Education and Youth Exclusion

RESUMEN
El ocio, a cuyas prácticas más convencionales –lúdicas, festivas y recreativas– se han añadido en las últimas décadas experiencias y vivencias que amplían y/o diversifican su protagonismo en la vida cotidiana de la gente, representa un ámbito de especial trascendencia para el desarrollo humano. Sin obviar las controversias inherentes a sus realidades, el objetivo principal del trabajo que presentamos reside en conocer y analizar cuáles son las actividades de ocio en las que participan jóvenes (entre los 16 y los 21 años) con dos perfiles bien diferenciados: de un lado, los que siendo tutelados o ex tutelados han sido objeto de alguna medida de atención, protección o inserción social; de otro, los que han mantenido sus vínculos familiares en condiciones de “normalidad” como alumnos de Educación Secundaria Postobligatoria. El estudio, que tiene como soporte empírico la información obtenida mediante la aplicación de cuestionarios elaborados ad hoc a dos muestras de ambos colectivos en Cataluña, Galicia y Madrid, pone de relieve las coincidencias y divergencias en sus preferencias, desvelando las posibilidades y limitaciones entre aquellas y las prácticas de ocio que unos y otros jóvenes llevan a cabo. Un conjunto de circunstancias ante las que se reivindica una educación del ocio que aporte nuevas perspectivas en clave pedagógica y social; y, con ellas, nuevas oportunidades para construir la equidad y la inclusión social de la juventud en las sociedades que habitamos.

ABSTRACT
Leisure, to whose most conventional practices –ludic, festive and recreational– have been added in the last decades, experiences and livings which extend and/or diversify their protagonism in people’s daily life, represents an ambit of special importance for human development. Without neglecting the inherence in their realities, the main objective of our research is acquiring knowledge and analyzing what are the leisure-time activities. Involving young people (between 16 and 21 years old) with two well differentiated profiles: on the one hand, those who are being in foster care have been object of some degree of attention, protection or social insertion; on the other hand, those who have maintained their family ties under “normal” circumstances like students of Post-compulsory Secondary Education. This research, which has as an empirical support the information obtained through the application of surveys elaborated ad hoc to two samples of both groups in Catalonia, Galicia and Madrid, highlights the coincidences and divergences in their preferences, revealing the possibilities and limitations between those preferences and the leisure time activities that both youth groups carry out. This set of circumstances demands a proper leisure education, which contributes with new perspectives in social and pedagogical code; and, along with them, new opportunities in order to build the equality and the social inclusion of youth in the society we inhabit.

This research reports on LEA action plans for the Ethnic Minority Achievement Grant (EMAG) for 1998/99 and 1999/2000 and on performance data for minority ethnic
groups returned by LEAs for summer 2000. The research team, led by Dr Leon Tikly at the University of Bristol and Professor Audrey Osler at the University of Leicester, in
partnership with Dr John Hill, Birmingham LEA, has also produced a searchable database, capturing key data from the LEA plans.

The aim of the research was to identify the range and effectiveness of LEA strategies for raising the achievement of minority ethnic pupils and the relationship between these
strategies and improvements in minority ethnic pupil performance.  Action plans from 151 LEAs were analysed.

There are variations in the quality of the data from LEAs, with some providing descriptive data and others providing detailed analysis of the implications of their plans for raising achievement. Achievement data is incomplete for some LEAs and is not broken down by gender. While the plans contain the intended actions of LEAs, cause effect relationships between these actions and any improvements in achievement cannot
be derived from the plans alone without further research on the implementation of the plans in practice.

At the end of Key Stage 2 (end of primary school, Year 6) the overall improvement rate from 1998-2000 in the proportion of pupils achieving Level 4 and above for the 81 LEAs which provided data for the three years was 11.9 percentage points in English and 14.9 percentage points in mathematics. Chinese and Indian heritage pupils are the highest achieving groups in
both subjects. In both subjects rates of improvement were greater for Pakistani and Bangladeshi pupils. Rates of improvement for Black Caribbean pupils are slightly lower
than average in English.

GCSE results (Year 11, end of compulosry schooling) also show Chinese and Indian heritage pupils as the highest achieving groups, followed by White, Bangladeshi, Black African and Pakistani heritage pupils. Black Caribbean heritage pupils’ achievements were significantly lower, with 27 per
cent achieving 5 or more A* - C grades in 2000 compared to an overall average of 48 per cent.

Overall, LEAs set challenging targets, the achievement of which would result in some narrowing of the ‘attainment gap’ for those groups currently performing less well on average than other groups.

It is not possible to assess the reliability of the data from the plans, but there are considerable differences in the relative achievement of each ethnic group across LEAs. For example, Black Caribbean heritage pupils achieving 5 or more A* - C grades ranges between 16 per cent and 59 per cent, depending on the LEA.

Overall Bangladeshi, Pakistani and Black Caribbean heritage pupils are achieving on average below the level of other groups. However, there is some evidence to suggest that Bangladeshi and Pakistani heritage pupils are improving at higher rates, leading to a narrowing of the gap.

Among those LEAs that were most successful in raising the achievement of the groups most at risk of underachieving (Black Caribbean, Bangladeshi, Pakistani heritage learners) the most common strategies were: supporting schools to review their performance, set targets and monitor achievement; and collating and disseminating good practice. Such LEAs were particularly concerned with improving the school management practices for supporting minority ethnic learners.

