Mutual respect – challenging liberal educational theory

1. Mutual respect – challenging liberal educational theory Politics of Social Cohesion, September 2009 Simon Laumann Joergensen

2. Introduction • Theme: Segregated or mixed schools and social cohesion in Denmark • Question: What are the practical and theoretical challenges to The Danish Social Liberal Party´s mutual respect model of social cohesion? • Method: To characterize • The Social Liberal model • The alternative political models • Their differences and clashes

3. Forms of challenges • Intuition: • The Social Liberal model challenges the governments model • The government’s policies poses practical problems • Challenging the government? • The Neoliberal model • The National-Conservative model • The Civic Educational model • Who challenges who? • The Social Democratic model

4. Educational policies in DK and the Social Liberal Party Educationalpolicies in Denmark Littleinfluence of private schools(until 80s) (not elitist) Mixed schoolingdefendedsince1901 Since 1958: undividedclasses 1-9th grade Different from Germany and UK Impact of Social Liberal Party Historicallycentral Since 2001 verylittleinfluence

5. The Social Liberal mutual-repspect-modelof Social Cohesion: A Recent Statement • ”The mixed public school offers an unique possibility for children from different social and ethnic environments to meet. • This will create ties between children from unskilled, skilled and academic environments • And the children will learn to see that there are children with very different background experiences than their own. • The children will from early on learn to respectdifferences. • This understanding helps fostering social cohesion and trust in society. • This experience and democratic lesson will be reflected in how citizens will relate to each other later in life. Citizens will show to develop a mutual understanding.”

6. The Neoliberal Model • Social cohesion: • The economic basis of social cohesion • Respectthroughemployment • Policies • Usefulskillsratherthansocial literacy • Tests, national standards& curriculum • Publiclyknown testscores and rankings • ”Segregation is only an ethnicproblem” • Extendedfreechoice of schools

7. Segregation consequences of the neoliberal model Growing segregation In >12 major cities the last 20 years Housing policies undermine mixed citizenry White flight Mostly natives and academics At level of 25-35% immigrants Expanding private schools 14% overall 29% in Copenhagen 38% among academics Can refuse students, public schools cannot 75% state vouchered

8. Challenging the Neo-liberal model? Two moral-liberal commitments of the Social Liberals undermine theircritique of the neoliberal regime: Defendstate-vouchered ‘free’ schools. Stress the autonomy of whitemiddleclassparents: ”The consequence I draw of thisfact [i.e. that 40 % of all middleclassparents in the inner city of Copenhagen chooses private schools to avoidbilingualchildren] is a differentone from takingawaytheirresponsibility. I want do defend the viewthatwe have a responsibility for the commongood as citizens. Weare not mere consumerswhosechoicesneedonly to reflect short term subjective and egoisticpreferences. There is currently a strugglebetweenthesetwoviewpoints, and I want to defend the first.”

9. The National-Conservative model:National curriculum for the subject of history 2004 General aim: The development of Danish culture through interaction with other cultures Aim of 9th grade teaching: Human group-affiliation based on communalities, fellowships and shared interests International aid-work and the challenges this pose The positive and negative effects of European emigration to other parts of the world 2009 General aim: Intimate knowledge of of Danish culture and history Aim of 9th grade teaching: Im- and emigration: the positive and negative aspects of the meeting of culture. The meetings of cultures and culture clashes in Danish, European and global context. Compare the current standards of living in Denmark to those of other countries, and discuss the historical grounds of these differences.

10. Challenging the national-conservative model? Two elements clash with the Social Liberal commitments to liberality and autonomy: The strong retorique of preparing for a cultural battle The national curriculum and canon On the other hand: The curriculum could be interpreted as describing the social fact of culture clashes Strongly commited to the Danish national history Liberality and autonomy indicates that there can be strong value differences The neglected humanistic and democratic elements have moved to the subject of social studies

11. The civic educational model:Political literacy Immigration leads to a need for political literacy: Civic education in social studies (2 years with exam) National standards Democracy canon Political literacy not social literacy Teaching democracy directly rather than indirectly

12. Challenging the civic educational model? This model is not beingchallengedeither: Former leader of Social Liberals: Would still want to stress more indirect, social literary and moral elements (i.e. the teacher as a rolemodel) But accepts the need for civiceducation as politicalliteracy

13. The Social Democratic model of social cohesion Cohesion = solidarity, understanding & mobility (1) Segregation undermines social solidarity ”Soon the well-offmiddleclassesmightcome to think: Whypaytaxes to thosesocio-economicallybelowourclass? We do not live wherethey do, ourchildren do not attend the same schools as they do, and wehear of nothing but violence and trouble in theirneighbourhoods.” (2) Segregation undermines social understanding ”Wemay end up withyoungpeoplelivingaffluent lives, attendingsegregatedschools and lateruniversitiesending up in jobs as magistratesorlawyerswheretheyare to make decisions on a group of individualswhichthey have nevermet. This is exactlywhatwewanted to avoidwhenweinvented the commonschool” (3) Mixed schools foster social mobility Middleclasschildrenstimulatelowerclasschildren > 50% middleclass pupils: no negative effects

14. The Social DemocraticmodelWhochallengeswho? Recent proposal Mixed housing Obligations to free schools But no moral criticism of middle class parents Who challenges who? The interests of citizens (and their fears) Rather than the moral citizen Immigration has revealed this difference But: Social Democratic strategies undermined by tax policies

15. Conclusion Expressed view Social Liberalsareexpressive of the need for mixed schools See themselves in opposition to the government Defend social literacy and indirectdemocraticlearning Moral demands to middleclasscitizens But they undermine theirown ideal Their social cohesion model does not challenge the other models Therefore: Their moral appeal to parents, citizens and teachers hangs in the air