Black and Minority Ethnic Groups - Essay Example

Black and minority ethnic groups (BMEs) are some of the most neglected people in the world. A huge percentage of them lag behind in a lot of areas, primarily when it comes to basic needs like access to adequate food, clothing and good housing. Apart from this they tend to be poorly educated, with a majority of them not completing high school education and some not even receiving basic education. The impact and experience of inequalities among different groups is not the same. The available evidence suggests that people from black and ethnic minority communities are more likely than the population as a whole to experience social exclusion and to suffer the consequences of discrimination. Other large national surveys show that there are differences in both the broader attributes of health like educational attainment, lifestyle, income levels, living and working conditions and in health outcomes. There are also important differences between and within black and ethnic minority groups. This paper attempts to highlight, analyze and evaluate the prospect of using skilled, qualified and bilingual teachers to improve literacy and numeracy among black and minority ethnic groups at a primary inner city school in Sheffield with 90% BME children. 1. Identifying And Planning Resources Needed To Meet Objectives This phase will focus on how the school will locate and then proceed to plan its resources (the teachers) so that they can be utilized to achieve the objectives of the school, which are to increase the rates of literacy and numeracy among black and minority ethnic groups. 1.1 Identify those resources required to achieve objectives Once the resource has been identified as teachers, the school will proceed on and locate the teachers it thinks will be crucial in achieving its objectives. This stage could involve several issues and a number of methods can be used to identify potential recruits that can be incorporated into the school’s system. Identification may involve the following: a) Setting up Recruitment Networks The school may create a network which will be entirely dedicated to identifying and hiring teachers who have attractive attributes and credentials. This network will be allocated the necessary resources so that it can be able to perform its duties effectively in order to help achieve the objectives of the school. The network will be charged with the task of traversing different areas ranging from other schools to colleges that provide training to prospective teachers. b) Collaboration With The Government The government is a huge source of information on the performance of various schools with specific information on the performance of individual teachers. Working closely with the government can lead to access to this type of information and as a result the school can be able to use this information to identify the teachers it thinks can help it achieve its goals and objectives. The government is normally responsible for the hiring and recruitment of teachers, and as a result keeps information on the number, performance and location of the various teachers on its payroll. c) Collaboration Private Organizations This includes non-governmental organizations and other not-for-profit bodies. These organizations normally tend to carry out a lot of work that may be of importance to the school. They are usually involved in community work and other beneficial activities which means that they therefore have extensive contacts and networks which may be useful to the school. With assistance from these private organizations the school can be able tap into their potential and use it to identify teachers who they think could help them meet their targets. 1.2 Planning Resource Use To Achieve Objectives After teachers have been identified, the school needs to plan how it will use those teachers so that it can realise expected results and outcomes. Merely having those teachers is not enough, there is need to draw up a well defined plan that will enable efficient and effective use of teachers that are at the school’s disposal. This may involve matters like methods of teaching, hours of teaching, remuneration and to an extent the relationship between the teachers and their students or pupils. This stage will involve coming up with workable plans that will enable the school gravitate towards its short, mid-term and long term objectives. It may consist of doing the following: a) Allowing Teachers To Interact With Their Students Interaction does not only mean teaching, it needs to go beyond that if the school is to realize its goals. Students should not be limited to seeing and mingling with their teachers in classrooms only. Co-curricular and extra-curricular activities need to be encouraged among teachers and students so that they can be able to feel free and easy with each other. This will make it relatively easier for the students to learn because they will feel comfortable in the teachers’ presence. b) Effective allocation of duties and responsibilities. The teachers should be given clearly defined duties, responsibilities or assignments which will make their work easier and more purposeful. They should be willing and ready to participate in the execution of those duties which if possible should not be restricted to the classroom. Allocation of duties will enable the teachers to have a more positive approach to their work and hence avoid unnecessary interruptions and mix-ups which may either slow them down or discourage them. c) Supporting the teachers. Teachers cannot work alone, they need the support of the school in order to fully realize their potential and as a result translate this into results which will be visible in their students. The school should provide their teachers with the necessary incentives that will improve their morale and thus make them develop a positive attitude towards their work. Incentives may include encouragement, provision of good working conditions and rewarding good performance when possible. These incentives will make the teachers feel appreciated and give them a massive boost that will be instrumental in improving their performance and in extension the performance of their students. 1.3 Identifying The Costs Associated With The Resources Required To Achieve Objectives Each and every resource that is used in this world has a price tag attached to it. This includes human resources which is one of the most important assets a company or organisation can have. The teachers hired by the school need to be paid. They also utilize the school’s facilities and as a result they will require those facilities to be available and functioning. The school will need to analyze and evaluate the amount of financial resources at its disposal before going out to identify and recruit new teachers. The process of identifying the costs involved in the identification and recruitment of new teachers can be carried out through the following ways: a) Asking The Teachers About Their Wage Demands This is the most pragmatic way of finding out the cost of bringing in new teachers. Different teachers ask for different salary scales and other fringe benefits. During the process of recruitment the school can inquire about the wage expectations of prospective teachers and then proceed to compare them with their financial capability so that they can determine whether or not they are in a position to meet the demands raised by the different prospective employees. Asking also puts the school in a position to not only work out the costs it will incur but also enables it to plan ahead. b) Budgeting. Budgeting provides an effective and efficient way of determining the costs required to achieve the desired objectives. By drawing up an extensive budget, the school can be able to find out how much funds it has and how much it is willing to spend on the newly recruited teachers. It will provide a detailed account of how much is or will be available for spending on salaries, facilities and other incentives. Apart from this, the budget can also prevent over expenditure on the new human resources and therefore act as a regulatory tool. 2.0 Being Able To Select and Use The Resource Supply Chain To Meet Planned Objectives This may involve identification and co-operation with the resource supply chain with the aim of meeting the school’s targets and goals. Working together or using the supply chain is crucial in maintaining a steady influx of the resource and this provides the vital cog that drives the school’s wheels. Without a steady supply of teachers the school will not be able to meet its targets. 