Outline and assess sociological explanations for differences in educational achievement between ethnic groups.

Many sociologists disagree with the belief that ethnicity and culture are responsible for differential educational achievement between ethnic groups. Instead, they believe that blame lies within the education system itself. One sociologist who supports this view is Strand (2008) who argued that schools purposefully entered fewer Afro-Caribbean students for higher-tier tests in Science and Mathematics. Strand said this was a result of teachers incorrectly labelling Afro-Caribbean students as disruptive and thus unintelligent. This view is supported by Wright (1992), who found that teachers treated Asian students differently on the assumption they would have a poor grasp of English, and as a result used simplified language in conversation and did not allow them to partake in classroom discussions. However, the idea that all schools are institutionally racist has been rebuffed by Sewell, who argues that such claims only serve to provide disruptive Afro-Caribbean students with an excuse. Furthermore, Strand’s claim that ethnic-minority students will passively accept labels put onto them by teachers has been disproven by Fuller (1984), whose studies found that those labelled as failures can actually become more determined to succeed, in order to prove their teachers wrong. Nonetheless, in an economic context, the differences in educational achievement between ethnic groups can be attributed to differing levels of poverty between different ethnic groups. According to Marxists, the education system is used by the ruling-classes to manipulate the working-class into accepting their exploitation. As mentioned earlier, 4.5% of Afro-Caribbean families are led by a single parent, which means they are likely to be poorer than other ethnic groups. From a Marxist perspective, this suggests that Afro-Caribbean students are denied the same opportunities of other ethnic groups, such as access to fee-paying schools, private tutors and educational venues such as museums and theatres. This view of systematic inequality is partially supported by feminists, who believe that society and its institutions are inherently sexist. Although feminism is focused mainly on gender inequality, black feminism is a strand of feminism which identifies both ethnic and gender inequalities in institutions such as the education system. In this sense, both Marxists and feminists would regard differences in educational achievement between ethnic groups as a result of social institutions. However, both theories neglect some of the educational achievements of ethnic minorities. For instance, Francis and Archer (2006) discovered that British-Chinese students were more successful than their white British counterparts in maintaining their commitment to educational success. Nonetheless, Francis and Archer also discovered that many British-Chinese felt insecure about their ability, despite in some cases being top of the class, which re-affirms the view that differences in educational achievement can be explained partly by the way in which different ethnic groups are treated within the education system.

Overall, although there is an opportunity for all students, regardless of their ethnic background, to succeed in the education system, some ethnic groups may find it harder to achieve as a result of labelling, discrimination and institutionalised racism. However, although such inequalities are still present, it is generally agreed that they have become less pronounced in the education system over the past few decades.