Students From an African-Caribbean Background: Ethnic Minorities in Education - Research Paper Example

 It would be superfluous to mention that education has existed in non-traditional settings and in traditional settings. Today with the borderless world an opportunity to impart education through the virtual mode has also changed the ways in which students learn and produce classroom tasks. Using the virtual paradigm, educators have also had the opportunities to be trained and to impart their classes. Given this virtual paradigm may help eliminate the “natural” way of people discriminating against others according to what they see, perceive, and act upon. This virtual paradigm allows educators to be more flexible with the students´ “closeness” while maintaining their rigidity concerning the students´ input and output of information. In the traditional classroom setting the professional practice is different given the increase of the variety of ethnic groups partaking classes. In the traditional classroom, however, schools and the educational systems in the United Kingdom are seen as havens that provide the means to the coming generations to make a change and create an impact to empower the next era in their developmental and educational processes. They are seen as able to create opportunities for young people to be educated, to be better citizens, to accept diversity and equality. It also teaches them to socialise, to be assets to the community, and to the society they live in. This research explores some of the issues ethnic minority students from an African-Caribbean background face in schools, ethnic minorities in education, and its implications for professional practice. It will also look into what strategies may be used to train the teachers (theory and practice) to help alleviate some of the discrepancies that routinely take place in the classroom and in the school environment and include the parents in this loop. The introduction of the Education Reform Act (1988) and how it has impacted the lives of these students will be presented herein. This researcher will also delve into the perceptions that the teachers and the state have concerning the African-Caribbean students and how the curriculum tries to integrate and include or not include these students from other ethnic groups. The Education Reform Act (1988 needs to be in the reference page) proposed a change in the educational system that was implemented in 1944. It “...introduced a national curriculum rooted in a prescriptive model of national culture, national history, and the ‘national interest’.” (Gill et al needs to be in the reference page (1992). p. vii book with woman in it) The 1980s was a period where there were parents campaigning to be heard and gain their rights to have a proactive voice in the government and education. Issues such as race and education were highlighted and bought to the public´s awareness through a serious of upsetting events since racism was evident in schools. Some events that hit the national headlines were the withdrawal of some white parents removing their children from an ethnically mixed primary school in Dewsbury, Yorkshire in 1987, on the grounds that they were being denied access to ‘British’ culture; and the murder in 1986 of an Asian schoolboy by a white peer at a secondary school in Burnage, Manchester’ (Gill et al, 1992: p. vii). The other side of the media portrayed a conflicting image through which the Education Reform Act was moved forward. Looking at the media impact, a construction of the term ‘nation’ was being created for the contemporary society. Whitty and Menter (1989) noted how the influence of New Right racism can be detected in the Act. They stated ‘...the very emphasis on ‘National’ in the National Curriculum...fails to recognize languages other than Welsh and English as the pupils’ first language, and the omission in any of the Consultative papers. In the Act, there was no reference to the 1985 report of Lord Swann’s Committee of Enquiry into the Education of Children from Ethnic Minority groups ‘Education for All’ (Whitty and Mentor, 1989). This process of socialisation and the powers exerted to push toward a society of ‘Britishness’ disregarding the attributes of other races, religions, socio-economic status (SES), languages, and dialects is a problem. These implicit constructions of a ‘nation’ were also highlighted by leading conservative leaders of the time. The most resounding is the speech given by Margaret Thatcher in 1979 on TV announcing, ‘We are a British Nation with British characteristics, every country can take some small minorities and in many ways they add to the richness and variety of this country. The moment the minority threatens to become a big one people get frightened.’ (Thatcher, 1979) This speech does not encourage multiculturalism, multiracialism or a multiethnic society. It is immediately evident that the Government is also reforming education for the benefit of the leading race (Caucasian and British) and SES. This leads to question, where does this leave those that belong to a different ethnic group? This increases the control and the power the Government has on the socialisation of the next generation and the freedom it provides to some sections of the society which are the majority. The discourse presented by the Tory politicians holds the interests of all individuals. As analysed by Hardy and Porter (1990: p. 177) the languages ‘...seeks to shift political discourse from that which sees the interest of the masses in the institutions of the state, to the interest of the masses in the pursuit of self interest through those institutions’. Therefore when parents have the alternative to gain admission