Integrating All-minority Schools: A Critical Race Analysis of Policy Makers’ Motives

• In Event: 523 - Section on Sociology of Education Refereed Roundtable Session and Business Meeting
  In Refereed Roundtable 60min: Table 08. Race, Immigration, and Education: Session I

Abstract

In many cities across the Western world, policy makers work not only toward integrated neighborhoods but also toward integrated schools. As has been argued, however, social mix policies are somewhat one-sided, as they predominantly target all-minority schools. Indeed, in the last decades, all-majority schools are seldom a subject of intervention. The present contribution aims to unravel the logics underlying these one-sided education policies. In order to do this, we concentrate our attention to a specific policy practice, named ‘School In Sight,’ that has been implemented in eight Flemish (the Dutch-speaking part of Belgium) cities. This initiative aims at transforming all-minority schools into schools that are ethnically and socioeconomically diverse. To succeed, the initiative organizes both (i) tours in all-minority schools and (ii) network events among interested white middle-class parents. Drawing on in-depth interviews with key actors of the initiative, it is suggested that conflicted but entangled notions underlie this initiative. On the one hand, actors view minoritized children at risk. More specifically, all-minority schools are constructed as a hindrance for the development of these children. On the other hand, actors also define these children as a risk. In fact, it is believed that the student body of all-minority schools could instill minoritized children with a wrong value system. Nonetheless both notions seem to share the same assumption, namely the fact that a concentration of minoritized pupils is problematic. We conclude by problematizing this problematic nature itself and as such question the necessity of school integration.

Authors

• Cedric Goossens, Ghent University

• Angelo Van Gorp, Ghent University