We are holding a discussion event in Westminster on the morning of Thursday 22 January, presenting new and future research from our ESRC Research Centre on Micro-Social Change to a small group of experts including practitioners and policy advisors, alongside leading academics working on these topics.
First, we will hear new research about how religious observance of pupils and their families can lead to higher rates of absenteeism among some ethnic groups, with consequences for their future performance, and explore how these could be mitigated.
Next, we examine a very unique dataset from Germany that contains extensive social network data for both secondary school pupils and their parents. We draw lessons from diverse schools in the German context on how ethnicity shapes the friendship groups of pupils, how these change over time, and their potential to reduce ethnic segregation and social isolation among their parents.
Finally, we discuss the latest research on the links between prevalent ethnic stereotypes surrounding pupil educational capability, and its influence on teacher-assigned grades. We conclude with an open discussion soliciting views on a future project funded by the European Research Council that will seek to document the formation, evolution, and consequences of ethnic (and other) stereotypes of pupils in secondary schools across multiple areas of England.
These presentations will be followed by a round table discussion of the range of different interventions and approaches that could be employed by schools to accommodate cultural differences in family and religious life, to facilitate cross-ethnic contact, and to reduce the formation and perpetuation of harmful stereotypes among pupils and staff.
The full programme is below.
Ethnic minority and immigrant pupils in Secondary Schools: New and Future Research from the ESRC Research Centre on Micro-Social Change
Programme
10.15am-10.30am arrival and coffees
10.30am Session 1: Forging Cultural Divides: Minority parents and their children in schools
Absence from school and educational outcomes. Religious observance among ethnic minority students in England – Dr Angus Holford
Classroom pupil friendships and their parents’ social ties: Ethnic integration in German secondary schools – Prof Renee Luthra
Discussion – how can schools better accommodate absenteeism – or other challenges – arising from cultural differences in their diverse pupil populations? How might schools better foster cross-ethnic friendships to maximise their positive impact on the social integration of potentially isolated parents?
Break
11.20am Session 2: Social Stereotypes and their Consequences – Current and Future Research
Stereotyping and Ethnicity Gaps in Teacher Assigned Grades in England – Prof Birgitta Rabe
Future Research funded by the European Research Council:
Applied Stereotypes, Social Networks, and Self-fulfilling Prophecies: How Stereotypes Reinforce Social Inequalities in England – Dr Zsofia Boda
Discussion – How can we prevent the formation and calcification of ethnic stereotypes, and their influence on teacher and pupil behaviour? What are the relative benefits and challenges of exams v teacher assessment?
12.30 -1.15pm Final discussion – If you could redesign school environments to better accommodate cultural differences in family and religious life, to facilitate cross-ethnic contact, and to reduce the formation and perpetuation of harmful stereotypes among pupils and staff, what would be your top priority—and why?
Read our new Explainer How do teacher-assessed grades differ from exam grades for ethnic minority students?
and Explainer Do children help their immigrant parents integrate? Children’s school friends and their parents’ social ties