Educational Sociology - Relationship between Race and Disadvantage Apparent in Classrooms - Literature review Example

Deconstruction of a social justice issue Student’s Name Name of Institution The relationship between ‘race’ and disadvantage is apparent in schools/classrooms. Discuss this statement in terms of social justice and equity. Researchers in educational sociology have long perceived educational transitions and graduation from high schools as significant indicators of economic and social status. The Post World War expansion of education is associated with the broadening educational opportunities as well as a boost in social mobility acquired via educational attainment. However, the education system appears to produce social inequality by means of structural and cultural mechanisms. In spite of decades marking educational progress, Black people are still lagging behind the White people in graduation rates in high schools. The proportion of racial gap in high school graduation forms a source of political and scholarly debate as research points out that the minority indigenous groups have been disadvantaged on the basis of race. Thus, analyzing the aspect of race within schools remains a significant task among policymakers and scholars. Race is found to have a significant relationship with disadvantage within classrooms or schools, an aspect that this entry analyzes comprehensively. Financial support Social injustices and inequities in school financial support are principal to explicating how schools reinforce disadvantage whilst reproducing inequality. Kozol (1991) documents savage inequality between wealthy suburban schools and low-income inner-city schools. The White people comprise the greatest percent of the wealthy Australians while the minority indigenous groups comprise the low-income populace. The financial diversities remain manifest in students’ expenditures, level of experience of tutors, and available school or classroom resources. Schools comprising of majority White students are well equipped with resources while the minority indigenous schools are usually under-resourced. The under-resourced schools within poor urban regions remain disadvantaged as they produce students who are ill prepared to pursue superior high education or acquire high-wage occupations. On the contrary, opulent schools have a tendency to attend to their students keenly, thus producing excellent students who are capable of securing higher education studies. Tracking practices The social inequality manifest within the societal discourse translates into the classroom or school arena. In this context, as Lucus (2001) highlights, the tracking system within classrooms and schools is susceptible to reinforcing social inequality through establishment of qualitative distinctions. Whilst tracking practices profess to allocate learners to instructional groups on the basis of ability, tutors fail to base this assignment on authentic ability levels. However, tracking systems segregate learners by means of economic and social characteristics. In this milieu, minority indigenous and low-income students are inexplicably allotted lower tracks. Accordingly, students within low-ability groups receive inferior quality and quantity of instruction as compared to White students within higher tracks. In this perspective, the tracking practices in classrooms enable the minority indigenous socio-economically disadvantaged students acquire qualitatively inferior education as compared to the White affluent students acquiring superior education (Lucus, 2001). Moreover, ability grouping produces inequality and intensifies the already existing racial inequalities (Moller, Stearns, Blau, & Land, 2006). Racial dynamics within schools/classrooms Gaps in academic achievement exist across ethnicity and race (Flashman, 2012). Ethnic and racial discrepancies within schooling outcomes are manifest in measurements of success. As Stearns, Jha and Potochnick (2013) has found out, students from the indigenous poipulace are less likely to produce excellent academic results. The academic achievement gaps may result from stereotype threats. Stereotype threat is disposed to emerge where Black and minority indigenous learners feel that their White tutors may challenge their abilities (Dee, 2011). For example, Dee (2011) illustrates a sequence of experiments at Stanford University that aimed at affirming the stereotype phenomenon. The students took tests containing complex items. When informed in advance that the test was not related to ability, both White and Black students performed similarly. Conversely, when informed that the test was analytical of ability, Black students produced poor results. Likewise, the racial differences remained similar when the students were asked to fill in demographic questionnaires inquiring into their racial background. To the students, this appeared to be a manipulation of stereotype threat. In this perspective, it is manifest that race has a tendency to disadvantage minority indigenous students’ educational outcomes. Black students tend to learn better from Black teachers with White students learning better from White teachers. In spite of this, most schools comprise of White teachers, thus posing a stereotype threat as well as a disadvantage to Black and minority indigenous learners. This racial dynamic remains a disadvantage to the Black and minority indigenous learners who tend to perform poorly as opposed to their counterparts the Whites. Develop and justify their theoretical framework/s thought a discussion of power relationships in the scenario  Functionalism Functionalism establishes that society comprises of interdependent parts, and social control is enhanced when people within these sectors share values and beliefs (The Sociology of Gender, n.d.). The inventor of Functionalist theory, Emile Durkheim, established that certain patterns of social behavior fluctuate between cultures and across groups. Durkheim used social institutions to explain social problems, alleging that when social institutions that offer stability and meaning for people have weak holds within the society, people become weak, confused, and disorganized. According to Functionalist theory, introduction of various ethnicities and races into a society disrupts the social balance (Wenzel, 2001). If the new group entering a society appears different from the existing group, dysfunctions arise. In this context, the minority indigenous groups immigrating to the Australian society may have triggered dysfunctions. The White populace appears superior, thus assuming all societal power while discriminating against the minority indigenous populace. Accordingly, within the school/classroom settings, the White students and teachers tend to undermine the minority indigenous populace. As Chambers (2008) ascertains, racial discrimination arises where the superior group assumes authority and power to protect its interests and privileges. In this perspective, schools do socialize students while preparing them to assume positions within the classroom/school through diverse mechanisms. Schools tend to reflect the expectations as well as the occupational structures within the society. Moreover, parenting styles of distinctive social classes do intersect with educational systems to produce educational inequalities. For