Social Justice

Social Justice
Black Children in Education
This essay aim to; discuss inequalities in education in relation to black children and how the principles of social justice affects them. The term ‘social justice’ can be defined in many ways. However; it is closely related to equality, fairness and solidarity. Social justice is seen to be occurring if an individual or community is treated without any prejudice regardless of their; race, gender, age or cultural beliefs.
The term social justice suggests that everyone should be treated equally however; there are some groups in society which are treated differently whether because of their social class or ethnicity. Black children as well as some other children are seen to encounter some form of injustice in education however; for this assignment the writer will be focusing on black children in education and their experiences, how they have been affected by the principles of social justice.
The writer will begin to discuss their educational achievement in comparison to other ethnic groups. A number of references have been made in terms of ethnicity and education for example; ‘The Swann report’ found that ethnic minorities in comparison to other groups perform less in education (King 1977). Drew (1995) also supports this by highlighting that black Afro -Caribbean boys are performing at the bottom in reference to educational attainment (King 1977). However, evidence suggest that black girls in education are performing better than black boys; although when been compared to other white children who are from the same social class their performance is inferior to them (Gilborn 1997). One could also argue that they also face inequalities of opportunities in education. One could argue that the reason for black children not achieving and succeeding could be linked to various different things such as; discrimination, institutional racism, teacher expectation, educational opportunities, equal opportunities and media perception.
Education should provide every individual with equal opportunities to succeed. This is not always the case with black children. Bernard Coard (1971) hypothesise using personal experiences that; “The education system makes black children become educationally subnormal by making them feel inferior in every way” (Coard, 1971, p.31). Evidently black children in education sometimes are not given the same opportunities as their white counterparts. Teachers have low expectations of them thus; depriving them of the support they need to achieve academically. This was evident by; Curtis (2008) who emphasised that black children’s ability has been underestimated by teachers suggesting that they could be victims of institutional racism.
In the British school system children are place into sets according to how gifted and talented they have been perceived. On the other hand; black children in comparison to white children are placed into lower tier even before they could prove themselves to be capable of being in higher tiers. Being place into a lower set meant that teachers would focus their attention more on children in the higher tiers because they were seen to be most likely to gain 5 or more GCSEs, which would put black children at a disadvantage of receiving the support they needed into order to reach their full potential. Gillborn (1995) argued that this was racism in its hidden form; this was a way of shaping black children’s future so that they would remain in the lower class in society by not achieving in school to gain high paying jobs in society. Arguable underachievement of black children in school is caused by institutional racism and teachers’ negative and low expectation of them.
According to Gillborn (1990) this was evident in two schools where black children were placed into foundation mathematics even before they took the maths exam because it was already pre-determined that they would fail. One could argue that, if a child is already labelled to perform in this way then they might just live up to this expectation also known as the self- filling prophecy. Teachers sometimes label Afro-Caribbean boys as ‘unruly’ and ‘disrespectful’ and are more likely to be excluded from schools by disproportionate expulsions (Ball 1996). One could argue that; if a child have a negative relation between them and their teacher this could have a impact on how well they perform in school which could also have a knock on effect on their motivation and self esteem. This could create barriers to learning which could be the reason why they might place less value on the importance of education.
Black children have been placed into schools for children who have emotional and behavioural difficulties thus removing them from conventional education to try and manage their behaviour (Mac an Ghaill 1988). Arguable this could be seen as unfair treatment on their path which could result in them building on this stereotype which could also affect their self worth as well as long term problems; such as, violence in adolescence. They are also encouraged into taking up sports in school rather than doing academic subjects such as, science and mathematics as they were seen to be more ‘naturally physically’ therefore they would excel in more physical subjects than academic ones Gillborn (1990). Everyone should have the right to be formally educated clearly this is not always the case for black children.
Education fails to recognise ethnic minority cultures within the curriculum for example; their music and drama which one could argue that could affect their self esteem. The Swann report suggested otherwise claiming that Afro-Caribbean boys still manage to maintain high self image, although one could argue that they are being discriminated against. Many of these children also lack positive role models either within the home or at school whom they can relate to. This was supported by the Swann Report which suggested that Afro-Caribbean pupils would benefit from having teachers who are from a West Indian background which could help to raise their educational attainment (King 1977).
Black children might even find it hard to make friends in school due to how they have been portrayed in the school environment. Teachers label them as ‘unintelligent’ and ‘unruly’ which could cause other students to not want associate themselves with them before even getting to know them. It is suggested that children learn through social interaction and from their peers, arguable; this stereotype can create barriers to how they learn in a group setting due to been discriminated against. Interactionist theorist supports this by creating an hypothesise that the type of interaction that a pupil experience with their tutor as well as with their peers plays a very important role in how well they perform in education (Bartlett et al 2001).
