The white bread playground: top private schools shun ethnic diversity
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http://www.smh.com.au/national/education/the-white-bread-playground-top-private-schools-shun-ethnic-diversity-20120611-20663.html
Issues of Multiculturalism and Schooling
The article above argues that top private schools in Sydney are turning away students whose parents are recent migrants in order to “preserve Australians from English-speaking backgrounds”. The article points out that less than 10 per cent of students have a parent who speaks a language other than English at many of the city’s high fee independent schools. The article excludes MLC, Meriden and Trinity – all in the inner west – were the majority of the student body comes from non-English speaking backgrounds. Stevenson points to schools such as Wenona, Kambala, Queenwood and St Ignatius to argue that they are only catering for specific religious, ethnic or cultural groups.
While the article does argue such, we must not discount however that this issue could perhaps be more-so a reflection of the diversified areas in Sydney. In tutorials we discussed areas in Sydney that were culturally specific and therefore as an example, schools like Kambala – “The East” – would arguably lack students from cultural backgrounds who are more-so present in the Inner West/West areas. While this is very much a generalisation, one would argue it is an accurate Sydney stereotype.
That is not to say however that schools should purposely shun students of cultural backgrounds – which the article seems to suggest. The article points out that Helen Proctor a lecturer in the faculty of education and social work at the University of Sydney said it was not clear whether ethnic mix of private schools was a result of enrolment policies or geographical choice.
The department of education argues that the Cultural Diversity and Community Relations Policy “commits schools to providing opportunities that allow all students to achieve equitable education and social outcomes”. The policy also insists that teaching practices recognize and value the backgrounds and cultures of students and students who speak a second language are provided with support to develop their English skills.
Furthermore the policy implements that NSW Schools promote positive community relations through numerous other stakeholders including parents and community members – continuously encouraging their involvement within the school.
This article is therefore interesting as if schools are purposely selecting their students based on race, this policy is largely disobeyed and they are very much touching on issues of racism.
What are your thoughts? Do you think this is an issue of racism? Or merely a result of geographical differences and parental choices?
I think Ho's (2011) article provides an answer to the question you pose. If one were to argue that these wealthy private schools are just a reflection of their geographical position, Ho says on p.607 "It would be difficult to argue that these schools [elite independent schools] are well placed to nurture cross-cultural understanding and respect, when the overwhelming majority of students are from white, English speaking backgrounds. Nor do they reflect their local geographical communities. [Table 2 shows that] the suburbs in which these schools are located are all considerably more culturally diverse than are the schools' student bodies". Thus in answer to your question, no, it is not just a case of geography. I think it could be argued that race is an issue, but since racism is generally considered wrong and even illegal in Australia, you would never be able to get an elite school to admit to you that they were racist. What I do think is a bigger and more obvious problem in this private school debate is the issue of social class/status. It is far more likely for someone to reject someone based on their social status than it is for them to reject them due to their skin color or race. Conveniently though, (as Ho highlights in her article), race can generally be seen as an identifier of social class (from a very stereotypical point of view), and thus the two seem to go hand in hand- although like I said before, it would be very hard to get someone to admit they were a racist. Meadmore (2004) highlighted that 'social class works in and through education to produce advantage and disadvantage'. I think pulling someone up for being 'classist' would be far easier than calling someone a racist.
ReplyDeleteI disagree with this article in that I do not think that private schools are purposely selecting their students based on race. I think public schools are admitting students based primarily on intelligence and this is why multiculturalism is lacking. As we have discussed in tutorial and as stated by Ho, private schools are poor micropublics because they do not admit everyone (2011). It seems to me that instead of selecting students based on a wide variety of criteria, private schools base their decisions strictly on level of intelligence. If they broadened their entrance criteria and selected children based also on athletic ability, musicality, artistic ability, etc., private schools would be much more culturally diverse. If this were to happen, students attending private schools would have greater social contact with different cultures.
ReplyDeleteThough it could be argued that this is an issue of racism, I do not think that admittance to private schools is based on race. I think it is more judgment based on the resources and opportunities that students either have or do not have in terms of learning. Students who come from a more affluent family have more money to put towards their education, and a majority of these students just so happen to be white. These students have an advantage in terms of the quality of education they receive, and thus, their intelligence level. This is why I feel that private schools are predominantly white; because not only do they have the money to attend private school, but they are also more advanced because of the resources and opportunities they are privileged enough to have. I think that private schools should look to admit students who are better-rounded, as opposed to strictly focusing on intelligence, and that doing so would allow private schools to become more diverse.
Kate Paulsen,
ReplyDeleteI would have to disagree with your statement that 'private schools base their decisions [of admitting students] strictly on level of intelligenge'.
This is untrue and also very problematic. To begin with, there is no intelligence test which allows students into private (i.e. independent schools). Students do not sit tests to get into schools such as Newington, SCEGGS, Wenona, etc. What gets you into this school is, largely, money. If you can afford the school fees, you are well on your way to being accepted. But as Ho (2011) points out in her article, it is more than money which gets you into these schools. There is a culture of 'tradition', where family members have a sort of lineage who all attend the same high school. Say, a grandfather attended Sydney Grammar in his teen years, then he sent his son there, then his son will send his son there too. In these prestigious elite schools, if you have a family history of attending this particular school, you are going to be considered more favourably for a place in the school. Ho also points out that people put their children on waiting lists for highschools from BIRTH! These schools are partially accepting children already from birth, so how can newborns be accepted based on intelligence? Unfortunately, that is simply not what happens and that is not how you get into an elite independent school. When it comes to selective public schools, that is when an 'intelligence' test is required.
I think there is another implication of your comments which you may not have really thought about. You say that elite private schools are almost completely white, and this is true. But then you say that the REASON why they are predominantely white is because they only accept students who are intelligent. If you link the two comments together, you are in effect saying that white children are smarter than other races, and that is why they are the only ones who get accepted into elite schools. A little problematic! I think a re-reading of Ho's article might debunk some of your above statements!
An interesting comment, though.
References:
Ho, C. (2011) Respecting the Presence of Others: School Micropublics and Everyday Multiculturalism. Journal of Intercultural Studies 32(6): 603-619