instance, parents from White middle-income families teach their children means of interacting and reasoning with figures of authority. Accordingly, these parents infuse and buttress skills that offer basics for future success. Later, teachers in positions of power and authority reward the White middle class children for these interactional and reasoning skills while devaluing students from minority indigenous low-income class. Conflict theory According to Karl Marx, as in the conflict theory, access to means of production forms the basis of societal conflict. The society comprises of the bourgeoisie, who own the means of production and the proletariat, who encompass the workers. The bourgeoisie possess all power, thus oppressing the workers through maintaining control over them and keeping the greatest share of profits. Conversely, the workers strive to survive, and eventually conflict emerges. In respect to race, conflict theory sees disparities among ethnic and racial groups. Within the Australian community, the Whites tend to assume power over the minority indigenous groups. Thus, the Whites develop the power to exploit people of other racial backgrounds, an aspect that has moved to the school/classroom setting. The racial and ethnic interactions between learners and teachers are likely trigger conflict. For instance, students may respect and trust teachers with whom they have similar salient characteristics. Equally, a tutor of same race as students is likely to serve as an efficient role model, thereby establishing efficient relations. Symbolic Interactionism According to George Herbert Mead’s symbolic interactionist theory, people discover their identity through interactions with others. While the cultural norms provide guidelines pertaining to role behavior, symbolic interactionism emphasizes that people have latitude within the manner in which they act their roles (The Sociology of Gender, n.d.). Hence, ethnicity and race form significant sources of individual identity. Therefore, people from similar racial backgrounds create symbolic exchanges, which communicate their identities. Within the school/classroom setting, symbolic interactionism is manifest where unintended racial biasness is manifest in the behavior of teachers. In this case, minority indigenous tutors may be generous with minority indigenous learners, allocating more time and attention to them as well as making favorable assumptions regarding their capabilities. Similarly, White tutors maybe rather liberal with White learners, allotting them more class time, relating with them, and designing learning materials in a manner that favors them. For instance, in a study, Marylee Taylor observed that tutors offered less coaching as well as concise and less positive response when dealing with Black students (Dee, 2011). Similarly, actual class observations portrayed that White teachers offer minimal attention to Black students, praise them less, and scold them more frequently as compared to the White students (Dee, 2011). Accordingly, racial prejudice results to poor academic performance. Evaluation of your possible approach and school’s possible approach to the issues/s using a range of policy and syllabus links Given the severity of the relationship between race and disadvantage within schools/classrooms, policymakers, educators and researchers have proposed diverse strategies to address the issue. The increasing presence of numerous ethnic groups within multiethnic schools is shaping the education policy within the twenty-first Century (Hochschild, & Shen, 2011). Development of race-conscious policies is a feasible choice in helping close racial and ethnicity gaps within schools (Aleman, Salazar, Rorrer, & Parker, 2011). In this context, two policies, explicitly race-conscious policies and income-based policies remain significant in addressing the disadvantages arising from racism in schools. Poverty, disparities in income generation and societal liabilities characterize the low-income groups. The White students tend to look down upon the minority indigenous groups owing to the low economic status of these groups. Additionally, racism affects the Blacks that most Whites perceive as having secured the White man’s dream promises. Therefore, there emerges a prime need to develop income-based policies to improve the economic conditions of the minority indigenous groups. Besides, race-conscious policies are likely to improve racial segregation within the White dominated societies. These policies could offset some of the factors encouraging racism within schools, such as disparities in provision of school resources, school environment, and teacher-student relationships. Conclusion Social equity is a major determinant of the relationship between race and disadvantage within schools and classrooms. The educational system is susceptible to producing social inequality. The relationship between ‘race’ and disadvantage is apparent in schools or classroom through various means of social injustice and inequity. The education system reproduces inequality by means of various mechanisms, which include tracking practices, funding levels, and socialization processes. The socio-economically advantaged learners who comprise mostly of Whites tend to benefit from these systems, thus producing more excellent educational outcomes. On the contrary, these systems impede educational achievements of socio-economically disadvantaged learners, comprising mostly of the minority indigenous populace, by limiting the quantity and quality of education they acquire. However, appropriate income-based policies and race-conscious policies remain viable in solving the problem of racism within schools. Reference List Aleman, E., Salazar, T., Rorrer, A., & Laurence, P. (2011). Introduction to the issue on Post-Racialism in the U.S. Public School and Higher Education Settings: The Politics of Education in the Age of Obama. Peabody Journal of Education: Issues of Leadership, Policy, and Organizations, 86(5), 479-487. Chambers, C. (2008). Institutional Racism: Is Law used as a Toll to Perpetuate Racial Inequality. Ann Arbor, MI: ProQuest. Dee, T. (2011). The Race Connection. Spring, 4(2) Flashman, J. (2012). Different Preferences or Different Opportunities? Explaining Race Differentials in the Academic Achievement of Friends. Social Science Research, 41, 888-903. Hochschild, J. & Francis S. (2011). Race and Education Policy. In: Oxford Handbook of Racial and Ethnic Politics in America. New York: Oxford University Press. Kozol, J. (1991). Savage Inequalities: Children in America’s Schools. New York: Crown. Lucus, S. (2001). Effectively Maintained Inequality: Education Transitions, Track Mobility, and Social Background Effects. American Journal of Sociology, 106, 1642-1690. Moller, S., Stearns, E., Blau, J., & Lan, K. (2006). Smooth and rough roads to academic achievement: Retention and race/class disparities in high school. Social Science Research, 35, 157-180. Stearns, E., Jha, N., & Potochnick, S. (2013). Race, secondary school course, and college type. Social Science Research, 42, 789-803. The Sociology of Gender. The sociology of Gender: Theoretical Perspectives and Feminist Frameworks. Wenzel, H. (2001). Functionalism in Sociology. International Encyclopedia of the Social & Behavioral Sciences, 5847-5852. Read More