for their children at the school of their choice, it is only providing a choice for those who have the means to transport their children to alternative schools, the ruling class, and those of non migrant communities. Such a discourse leaves minority groups in a powerless position since they do not have the resources, knowledge or skills required to make a learned choice leaving them to be victims of their disadvantaged circumstances. With the introduction of the Education Reform Act there was a shift in the power dynamics between the School and the Local Education Authority (LEA). There was a reduction in the role the LEAs played in the organization and in the delivery of education. The continued absence of an explicit, national education policy on race related matters will predictably allow head teachers and their governors, who may be sceptical of anti-racist education, to adopt a ‘colour blind’ attitude. According to Carrington and Troyna needs to be in the reference page (1988: 211) it may be agreed that ‘...anti racist education constitutes an emancipatory notion of educational change which embraces styles of teaching and classroom organisation that have the potential to facilitate the cognitive, social and affective development of children’. Looking at the Education Reform Act students from an ethnic minority will be at an automatic disadvantage through the way the system works and how it readily poses major challenges to these students. Although there is some inconsistency with the school exclusion rates (Osler et al, 2002) there is a general agreement that there is a disproportionately higher rate of exclusion among students from African-Caribbean backgrounds (Ofsted, needs to be in the reference page 2001). It is also alarming to learn that boys from an African-Caribbean heritage are between four and 15 times more likely to be excluded compared to white boys, depending on locality (Sewell, 1997), and African-Caribbean girls are four times more likely to be permanently excluded than white girls (Osler et al., 2002). This raises the question as to why this group of ethnic minority students are fairing so high in these statistics, especially at the primary school level. The achievement of African-Caribbean children is often higher at Key Stage 1 than other groups and then suddenly attainment levels decrease at Key Stage 4 (age 16) bringing them among the lowest achievers (Osler and Hill, 1999). Sometimes pupils express a sense of injustice because they felt that their side of the story has never been listened to or they were being singled out. There is a growing body of research evidence which suggests that the exclusion of African-Caribbean pupils reflects the nature of teacher-pupil relationships. Wright (1987) suggested that despite intentions and commitments to equality, white teachers on the whole perceive and respond to these students in ways which are negative towards them. She found that they were more likely to be singled out for criticism when showing the same challenging behaviour as their white peers. Some of the reasons why these students are subject to high levels of exclusion are observed by Mac an Ghalil (1988) who concluded that African-Caribbean boys received larger amounts of control and criticisms in school compared to other ethnic groups. This highlights the blame should be placed on the teachers. This is evidenced in the study where he found that ‘...the teachers [sic] understanding of the students [sic] response to academic work highlighted the way in which both authoritarian and liberal teachers assumed the neutrality of the dominant values of the school. Many of the teachers were critical of the students’ lack of competitive spirit, especially among the Afro-Caribbean’s’ (1988: p 59). The teachers are not familiar with the issues that affect the students´ home life, their cultural perspectives and their peer networks. They do not see it as their problem but rather a problem that is to be solved at home. This is highlighted by Sewell (1997: p. 2) by stating that teachers do not ‘...accept that there are ‘unfair practices in the school’ but in the final analysis the ‘blame’ for academic and behavioural poor performance lies in the home’. It may be observed that many teachers adopt an attitude where they feel racial inequalities are wrong, but they refrain to do anything to address these issues. If no action is taken by the teachers this situation will continue to exist with the African-Caribbean students, being disengaged and the high rates of exclusion will remain the same. Even though the ‘blame’ may be placed on the parents for the misbehaviour of these students, this does not justify the unequal disciplinary action taken by the teachers (Negroid and Caucasian). As black students develop their own culture and become comfortable and confident with it, everyone should feel proud that they are enriching and taking pride of their roots and origins. Rather there is pressure on them to resist the ‘...identification and solidarity with black culture and develop a strategy known as racelessness’ (Sewell, 1997: p 17). If such practice is carried out in schools, it is disregarding one of the most revolutionary Reports in the field of education. The ideology of ‘education for all’ (Swann, 1985) recommended ‘...major efforts are to be made to reconcile the concerns and aspirations of both the majority and minority communities along more genuinely pluralistic lines, there is a real risk of the fragmentation of our society along ethnic lines which would seriously threaten the stability and cohesion of society as a whole’ (1985: p. 7). For that reason if a black student is asked to behave in a ‘monocultural’, ‘White’, ‘British’ manner it is completely contradicting this Report and proving that same risk to stability and cohesion which was outlined 15 years ago. Gilborn and Mirza (2000) argued that ‘...social class and gender differences are also associated with differences in attainment but neither can account for persistent underlying ethnic inequalities: comparing like with like, African Caribbean, Pakistani and Bangladeshi pupils do not enjoy equal opportunities.’ They also argued that in promoting educational inclusion as a means of raising standards, there is a need ‘for clarity and guidance in translating the commitment to equality and inclusion into policy proposals and practice at the local and school level.’ (2000: p. 27) In these examples, African-Caribbean students are being excluded either in the classroom or they are being excluded from the classroom. Exclusion is the denial of an equal right to education (1989 Children’s Act, UN Convention on the Rights of the Child) and with the absence of alternative provisions, the pupil will no longer have the ability to participate fully in social life. School exclusion becomes interconnected with social exclusion, especially as education plays a very important part in the socialization of children. The process of education shapes not only the characteristics of an individual´s personality, but it also shapes their beliefs about the order of society and politics. Shaping an individual is as shaping future generations. There is a strong need for schools to break the silence and adopt a complete anti racist education curriculum, the same way in which Youth Workers thrive to do. The Youth and Community Workers need to ensure that there is a working democratic and multi cultural way, ensuring that people may empower and help other young people develop in their school environment. Words, such as, diversity, fairness, inclusion and, justice should be at the forefront of education. These are the foundations that need to be worked with so that young people become the model citizens that are needed in this society. There is a push toward individualisation, where the government and schools are pushing students to be individuals but only those individuals that they want to create so that they meet the criteria of the majority. Educators too should push forward individualisation and independence given all of the characteristics, cultures, and attributes that come with the young people. There is only a limited amount of work that the Youth and Community Workers are able to accomplish. The real change needs to be performed in the educational sector. Strategies to eradicate racism and discrimination are essential. As it has been presented in this document, education can no longer continue to be the old way of teaching. If there are reforms to the educational sector, it is logical to think that it is because they are needed, furthermore, they should be implemented. Since the school environment is no longer what it used to be and there is an enrichment of a variety of ethnics groups in the educational system, a need to develop curriculum where elements, such as: culture, language, history, customs, traditions, regionalism, religion, and non-verbal communication (Centeno, 2010) need to be incorporated into the educational system. According to Centeno (1989; 2010) there needs to be sensitivity in the corporate world. Why should education be different? If corporations are changing the ways of performing business to obtain positive business transactions, education should be able to do the same. By using these elements in the educational system implies that constant training for teachers needs to be developed. It is already known that students learn differently, new strategies need to be incorporated into the curriculum to interest the students in learning and making them feel important enough to be part of the educational system. Teachers need to incorporate these elements into their curriculum development to help maintain and retain the minority faculty and the students. It is not only to place pictures and drawings of minorities into the text books or having numbered articles. It is about creating multicultural and multidisciplinary curriculum. Teachers need to be trained to become sensitive to other ethnic students´ needs and requirements. They need to know how to teach these students. Reforms indicate that if the students do not learn it is because the teacher did not reach them, in which case, this means that the teachers did not perform well. There can no longer be failed students. That does not mean that the teacher is going to give passing grades if the student did not perform well. It means that the teacher has the responsibility to seek educational strategies that will help the students learn and perform well. Teachers need to be trained in developing classroom strategies and test taking strategies. They need to constantly use critical thinking exercises as part of their teaching. This is no longer a rote memory type of education. Gardner & Hatch (1989) reinforced that multiple intelligences strategies should be incorporated into the educational systems. Students learn differently, therefore, different strategies should be incorporated into the curriculum that is being developed and the lesson plans that the teachers develop. These give the teachers, different ways of teaching and not lose the students in the interim because their requirements of their multiple intelligences are not met or the inclusion of the elements that Centeno (1989; 2010) presented not included in their teaching strategies to help the students obtain better results in their academic performance. Throughout history, it has been known that barriers