This essay is about discrimination in education system and the impact of learning experiences on black children.

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This essay is about discrimination in education system and the impact of learning experiences on black children.

“What source does oppression arises?  Does it arise from domination by capital, by patriarchy, or by white power?”

                                              Sanip, M. (1991) pg.21

1981 was the year in which the parliamentary Home Affairs Committee on Race Relations and Immigration required schools to examine their format and hidden curriculum to ensure that they provided the means to combat racism and promote equality of opportunities.  In order to achieve, schools and LEAs had to develop policies leading to equality and inclusion.  More over, if we look at the different multicultural and anti-racist policies that exist at the same time, there are significant differences in what each report’s regarding the objectives and adjectives.  In terms of the objectives and adjectives of each policy there has been an improved performers of ethnic minority pupils at school level, whereas there is a greater access to universities.  However, qualifications had no boundaries against discrimination, the disproportion of ethnic minorities in the urban space is not represented; the full potential of a large number of ethnic minority students was not being meet.

1985 Swann-Education for All

This was report on the underachievement level of West Indians compared to Asians and Whites.

The gap appeared to be diminishing significantly as time passed, the underachievement gap has deteriorated but there is a much higher chance (10%) of black boys in particular to be expelled from schools than their white counterparts.  Undoubtedly the achievement of Asians was very high and it seemed the stereotyped views was generally much less negative than how other groups of ethnicity were viewed in the educational system.  It could be possible that the racism faced, had a different affect on different groups whereas, it may hold certain people back and deter certain people from believing in themselves and getting on with what they aim to do in life.

Overt racial harassment- CRE report, “Learning in Terror” 1988-1990

These series of reports and surveys in recent years on the experiences of Black children in the British education system point to high levels of academic under-achievement and exclusion from schools.

1994 -report by the Institute of Race Relations, ‘Outcast England’, highlighted the disproportionate level of exclusions suffered by Black children.  One particularly alarming statistic revealed that in London Borough of Brent where Black pupils make up only 17% of the school population, they nevertheless account for the 85% of exclusions.  There is a direct link between under-achievement and exclusions can be detected in the research data.  The available research shows that African-Caribbean pupils are six times more likely to be excluded than White children and reveals a dramatic increase in the levels of exclusions in both primary and secondary schools.  The report on “Recent Research on the achievement of Ethnic Minority Pupils” published in September 1996, came to same conclusion.

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Socio-economic has played a vital factor in the low attainment of different races e.g. racial discrimination in employment and housing for example research done by Gillborn, D. and Gipps, C. (1996) indicates that ethnic minority pupils who come from backgrounds where they experience disproportionately higher rates of deprivation and unemployment it is evident in their achievement levels compared to their peers who have had a different upbringing.  Research done by both Becker (1952), Sharp and Green (1975) suggest that teachers differentiate between pupils according to how they are classified and typed by the ways in which they vary from the ...

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