Racism And Education In Britain

This book is concerned with racism and education in Britain. It aims to seek greater understanding of the nature and endurance of racism within education practice in the 21st century and to examine the relationship between racism and the educational experiences and outcomes of many Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) children and young people, with reference to school and university. Employing Critical Race Theory, Critical Whiteness Theory and Intersectionality, this structural analysis traces the historical and contemporary development of racism in education. White privilege and White supremacy, it is argued, are central to the perpetuation of racism and the failure to either understand or recognise the systemic nature of racial oppression. The book focuses on Britain, but the analysis locates racism as a global phenomenon. In spite of decades of policies on ‘race’ equality in Britain, BAME children and young people continue to be discriminated against and are failed by the education system. Applying a theoretical analysis of racism and White supremacy and privilege to an examination of government policies and research in schools and universities, the nature and extent of racism is revealed in the educational experiences of young people.

Education policy is not designed to eliminate race inequality but to sustain it at manageable levels. This is the inescapable conclusion of the first major study of the English education system using ‘critical race theory’. David Gillborn has been described as Britain’s ‘most influential race theorist in education’. In this book he dissects the role of racism across the education system; from national policies to school-level decisions about discipline and academic selection. Race inequality is not accidental and things are not getting better. Despite occasional ‘good news’ stories about fluctuations in statistics, the reality is that race inequality is so deeply entrenched that it is effectively ‘locked in’ as a permanent feature of the system. Built on a foundation of compelling evidence, from national statistics to studies of classroom life, this book shows how race inequality is shaped and legitimized across the system. The study explores a series of key issues including: the impact of the ‘War on Terror’ and how policy privileges the interests of white people how assessment systems produce race inequality exposes the ‘gifted and talented’ programme as a form of eugenic thinking based on discredited and racist myths about intelligence and ability documents the Stephen Lawrence case revealing how policy makers have betrayed earlier commitments to race equality shows how ‘model minorities’ are created and used to counter anti-racism how education policy is implicated in the defence of white power. Conspiracy? Racism & Education takes critical antiracist analyses to a new level and represents a fundamental challenge to current assumptions in the field. With a preface by Richard Delgado, one of the founders of critical race theory.

This book is concerned with racism and education in Britain. It aims to seek greater understanding of the nature and endurance of racism within education practice in the 21st century and to examine the relationship between racism and the educational experiences and outcomes of many Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) children and young people, with reference to school and university. Employing Critical Race Theory, Critical Whiteness Theory and Intersectionality, this structural analysis traces the historical and contemporary development of racism in education. White privilege and White supremacy, it is argued, are central to the perpetuation of racism and the failure to either understand or recognise the systemic nature of racial oppression. The book focuses on Britain, but the analysis locates racism as a global phenomenon. In spite of decades of policies on ‘race’ equality in Britain, BAME children and young people continue to be discriminated against and are failed by the education system. Applying a theoretical analysis of racism and White supremacy and privilege to an examination of government policies and research in schools and universities, the nature and extent of racism is revealed in the educational experiences of young people.

Why is our education system unequal? How does race play a part? Is Britain still institutionally racist? Education remains the greatest indicator of life chances in Britain. What we study, where we study, and how long for shape all aspects of our lives. Our careers, our long-term health, our wealth and security are all moulded in the classroom. But who we are ultimately matters the most. In Race and Education, Professor Kalwant Bhopal shows how race still determines who gains the best education in Britain, and who falls by the wayside. Through case studies, original research and interviews with students, teachers, and academics alike, she reveals how the construction of privilege starts at a young age: with Whiteness taking some students on a gilded path from cradle to career, while many still struggle to build the futures they deserve. This book highlights how classrooms and lecture halls are at the centre of perpetuating white privilege - and how racism continues to exist in Britain.

Covering the period from the height of Empire to Brexit and beyond, this book shows how the vote to leave the European Union increased hostilities towards racial and ethnic minorities and migrants. Concentrating on the education system, it asks whether populist views that there should be a British identity - or a Scottish, Irish or Welsh one - will prevail. Alternatively arguments based on equality, human rights and economic needs may prove more powerful. It covers events in politics and education that have left most white British people ignorant of the Empire, the often brutal de-colonisation and the arrival of immigrants from post-colonial and European countries. It discusses politics and practices in education, race, religion and migration that have left schools and universities failing to engage with a multiracial and multicultural society.

It was a curse for Mr Fox to be a black overseas-trained teacher in the United Kingdom. Not only was his pay lower on average than his peers, but he experienced a pervasive culture of racism. In The Ugly Face of Institutional Racism in the United Kingdom, author Vupenyu waMwamba presents a thorough and comprehensive analysis of racial undercurrents in British education. Bringing the unique perspective of a Cambridge-educated teacher, he draws upon personal experience and a wealth of research from primary sources to capture a snapshot of the state of the British education system. waMwamba tells the story through a character he calls Mr Fox, who was dismissed and banned from teaching for life for trying to challenge racism and racial discrimination at his workplace. The Ugly Face of Institutional Racism in the United Kingdom calls attention to the plight of black educators in England and makes a call to action for reform.

In the 1960s, Black communities in the UK mobilised against the discrimination and inequality their children experienced in mainstream schooling, setting up Black supplementary school projects where the deficits in educational provision could be rectified. Almost fifty years of Black supplementary schools, organised on a volunteer basis by parents, teachers, churches and community groups, are brought to life in this book. This is the first comprehensive account of the Black supplementary school movement. It charts the historical development of the movement; explores the different ideologies that emerged; examines the importance and conceptions of Blackness; and looks at the relationship to mainstream schools and the prospects for the future of Black supplementary education. It is essential reading for everyone who is interested in overcoming racism in education and in sociological and policy responses to racism generally.