Rationalizing the Past: A Critical Examination of Race in Education Policy

• In Event: Roundtable Session 57
  In Roundtable Session: Education Policy and Race

Abstract

The period 1993 to 2013 is significant in British race relations. In 1993, Black teenager Stephen Lawrence was murdered by five white youths while waiting with a friend at a bus stop in South East London. A judge-led Public Inquiry found the police investigation into his death to be marred by incompetence, a lack of leadership and institutional racism. The report included recommendations aimed at addressing race inequalities in the education system. The present paper is based on research that seeks to map, for the first time, the impact of race in shaping education policy between 1993 and 2013. It considers policymakers understanding of race, how this was shaped by the wider social context and how this influenced educational policy.

Author

• Nicola Rollock, The University of Birmingham