Material deprivation and class - ethnicity and achievement

Palmer ethinic minorities are more likely to experience material deprivation:

• almost half live in low income households - a quarter white 
• twice as likely to be unemployed compared to whites 
• three times more likely to be homeless 
• almost half of Banglasdeshi and Pakistani worked earned £7 per hour, compared to a quarter of white british workers
• more likely to be engaged in shift work
• Banglasdeshi and Pakistani women more likely to be engaged in low paid home working

There's many reasons why some ethnic minorities may be at greater risk of the material deprivation that reuskts from unemployment, low pay and housing market:

• they live in economically depressed with high unemployment and low wages 
• some cultural traditions prevent women from working outside homes - purdah
• lack of langauge skills and foreign qualifications not recognised by UK employers 
• asylum seekers not allowed to work
• radical discrimination in the labour market and housing market

In summary:

• teachers quicker to discipline black pupils - result of 'radialised expectations' (stereotypes)
• expected black pupils to present more discipline problems and misinterpreted behaviour as threatening
• pupils then reacted negativeley and lead to more conflict
• black pupils felt teachers underestimated their ability and picked on them
• result of A-C economy/triage - Black pupils more likely to be in lower sets 

This may explain the higher level of exclusions of black boys, both permanent and also unofficial, or internal, sent out of class or placed in PRU (pupil referral unit)

Ethnic minority pupils are likely to be seen as either demonised or pathologised pupils

• Black students - demonised 'loud, challenging, unaspirational'
• Asian girls - quite, docile and passive 
• Chinese pupils pathologised and are seen as getting success the 'wrong' way through hardworking, passive conformism rather than natural ability.

Therefore, even the success of ethnic minority (and female) pupils will only be seen as 'over-achievment' - since 'proper' achievement is seen to be the natural preserve of the privileged white, m/c ideal pupil

The girls in Fuller's study:

• channelled their anger about being labelled into the pursuit of educational success
• didn't seek approval of teachers (many of whom they regarded as racist) and conformed only as far as school work was concerned
• they didn't limit their friends to other academic achievers and remained friends with other black girls in lower streams
• they worked conscientiously but gave the impression of not doing so and showed a deliberate lack of concern for school routines
• relied on their own efforts and the impartiality of the external exams

Ethnic minority children are more likely to end up in unpopular schools because:

• pupil reports from primary schools that stereotype minority pupils
• racial bias in interviews for school places
• lack of info. and application forms in minority languages 
• ethnic minority parents are often unaware of how the watiting list system works and the importance of deadlines