Transcript REMIT – Recruitment of Ethnic Minorities into Teaching

REMIT – Recruitment
of Ethnic Minorities
into Teaching
Khadija Mohammed
University of Strathclyde
REMIT
• Established in 2001
• Greater Opportunities for Access to
Learning in Schools (GOALS) – with
the main aim of increasing the
numbers of black and minority ethnic
(BME) entrants into the teaching
profession in Scotland.
Setting the Context
• The Rampton Report – more than 20 years ago
expressed concern about the underrepresentation of ethnic minorities in the
teaching population of England and Wales.
• The Commission for Racial Equality (CRE) urged
the Government to take steps – “to ensure that
people from the ethnic minorities will be
recruited for teacher training without unlawful
discrimination”.
Ethnic Demography of
Teachers in Scotland
• not proportionate to the pupil
population
• Only 0.5% of all primary teachers
were from a minority ethnic group in
2005 and 1.1% in secondary schools
A cultural and demographic
mismatch exists.
• The most recent consensus shows
that there are 3.80% of BME pupils
in schools and that is approximately
four times more than the ethnic
minority teacher population.
• The existence of a diverse workforce
will afford opportunities for
teachers to learn from their
colleagues and present a curriculum
which draws from a range of cultural
and linguistic experiences.
What are the issues?
• There are very few BME promoted staff and head
teachers.
• Lack of practical action with key organisations to
improve recruitment and retention.
• Lack of awareness of race equality policies, for
example, all schools may not be fully aware of
GTCS race equality policy.
• Lack of BME lecturers in teacher education.
• Staff recruitment in Further Education does not
reflect student ethnic mix.
Barriers to recruitment and retention
of BME teachers in both ITE and after
completion of ITE
• BME pupils’ school experience – limited support
network; the Eurocentric curriculum; impact of
racism in society affects pupil interaction.
• Poor links with parents of BME pupils.
• Poor promotion of teaching as a promotion for
BME groups.
• Perceived low status of teachers in general
• Racism experienced by BME teachers form
colleagues/pupils.
• A lack of race equality training
• Inadequate training to deal with racism in the
workplace
• The requirement for Higher English for entry to
ITE – now Higher ESOL is accepted.
(ITE – Initial Teacher Education)
What is to be done?
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Better information for pupils about teaching as a career.
Improved link with parents – access to the curriculum.
Increased support for pupils during the application process.
Alternatives to pre-selection through Higher English – posttesting of English after ITE.
More flexible points of entry.
Access courses
Local and national monitoring of BME applications for ITE.
Inclusion of bilingualism and race equality issues in ITE
programmes.
• Cummins (2000) argues that the
absence of teachers in mainstream
classrooms who represent a rich
diversity of ethnicities sends out a
powerful message to all our children.
• Arshad and Mitchell (2007:2) raise an important
question of “whether a predominantly homogenous
teaching workforce can deliver effectively for an
increasing diverse learner population?”
• They further assert that teachers now attend
courses to develop their skills on how to include a
range of learners but these courses often do not
engage teachers in a critical examination of their
own attitudes and latent prejudices.
One of the key difficulties mainly white
schools face is the lack of familiarity with
dealing with ethnic diversity and that most
teachers try to play down the cultural
differences. Treating people as equals
does not have to mean treating them all
the same, it may require treating them
differently.
• The Learning in 2+ Languages (2005)
document highlights key implications
for educational staff. It emphasises
that they need be aware of the value
of the home language and to
establish more meaningful parental
partnerships.
• In the Scottish Executive study (2005:77)
of minority ethnic pupils some of the pupils
commented on the fact that there were
very few minority ethnic teachers. Some
children commented that ‘I think it would
be nice to have teachers who are more
mixed’; ‘they might understand you better’
(Minority Ethnic Pupils’ Experiences of Schools in Scotland –
MEPESS) 2004
Much work is required to promote
teaching as a good and fair
profession to enter into and we can
only do this if young children can see
more teachers from the ethnic
minorities in their schools enjoying
the same equal status as their white
colleagues.
• A recent article in The Scotsman
(2009) “Executive ‘failing’ on nonwhite teachers” highlighted the fact
that there is only one Headteacher
from an ethnic minority in a Glasgow
school.
• . Ladson-Billings (2005:231) assert that it
is not that teachers from the ethnic
minorities will be able to ‘fix’ things for
the ethnic minority pupils but it is about
“creating a more diverse teaching
workforce…to ensure all students,
including white students, experience a
more accurate picture of what it means to
live and work in a multicultural and
democratic society.”
References
• Arshad, R. & Mitchell, L. (2007) Inclusion: Is it the new
threat to the Equity and Anti-discrimination Agenda in
Scottish Schools? Paper prepared for ATEE Conference
(Association of Teacher Education in Europe): Symposium on
Equity, Social Justice and Diversity and Teacher Education
• Cummins, J. (2000). Bilingual Children’s Mother Tongue:
Why Is It Important for Education? Retrieved 30th March
2006 from
http://www.iteachilearn.com/cummins/mother.htm
References
•
Ladson-Billings, G. (2005) Is the Team All Right? Diversity and
Teacher Education. Journal of Teacher Education. Vol.56, No.3.
pp229-234.
•
Learning and Teaching Scotland (LTS). (2005). Learning in 2(+)
Languages. Scottish Executive
•
Remit – Ethnic Diversity in the Teaching Profession: Making it a
reality. Conference 17/6/04
•
Scottish Executive (2005) Minority Ethnic Pupils’ Experiences of
School in Scotland (MEPESS)
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2005/03/mepess/1