Some black children quite possible do not enjoy going to school because they do not feel as if they ‘fit in’. This was evident in a case study published by the DCSF (2009) which was carried out involving a little black girl who goes by the name of Keysia who attend a school where there were only few black children. Keysia appeared to do not like going to school but when her teachers investigated the matter her mother explained that she observed Keysia during a bath time rubbing her skin fiercely which Keysia expressed that she was attempting to rub the black off her skin. The teachers worked with keysia’s mother to help to build her self esteem. Kesyia’s mother also volunteered in the school which she saw a positive role model which contributed to Keysia’s confidence. Keysia’s experience did not only benefit her and her mother but also the other children as well as teachers with the school.
The type of school that these black children attend could also be the reason why they are underachieving. In most cases these children attend schools which are underperforming due to the area that they live in. When applying for a school place they could be put at disadvantage due to their social class as highlighted by Ball et al (1996) stating that their is a correlation between a child social class and gaining a school place. Some parents use their capital to influence schools in order to ensure that their children attend a good school.
Secondly, black children are faced with child poverty which is a major issue in Britain not only with ethnic minority but with children in general. However, Sharma et al (2007) proposed that according to the Barnardos report (2007); black/ethnic minority groups was identified as more at risk of facing poverty due to educational achievement and unemployment rates doubling compared to other ethnic groups. Children who are poor have no choice but to go to a school which is not performing well. If their parents are poor they cannot afford to give them a healthy meal which will help them to concentrate when in school.
This could cause them to face social exclusion or even become victims of bullying by their peers which could affect their emotional wellbeing making it hard for them to ‘fit in’. Sharma et al also pointed out that Crowley and Vulliamy’s (2007) investigated the effects of poverty and children who encounter it and evidently these children encounter social pressures by proposing various quotes made by these children such as; “You can get picked on because if you haven’t got enough money to get Nike trainers and stuff like that” and that “The right clothes and the right friends are important”. As a result of this some black children may be forced to work from a young age which limits their time in attending school. Lack of resources could be another barrier in their educational experience. Some black children cannot afford the basic books required in school.
Having said that black/ ethnic minority children faced various issues in education the government as well as schools can introduce strategies which could help to minimise the gap in educational attainment and black children. For example raising awareness in schools would be an effective way of breaking down the barriers of cultural divide and stereotypes. Arguable this would not only increase knowledge but it can help teachers for example to learn to treat each and every individual equally and also to understand that some individuals might need extra support than others.
The government has implemented legislations to tackle discrimination and racism therefore schools can reinforce this by ensuring that both teachers and students abide by these rules and regulations. This will create a positive environment for these children to feel comfortable which as result will raise their spirits. Some of these children come from very poor backgrounds and have parents who pay less interest towards education arguable due to their experience in and out of school. However; the school can help to change this attitude by working alongside parents but firstly; they have to try and build a rapport between themselves and the parent so that they get the feeling of acceptance.
By building a positive relationship with the children in school arguable the school will help that child in expressing themselves; as they might feel comfortable in expressing things which they are unable to at home. The reason as to why black children are underachieving in school does not always to be because of their experience at school, it can also stem from problems which they face at home such as child abuse. Again, if the children are aware of their rights and who to report things to; arguable, this can help to minimise the risk of them becoming victims of child abuse.
To reiterate, black children in education is affected by many elements of social justice such as discrimination and lack of equal opportunities which could affect their educational attainment and school experience as a whole. However; if teachers are able to build a positive relationship between the children and their parents this could help to raise their self esteem and which will enable them to reach their full potential. Education is arguable the key to success therefore by giving these children equal opportunities this will not only benefit them as an individual but also society in regards to reducing poverty and violence.

Word count-2000
References
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Bartlett, S., Burton, D., Peim, N., (2001). Introduction to Education Studies. London: Paul Chapman Publishing.
Coard, B., (1971). How the West Indian Child is made educationally subnormal in the British School System. London: New Beacon Books.
Curtis, P., (2008). Education: Black Caribbean children held back by institutional racism in schools. The Guardian 5th Sept [online], available at http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2008/sep/05/raceineducation.raceinschools accessed on, 28 May 2012.
Department for Children School and Families (DCSF), (2009). Building Futures: Believing in children A focus on provision for Black children in the Early Years Foundation Stage. Nottingham: DCSF Publications.
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Swann, M. (1985). Education for All: A Summary of the Swann Report on the Education of Ethnic Minority Children. London: HMSO.
Sharma et al (2007). It doesn’t happen here The reality of child poverty in the UK. London: Barnardo’s.