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Schools & communities. Alan Dyson Centre for Equity in Education University of M anchester d.a.dyson@manchester.ac.uk. England has a long history of inequality…. …and is still unequal. Outcomes are shaped by socio-economic background.
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Schools & communities Alan Dyson Centre for Equity in Education University of Manchester d.a.dyson@manchester.ac.uk
England has a long history of inequality… …and is still unequal
Outcomes are shaped by socio-economic background The Marmot Review (2010) Fair society, healthy lives DCSF (2009) Deprivation and education
Longitudinal and Lifecourse Studies, 2(1), 2011) Gaps appear early They don’t narrow There’s a gradient – not a cliff Schools ameliorate – but they don’t transform
…but places also are unequal A Tale of Two Cities: The Sheffield Project Bethan Thomas, John Pritchard, Dimitris Ballas, Dan Vickers and Danny Dorling Social & Spatial Inequalities Research Group Department of Geography The University of Sheffield http://www.shef.ac.uk/sasi
So, what needs to be done? And what can schools do?
Interconnections matter… Fabian Society (2006) Narrowing the Gap
A US response http://www.hcz.org/home One of our core beliefs is that in poor communities where, literally, all of the institutions are failing children, you can’t do one thing and expect you’ll solve the issue of scale. I mean, you can save some children with an early intervention programme, and you can save some children if you work with addicted mothers, and you can save some children if you have after-school programs. But if you start talking about how you’re going to save most of the children, you have to do all those things, and do them over the long term, and you have to make sure you count how many children actually received those services.
What can be achieved? Students facing disadvantage may do better Many children may understand more, and feel better about the school & themselves
Families & adults facing disadvantage may do better • Schools may: • enjoy better community relations • develop greater capacity • perform better The returns on investment can be substantial
Different strategic aims... Create a local learning network Create an empowered community Enhance opportunities for local people
Different strategic aims... Create a local learning network Create an empowered community Enhance opportunities for local people
Cummings, C., Dyson, A., & Todd, L. (2011) Beyond the School Gates: Can full service and extended schools overcome disadvantage? (London, Routledge) Centre for Equity in Education http://www.education.manchester.ac.uk/research/centres/cee/