapproval of their customs or mispronounced their names. in general teachers didnt see them as a threat, like black pupils, but as a problem they could ignore. the effect was that Asian students , especially girls, were marginalised- pushed to the edges and prevented from participating fully.

whats the ideal pupil identity

a white middle-class, masculine identity and a hetro sexuality. teachers see this pupil stereotypically as achieving in the right way, through natural ability and initiative. 

whats the pathologised pupil identity

an asian ‘deserving poor’, feminised identity, either asexual or with an oppressed sexuality. teachers see this pupil stereotypically as a plodding, conformist and culture bound ‘over-achiever’, a slogger who succeeds through hard work rather than natural ability 

whats the demonised pupil identity

a white or black working class, hyper sexualised identity. teachers see this student steryotypically as an unintelligent, peer-led, cultrally deprived under-achiever

how are Chinese pupils viewed

Archer argues that even thoes minority pupils who preform successfully can be pathologised (seen as abnormal) 

while Chinese pupils are successful they are are seen as achieving that success in the wrong way- through hardworking, passive conformism rather than natural individual ability. this meant they could never have the identity of ‘ideal pupil’. Archer and Francis (2006) sum up the teachers’ view of them as a ‘negative positive stereotype’

what is pupils responses to labelling

there is evidence of teacher racism and negative labelling however research shows students can respond this is many different ways. they may respond by becoming disruptive or withdrawn. or they may refuse to accept the label and even decide to prove it wrong by working extra hard. negative label do not automatically turn into self-fulfilling prophecy.

whats an example of rejecting labels

Mary Fuller’s (1984) study of a group of black girls in year 11 of a london comprehensive school. the girls were untypical because they were high achievers in a school were most black girls were placed in lower streams.

fuller describes how, instead of accepting negative stereotypes of themselves, the girls used their anger to fuel their success. however they did not seek approval of teachers , many of whom they regarded as racist.

they also only conformed only as far as the schoolwork itself was concerned. they worked conscientiously but gave the impression of not doing so. they had a positive attitude to academic success but rather than seeking approval of teachers they preferred to rely on their own efforts.

this study highlights 2 important points

• pupils may still succeed even when they refuse to conform

• negative labelling does not always lead to failure

what is the critical race theory 

an internal factor which sees racism as an ingrained feature of society. this means that it involves not just the intentional action s of individuals but, more importantly, institutional racism- discrimination that is built into the way institutions such as schools and colleges operate. 

what is locked-in inequality

Locked-in inequality (Roithmayr, 2003):
Historical racism is so deep it continues without conscious intent — inequality becomes self-perpetuating.

Gillborn (2008) and education:
Ethnic inequality is so entrenched it’s an inevitable part of the education system.

Institutional racism in education:
Seen through marketisation, segregation, an ethnocentric curriculum, and unequal access to opportunities.

whats institutional racism

discrimination thats built into the way institutions schools and colleges operate. 

How do marketisation and segregation show institutional racism in education?

Gillborn (1997) argues that marketisation gives schools more control over admissions, leading to covert selection that disadvantages ethnic minority pupils. This causes segregation, with white, middle-class students concentrated in the best schools while ethnic minority students go to the schools with lower reputations — a form of institutional racism.

However, Ball (1994) argues that marketisation can increase parental choice, giving some ethnic minority families the chance to access better schools, suggesting it doesn’t always reinforce inequality.

 How does the ethnocentric curriculum show institutional racism in education?

The ethnocentric curriculum prioritises white, Western culture and history while ignoring or marginalising other ethnic groups.
This makes minority students feel excluded, lowers achievement, and reinforces institutional racism by valuing one culture over others.

Troyna and Williams note the lack of teaching Asian languages as compared with European languages. Miriam David described the national curriculum as a ‘ specifically British’ curriculum that largely ignores non-European languages, literature and music.  

however, its not clear what impact the ethnocentric curriculum has.for example while it may ignore Asian cultures and languages, Indians and Chinese pupils’ achievements are above the national average.  

How does access to opportunities show institutional racism in education?

Gillborn (2008) argues that white pupils are more likely to be identified as “gifted and talented” or entered for higher-tier exams, while Black and Asian pupils are often overlooked. This limits their access to opportunities and reinforces institutional racism within schools.

However, Evans (2006) suggests that teacher bias isn’t the only factor — social class and gender can also affect access to opportunities, meaning inequality isn’t solely due to institutional racism.

what ethnic minority group has the highest rate of permanent exclusions and the lowest

highest- gypsy/roma

lowest- Indian and Chinese

what ethnic minority group have the highest and lowest percentage of getting 5 or above in englihs and maths GCSE

highest- chinese

lowest- gypsy/roma

what ethnic minority has the highest and lowest proportion of pupils on FSM

highest- traveller of irish heritage

lowest- Chinese