Society, Family and Inclusive School Lesson 6

Society, Family and Inclusive School Course 2021-2022, Lesson 6

Course title: Society, Family and Inclusive School
Course year: 2021-2022
Professor: Laureano Martínez
Lesson number: 6

Expected Learning Outcomes

LOS 1: Understand the relationship between school and society through sociological concepts, identifying fundamental types of social inequality (social class, gender, and ethnic culture) that schools both fight and reproduce.
LOS 3: Understand how the relationship between school and society in various historical moments involves a unique approach to social inequalities as a social reality impacting education. This approach is specific to each historical period.

6.1 Basic Concepts: Race and Ethnicity

RACE: Based on collectively inherited, unchangeable physical and biological characteristics (skin color, hair, eyes, facial shape), linked to a shared origin. Physical traits are assigned value judgments (better/worse, good/bad) impacting perceptions of ability, intelligence, and civilization.
ETHNICITY: Defined by shared racial, linguistic, and cultural affinities. Differentiation from other groups based on cultural traits like language, religion, and customs.

6.2 Ethnic Diversity and Schooling

Conditional factors:
- Migration patterns
- Differences in linguistic backgrounds compared to the host country
- Variations in migrant family structures (single-parent, re-grouped, transnational families) and living arrangements
- Lack of resources (after-school support) to counteract potential disadvantages related to ethnic minority status and socioeconomic background
- Family pressure for educational success to gain advantages over parents' educational opportunities
- Concentration of immigrant students in certain neighborhoods leading to school segregation
Percentage of Foreign Students in Spanish Non-university Education (Graph): Data shows an increase in the percentage of foreign students from approximately 1.5% in 1998-2000 to over 10% at the peak (2007-2008 to 2011-2012) in the data reported. This information is presented graphically on slide 10.
Distribution of Foreign Students by Region & Matriculation Level (Table): Data in slide 10 & 11 breakdown the distribution of foreign students in different grades and geographical regions (Europe, Africa, etc.) which details the proportions of each group.

6.2 Ethnic Diversity and Schooling (continued)

School segregation: A phenomenon where immigrant students and native students may be concentrated in separate schools, sometimes due to neighbourhood patterns.

6.3 Immigration and Educational Achievement

Onion Boado (2014): Analyzed the relationship between family and school characteristics, and how that impacts children's mathematical knowledge at the end of primary school.
Questions to ask: Is there a detected disadvantage for immigrant children in primary education related to results in core subjects?
Figures 1 and 2 (slide 14): Present data on student performance (maths & language) for students from differing countries of origin. This data shows varying results (e.g., mathematics and language scores) with a wide range of scores, between the different student groups. (Figures and visual data from slide 14)
Reasons for immigrant disadvantage: Several potential factors exist, impacting the early stages of the educational journey. These factors can occur at home or at schools.
Measuring cultural capital: Researchers are measuring the number of books in a student's house as an indicator of cultural capital, as well as noting trends of immigrant and native children.
Impact of educational origin: Households with immigrant children show lower access to crucial resources that positively affect education, such as parental education levels, socioeconomic status, and cultural background.
Early education effects: The beneficial outcomes of early education are shown in the findings of international studies but show somewhat less positive outcomes for immigrant children in comparison to native children.
School ownership and immigrant children: Children born outside of Spain are disproportionately assigned to public schools in comparison with children born in Spain, despite similar trends noted in school enrollment. This is related to how parents' educational ownership of the school is linked to student attainment.
Conclusions: Students from immigrant backgrounds in Spain show consistent disparities in educational attainment and societal integration starting at a very early age.
Equitable Spanish education system?: While the Spanish system appears equitable based on international assessment frameworks like PISA, TIMMS and PIRLS, it faces challenges in including immigrant students.