Raising African-Caribbean pupil achievement

Citation

(1999), "Raising African-Caribbean pupil achievement", Education + Training, Vol. 41 No. 5. https://doi.org/10.1108/et.1999.00441eab.009

Raising African-Caribbean pupil achievement

Keywords: Schools, Young people, Ethnic groups

Collaboration between schools, community, parents and pupils is the key to raising African-Caribbean pupil achievement, says a leading think tank on race relations. The Runnymede Trust claims that improved educational achievement results from school and community-based initiatives which target pupils at risk from exclusion and which focus on raising motivation, self-esteem and the expectations of teachers.

The report, Improving Practice: a Whole-School Approach to Raising the Achievement of African-Caribbean Youth, is the result of a two-year action-based project by Dr Debbie Weekes and Dr Cecile Wright, from Nottingham Trent University.

The project took place in London and the Midlands and involved 136 African-Caribbean and mixed-heritage pupils in nine secondary schools, together with a number of community-based mentoring schemes, supplementary schooling and youth-advice services.

Black pupils involved in school and community-based initiatives showed an improvement in their confidence and communication skills, better completion rates in homework and coursework and greater trust and respect of peers and teachers.

The significance of positive black role models was revealed. In one initiative, led by a black female teacher, 67 per cent of pupils thought it was important to be taught by a black member of staff.

Some 65 per cent of pupils in another black mentor scheme indicated the importance of having a mentor who reflected their racial background.

Schools are advised to:

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  consult community groups, youth workers, governors, parents and pupils;

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  ensure that initiatives aimed at raising black-pupil achievement are not isolated and thus marginalized, but integrated into the school's overall plan;

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  share examples of good practice; and

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  avoid "colour-blind" strategies and monitor initiatives that target black pupils with set targets that are regularly reviewed.