The Oli De Botton Education Column
It made for uncomfortable reading. GCSE results, analysed in detail by the DCSF this week, confirmed what many teachers have been feeling for ages. Children who are white, British and poor are falling behind. This despite the fact that all other groups appear to be improving.
The problem this poses for progressives is two fold: first, there is the damage that an achievement gap determined by wealth can do to social mobility, but second - and perhaps more urgently - there is the potential that these poor outcomes could feed into a broad and corrosive narrative about Britishness and class.
Teachers in tough schools come into contact with this narrative quite often. When I was in the classroom it came up when discussing pupil progress with parents. The conversations would often turn into a debate about entitlement (and sometimes race). I was told, on more than one occasion, that behaviour and achievement would be better if I had spent less time with ‘immigrants’ and more time with their son. Now this may be simply anecdotal, but it was not surprising that the BNP were actively recruiting in the area and exploiting these feelings.
The stakes in this are high and there are no easy answers. We have tried stricter discipline, personalised learning, better training for heads and community engagement – all with varying degrees of success. And of course some schools do better than others with white British boys.
But one potential (and perhaps obvious) answer might come from the power of the role model. A study last year from the University of Manchester highlighted that where achievement for white working class boys was best, headteachers shared that background or had a deep commitment to the issues of white working class communities.
This is not to say that middle-class teachers can’t make a difference, but rather that the values of solidarity that hold together the Labour movement may be the same ones that can improve achievement for white working class boys in school.
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The issue is waiting to be championed by progressives. As I have said elsewhere, the real problem with white underachievement is that no one gives a damn at least amongst polite society. The only people who speak about this are extremists and who can be dismissed for being racist.
We desperately need to develop a vocabulary for this area and unashamedly start a national conversation, just as we have done on other areas of inequality ie race, gender
And you know what - they havn't cared yet - but hold on! an election is coming! Time to re-kindle, re-connect, and re-visit. Mmmmmm now what votes can I squeeze out of this?
Poverty is not so discriminating.
Talent and ability should be the only discriminator. Stretch the smartest and encourage those that are not to excel just as much.
Labour should hang its heads in total shame.
"Progressive" is not what the Unions and the labour wonks are on about. They are utterly reactionary. What they want is the current war zone of the Comprehensives. Ours looks like HMP Whitemoor. Does yours? Oh, Sorry, your kids go to Public School or else to the posh area Comp, don't they? And, of course, they are so religious that they flood into the Church Schools as they read Dawkins.
Chavs? UGH!!!!!
Why should labour bother? It hasn't yet!
"family income and status are by far the most significant correlates of success in the school system. Although gender is also an independent and significant factor, the social class attainment gap at age 16 is three times as wide as the gender gap."
This would be surprising only if intelligence was not hereditable. It is. Intelligent people statistically have intelligent parents and so are largely born into, or rise to become, higher income and status households. They then have intelligent children and the distillation process continues. Genetics trumps political dogma.
As the working class son of working class parents who ended up in a class of middle class kids, and since gone on to get the better exam grades and job I can only say your argument is utter tosh.
The connection between working class kids performance and their parents today is the attitude instilled in the children that there is no point in trying at school. I was lucky, it wasn't always this way. I imagine it still isn't for a lot.
Your genetics argument is further quashed by the undoubted genius possessed by the hyper intellect of the whole Saxe-Coburg-Gotha/Windsor troop.
Middle class kids generally do better because their parents do value learning and the opportunities it provides.
John Prescott may be semi-evolved but it doesn't mean everybody else is.
http://www.galtoninstitute.org.uk/Newsletters/GINL9503/heritability_of_intelligence.htm
Your experience confirms rather than disproves my proposition-you "got the better job"
Your example of the Royal familty is amusing but hardly statistically significant.
I've no doubt some inheritable attributes may be involved.
But I do completely disagree with treating it as the only possibility, or even the major factor when one considers that there's been of the order of less than 30 generations since say the that great societal leveller, the Black Death. Evolution takes a bit longer to give truly measureable results. Unless you're an aristocrat you're descended from a peasant/serf.
The middle class in most countries is expanding, because those of a lower class are moving into that one.
The paper you refer to accepts it's not just heritable, and also mentions that all evidence of the experiments to indicate the heritable effect is lost. So the conclusion at the end of it smacks of someone wanting evidence to support their theory.
In any case, children of famous scientists aren't often famous scientists.
I know Guy M has a high opinion of himself, but lets not feed his ego that he is some kind of genetically enhanced super man.
The point I was making that there has to be a reason for people wanting to learn, and being too comfortably off and knowing it isn't necessary, is just as much an impediment as thinking it will never help.
Well we know the life on benefits and sink estates are basically breeding a class of unemployable yobs with no respect for law and order . And with a much reduced lifespan. _ see Central Glasgow average of 54 years.
Pity the article never mentions that.
Well wot a surprise...
And what was your reply?
So I can make the converse argument that the values that make the middle classes what they are are the same ones that achieve academic success for boys and girls in predominantly middle class schools?
I actually believe that to be true, that there are distinctive traits and ethos that are markedly different between middle and working classes. Amazing though that Labour might admit to that and even have someone put forward the argument that social class "solidarity" has relevance.
Does this also mean by extension that being around children of the same value has an effect? The logic of your argument would seem to indicate that is the case. If so then it reaffirms most middle class parents view that they want their children mixing with and educated with other middle class children.
This is your problem, you can’t open this up with a line of argument like you have without the argument from the other side of the coin gaining validation as well.
All in all thank you.
"They showed a profound respect for the people and areas they were working with and had often deliberately chosen to work with these types of communities. Several came from low income backgrounds themselves. They were sensitive to the emotional state of their pupils and colleagues and, as a result, were deeply admired across the staff and student body."
Though quite how he managed to warp 'several' into implying 'all' is beyond me. Perhaps he went to the Gordon Brown school of Communication?
Thanks for that. It would appear the education system is failing to teach LL writers to count..or maybe "Oli de Botton is a former assistant head teacher at a challenging London comprehensive " says it all.
I fail to see "where achievement for white working class boys was best, headteachers shared that background or had a deep commitment to the issues of white working class communities."
Indeed the report said "They found there that the successful leaders were dogged in their pursuit of the most effective staff, versatile in their use of budgets and concerned about the effects of the move from primary to secondary school, when many pupils lose ground. They were also acutely aware of the effect of local re-organisation of schools on their students and the report recommends that local authorities take into account the impact on the most disadvantaged students, whenever a change in local provision is considered.
No wonder poor white boys are doing badly when a simple report whose conclusions are quite straightforwardly sated can be so misconstrued and incorrectly presented.
And you wonder why education is a shambles for these kids?
I don't.
Some argue that the family provides the guidance, I dont think its the family but culture. In the USA you have the American way. In the UK we need a "this is the British way". Everyone would benefit from this. This is a way of bringing people together instead of dividing people like the fascists. The more we divide the greater the scope for conflict.
That is why the people must be involved in a Constitutional action. It would be an opportunity for them to define what is right and unacceptable in politics (to an extent) and to realise their own identity and values. They can share these with each other and the rest of this country.
The problem i find is the lack of young children that cant speak english , When i was at school in Barking the class was mainly white and english (mid 80s ) Now when you see a class sometimes there are only a few white kids and the others dont speak english as there first laungue , so more time is spent on helping them learn english and the white children can be forgotton and then fall behind and become disintrested.
Danny
Ha Ha are you for real?
Don't you mean "held together" - I don't see any signs that nu-labour people are interested in working class people, well beyond employing them as cleaners?
especially if their immigrant status is questionable