2.1 Evaluating Sources of Supply to Meet Planned Objectives The main source of supply here is the government which is responsible for the training and posting of teachers. The school can establish close working ties with the government so that it can obtain guarantees that will give it a stable and secure supply of teachers. The school should be aware of the various methods and criteria the government uses to train and post teachers so that it can integrate this into their hiring and recruitment system. 2.2 Explain Processes to Manage The Supply, Continuity And Quality Of Resources To Meet Plans There are various processes and strategies which the school can use to manage the supply, continuity and quality of teachers so as to achieve its objectives. These may include the following: a) Maintaining Regular Contact With The Supply Chain This involves keeping in touch regularly with the government agency or commission which carries out posting and registration of teachers. This will keep it updated on any changes that are relevant to the achievement of its objectives and therefore enable it to easily adapt to changes in the methods of posting and recruitment of teachers. The school can always write, make phone calls and send e-mails to the agency so that it is always privy to relevant events that have transpired. b) Allowing Teachers To Pursue Further Education Or Training Education is an endless process. It is not advisable for one to sit comfortably without attempting to improve on his or her credentials. By pursuing further education and training in the teaching field, the teachers can improve their skills and hence become more qualified and adaptable. The school can institute favourable policies that would allow its teachers to be in a position to enrol in other programs that would improve on the credentials they currently hold. The school should also encourage its teachers to pursue further education. It should not be viewed as an obstacle which stands in the way of personal and educational development of its teachers. 2.3 Strategies Used To Predict and Manage Disruption in Resource Supply, And the Associated Costs Disruption in the supply of the resource can impact negatively on the school, and therefore it must ensure that the resource is always available. Teachers are valuable assets to schools and other educational institutions. The school should be able to predict and manage any disruption in the supply of teachers and determine the costs that would come with it. This can be done through the following ways: a) Evaluating Abundance Of The Resource The supply of any resource is determined by its availability. Provided the source is intact, the resource will always be available. By evaluating the abundance of the resource it is possible to predict whether or not there might be a disruption in the supply of the resource and determine when it might occur. In this case the school should always position itself in such a way that it is able to determine the number of people enrolling for teacher training courses and how many of them graduate. This will enable it establish the likelihood of a shortage in teachers occurring and prepare itself for any disruption. b) Offering Attractive Remuneration The school should offer attractive remuneration which will raise the morale of the teachers and encourage the cultivation of a sense of trust in the school. Attractive remuneration instils in the teachers a sense of pride which will ensure that they are able to work for the school without thinking of moving to other places. During times of disruption the school can be able to count on its teachers to remain focused on their jobs since they have little reasons for seeking employment elsewhere. c) Cultivating A Sense Of Trust In Its Teachers By building trust with its teachers the school is able to count on them to deliver even during times of shortage. It is worth noting that during times of disruption in supply, the shortage can force the teachers to shoulder a lot of work which may be too much for some of them. This may lead them to consider looking for employment elsewhere. In a situation where the school has cultivated a sense of mutual trust and confidence in their teachers, it can count on them to stick around even when there is a shortage. d) Associated Costs i) By offering attractive remunerative packages to its teachers in order to have them commit to the school, it can incur a lot of costs that are associated with salaries and other benefits. 3.0 Monitoring and evaluation of internal and external resource use to meet plans This is the analysis of the teachers currently on the school’s payroll and comparing them with those that are employed in other school or institution in order to determine whether there is a significant gap between the two. 3.1 Reviewing progress of actual resource use against planned resource use This involves evaluation of the teachers currently in the school and the teachers it plans to have. This is important because the school can put itself in a position where it is able to establish whether or not it has a shortage and also whether or not the teachers in the school can be ranked alongside those in other schools or institutions. 3.2 Methods of Recording And Reporting Resource Use i) Asking the students The students can be available source of information which can be used by the school to determine whether or not teachers are doing their job correctly. Students can be asked to comment or give their opinion on the performance of various teachers, their methods of teaching and the effectiveness of those methods. ii) Evaluation of teachers Evaluation may consist of assessment of teachers in order to establish their level of performance and how effective they are in their teaching. Teachers can be assessed on the basis of the results they achieve and the performance of students in the subjects they teach. 3.3 Methods of Using Resource Information To Inform Future Actions. i) Applying the Information This involves using the resource information in the day to day running of the school by applying it to practical issues and problems and then examining the results. Judging by the outcome, the school can determine whether or not the information can be applied in future situations and what might be the outcome then. iii) Translating The Information This involves representing the information in graphs, pie charts and other ways that can display a trend which can then be used to predict how the future will look like. After this the school can then determine how that information will be used in future situations. Works Cited Blair, M. & Bourne, J. Making the Difference: Teaching and Learning Strategies In Successful Multi-ethnic Schools. Research Report No.59. London: DfEE, 1998. OFSTED. Raising The Attainment Of Minority Ethnic Pupils: School And LEA Responses. London: OFSTED, 1999. Ross, A. Ethnic Minority Teachers In The Teaching Workforce. London: IPSE Occasional Paper, 2001. Basit, T., & McNamara, O. Equal Opportunities Or Affirmative Action? The Induction of Minority Ethnic Teachers. Journal of Education for Teaching, 2004. Gillborn, D. Education, Race And Ethnicity: Teaching And Learning In Multi-Ethnic Schools. London: Unwin-Hyman/Routledge. 1990. Gillborn, D. and Gipps, C. Recent Research on the Achievements of Ethnic Minority Pupils. London: HMSO, 1996. Read More