exist that prevent teachers to effectively communicate with parents. It is necessary for the school systems to develop close communication with the parents. Researchers (Harris and Goodall, 2007; Christenson, n.d.; Smedley et al, 2007) stated that these barriers deter the students from obtaining higher academic performance levels. Harris and Goodall (2007) stated that parents influence their children by supporting learning at home instead of supporting the activities at home. They reported that when parents are engaged it influences the child´s level of attainment and the higher the level of attainment, more parental involvement is present. Smedley et al (2007), in addition, stated that teachers and parents working in partnership are better than working in isolation. In conclusion, the ethnic minorities in education and the implications for professional practice are surmountable. It is a loop where the parents are engaged in their child´s education in conjunction with the teachers of the children and where children are actively involved in their educational process. This is not an easy task to accomplish. Coordinating these groups (parents, teachers, and students) have been difficult tasks during the educational existence. On top of this coordination there has to be an incorporation of the culture, customs, traditions, history, language, regionalism, religion, and non-verbal communication in the educational settings. The use of multiple intelligences also needs to be an active part of the educational strategies that need to be incorporated in the classroom. Educators and policy makers need to be up to par to make a positive difference in the educational setting. The parents and the teachers need to come forth and suggests learning alternatives for the students (being careful of not falling into prejudice, racism, and bigotry) such as using the virtual mode paradigm. Not all students or teachers perform well in the traditional classroom setting. The virtual mode gives educators and students the opportunities of teaching and learning in different ways. This virtual mode lends itself to have a different type of experience. It could be synchronous or asynchronous, with sound or without sound, with visual or no visual. This researcher believes that if the paradigm is used in an asynchronous manner, everyone is blindfolded and deaf. This way prejudice and discriminatory actions may be diminished and education may be imparted. The truth of the matter is that there needs to be a change in educational procedures and teaching methodologies since the communities are changing. The world is borderless given the incorporation of Information Technology. Let education be borderless and let it permit all students and faculty members do what they know best, learn and teach, respectively. REFERENCES Centeno, M. (1989). “Cultural sensitivity in the corporate world”, Dissertation, The Pennsylvania State University. Centeno, M. (2010). “Cultural sensitivity in the corporate world”, Helium, Available at: http://www.helium.com/items/1694287-cultural-sensitivity-in-the-corporate-world Retrieved 2 February 2010. Christenson, S, 2007, “Parental disengagement with children´s learning and schooling: Strategies for fostering partnerships, 29th ISPA Colloquium meeting and community needs”, International School Psychology Association, [Online] Available at: http://www.ispaweb.org/Colloquia/Tampere/Book_of_Abstracts.pdf [Accessed 2 February 2010]. Gardner, H. & Hatch, T. (1989). Multiple intelligences go to school: Educational implications of the theory of multiple intelligences. Educational Researcher, 18(8), 4-9. Gilborn, D. and Mirza, H. (2000) Educational Inequality: Mapping Race, Class and Gender. London: OfSTED Hardy, J. and Vieler-Porter, C. (1990) ‘Race, Schooling and The 1988 Education Reform Act’ in Flude, M. and Hammer, M (1990) The Education Reform Act 1988 – Its origins and implications. Basingstoke: The Falmer Press. Harris, A, and Goodall J, 2007, “Engaging parents in raising achievement do parents know they matter?” Department for Children, Schools and Families. Available at: http://academia-research.com/files/message/2060024_DCSF-RW004.pdf [Accessed March 3, 2010]. Mac an Ghalil, M. (1994) The making of men, masculinities, sexualities and schooling. Buckingham: Open University Press. Osler, A. and Hill, J. (1999) ‘Exclusion from school and racial equality: an examination of government proposals in light of recent research evidence’, Cambridge Journal of Education, Vol. 29, No. 1 Osler, A., Street, C., Lall, M. and Vincent, C. (2002) Girls and School Exclusion. York: Joseph Rowntree Foundation Sewell, T. (1997) Black Masculinities and Schooling: How Black Boys Survive Modern Schooling. Stoke on Trent: Trentham Books Ltd Smedley, L, Wheeler, D and Donaldson, D, 2007, “Integrating parent/teacher skill expectations for educational planning: Utilizing the adaptive behaviour assessment system. 29th ISPA Colloquium meeting and community needs”, International School Psychology Association. Available at: http://www.ispaweb.org/Colloquia/Tampere/Book_of_Abstracts.pdf [Accessed 2 February 2010]. Swann, M. (1985) ‘Education for All’ Final Report of the Committee of Inquiry into the Education of Children from Ethnic Minority Groups Cmnd 9453. London: HMSO Thatcher, M. (1979) World in Action, Granada TV 1979. Whitty, G. and Menter, I. (1989) ‘Lessons of Thatcherism- Education Policy in England and Wales 1979 – 1988’, Journal of Law and Society, Vol. 16, No. 1, Spring. Wright, C. (1987) ‘The relations between teachers and Afro-Caribbean pupils: Observing multi racial classrooms’, in G. Weinger, Gender under Scrutiny: New Enquiries in Education. London: Hutchinson. Read More