‘We raised it with the Head’: the educational practices of minority ethnic, middle‐class families

Abstract

This paper discusses findings from a small-scale empirical exploration of the views, experiences and educational practices of middle-class minority ethnic families in the United Kingdom. It draws on semi-structured interviews conducted with 36 parents, pupils and 'young professionals'.Analyses consider to what extent generic class resources, as identified by the US work of Lareau, are evident within the educational practices of British middle-class, minority ethnic families. It is argued that generic class resources and practices were evident to the extent that parents expressed a desire for personalised education, felt comfortable voicing their opinions and concerns to schools, and were willing to climb the ladder of authority to get their voices heard. However, it is also argued that 'race' plays a significant and complicating role that calls for a qualification (but not a negation) of Lareau's theorisation.

How British-Chinese parents support their children: a view from the regions

“…However a study on the constructions of gender, education and achievement amongst British-Chinese community in London has shed some light on both empirical and theoretical issues (Archer andFrancis 2005, 2006;Francis and Archer 2005). We look at a very specific group of families living, working and attending school in and around the midlands town of Nottingham.…”

“…Parenting strategies within the British-Chinese community Whilst the literature on the educational experiences of the Chinese community is generally thin but growing (Archer andFrancis 2005, 2007;Chau and Yu 2001) it is argued that some studies present a somewhat stereotypical image of the Chinese community ignoring the very specific and localised nature of British-Chinese communities Parker 2000). However a study on the constructions of gender, education and achievement amongst British-Chinese community in London has shed some light on both empirical and theoretical issues (Archer andFrancis 2005, 2006;Francis and Archer 2005).…”

Homo Economicus in a Big Society: Understanding Middle-class Activism and NIMBYism towards New Housing Developments

“…Thus, although in any area there may not be a majority opposed to development, it is likely that in an electoral process they will get their voices heard or have broader impact on deliberative process (Sturzaker, 2011). Further, evidence from similarly controversial proposals, such as school closures, demonstrates the ability of these groups to successful deploy their knowledge and cultural resources to develop stronger coalitions; effectively ensuring people become more strongly opposed to development (Bondi, 1988, Archer, 2010. In particular, it is causal mechanism three -the alignment of cultural capital between aggrieved residents and local elected members -that may have particular salience in these cases.…”

Preparing for parents: how Australian teacher education is addressing the question of parent-school engagement

“…Research in Australia echoes concerns internationally that identifies parent-school relations as a contested domain with significant implications for school students, teachers, families and communities (Archer, 2010;Avvisati, …”