In addition, LEAs who were successful in raising Black Caribbean learners’ attainment focused on pupils’ attendance, supporting supplementary schools and providing mentoring support for pupils, particularly at GCSE. They also had a broader range of strategies for liaising with minority organisations and parents. xii LEAs who were most successful in raising the achievement of EAL learners also placed
considerable emphasis on mainstream classroom support including bilingual support, at Key Stage 2. They also targeted their efforts at newly arrived learners at GCSE and gave particular attention to meeting the needs of EAL learners with special educational needs.

The report highlights the strategies adopted by those authorities that have managed to raise the achievement of minority ethnic pupils at an above-average rate. In these
authorities a greater proportion of EMAG was devolved to schools, but as these were authorities with significant minority ethnic school populations the size of the grant meant they were also able to achieve economies of scale in the provision of centralised support.
Successful authorities were also likely to make use of EMAG for advisory and administrative posts for monitoring and co-ordination. Successful authorities were more likely to report using LEA data analysis as a means of monitoring minority ethnic group performance and supporting schools in the use of
these data to set challenging targets. They placed more emphasis on training and support in relation to EMAG and on central financial monitoring of its use.

Based on in-depth oral interviews carried out in Mogadishu, Somalia, and countries neighboring Somalia in 2009 and 2013, our purpose in this study is to map the nature of prejudice and hate discourse used by Somalis against the Bantu Jareer and the Yibir, Gabooye, and Tumaal communities in Somalia. The hate discourse used against the Yibir, Gabooye, and Tumal outcast communities is premised on assumptions of their supposed unholy origin and their engagement in occupations and social activities that are despised by the so-called Somali noble groups. The prejudice and hate discourse against the Bantu Jareer Somalis is derived from their African origin and alleged African-like physical characteristics in comparison with the features of other Somalis.

This mixed methods study draws on district discipline data, interviews, and focus groups to identify characteristics of DPS schools who met the district’s discipline goals of a 0-3% suspension rate for their student population overall and for Black students in particular during the 2014-2015 school year.
Quantitative Findings
Statistical analyses comparing schools who met the district’s discipline goals to those who did not revealed that low-suspending schools had the following features:
● More racially and economically integrated
● Fewer serious discipline incidents (type 2-6) reported by school staff
● Greater use of Restorative Practices in response to discipline incidents
● Less frequent use of in- and out-of-school suspension among disciplined students
Qualitative Findings
Principals and school staff from a subset of low-suspending schools reported the following common strategies, conditions, and district resources were used to meet the district’s discipline goals:
Positive Behavior and School Culture Systems
● Relationship Building
● Behavioral Recognitions and Rewards
● Social-Emotional Skill Building
● Restorative Practices

Inclusive Policies and Protocols for Responding to Misbehavior
● Start with Classroom-Based Interventions
● Connect Misbehaving Students to Support Services
● Use Punitive and Exclusionary Discipline Practices as a Last Resort

Supportive Implementation Conditions
● Robust School-Based Student and Family Services
● Professional Learning, Training and Coaching
● Strategic Hiring for Culture Fit

Awareness of Racial Inequalities and Bias
● Strengthen Staff Members Knowledge about Racial Disparities
● Prioritize Relationship Building with Black Families and Students

District Supports
● Policy & Intervention Consultations with Discipline Coordinators
● Professional Development Units on Restorative Practices and Equity

Recommendations
The following recommendations are focused on themes from this report that were consistent across our qualitative and quantitative data, and supported by prior research:
Schools
● Engage all school staff in ongoing professional learning about universal strategies for relationship-building, proactive classroom management approaches, equity frameworks, and implicit bias.
● Collaboratively (re)establish and teach school-wide expectations for students and staff members every school year, with regular opportunities for recognition of positive behavior.
● Greet students and implement social-emotional learning or community building activities at the start of the school day.
● Participate in the Parent-Teacher Home Visit program.
● Use Restorative Practices to resolve discipline incidents.

The District
● Strengthen initiatives that promote racially and socioeconomically integrated schools, such as high quality schools in every neighborhood, and transportation for students who choice-in to sites outside of their community.
● Increase the availability of engaging and tailored site- or network-based trainings on Equity, PBIS, and Restorative Practices.
● Provide training and consultation on evidence-based classroom management approaches like Responsive Classroom.
● Expand the Parent-Teacher Home Visit program to a greater number of schools, prioritizing those with high suspension rates.
● Conduct a needs assessments of schools that have consistently been unable to meet the district’s discipline goals.

En esta investigación nos propusimos indagar las características que adquieren los procesos de exclusión e inclusión educativa en las escuelas secundarias públicas de la ciudad de Ushuaia, atendiendo a la construcción de las experiencias escolares.

¿Qué significa que una estudiante o un estudiante «fracasen»? Se trata de una pregunta aparentemente sencilla, pero cuenta con una carga de profundidad importante.
Una primera respuesta nos llevaría a señalar que, simplemente, no ha alcanzado los objetivos educativos propuestos. Puede parecer una respuesta clara, casi nítida. Sin embargo una respuesta de este tipo implica dar por supuestos demasiados aspectos, algunos tan cruciales como la existencia de un sistema objetivo y justo de evaluación del alumnado, capaz de discriminar fracaso y éxito educativo.
Del mismo modo, si se pretende responder desde la perspectiva de la educación comparada y a partir de los resultados obtenidos a través de pruebas internacionales (PISA, TIMSS, PIRLS…), en la articulación de esa respuesta habría que considerar las distintas trayectorias que, a lo largo de la historia, han ido configurando los diferentes sistemas educativos, sus tradiciones y la cultura escolar en la que se desarrollan, entre otros aspectos. Nuevamente, aun suponiendo la existencia de ese sistema justo y objetivo, no es una tarea sencilla

Sociological research on inequality has increasingly moved beyond the examination of inequalities as they presumably exist to explore the generic narrative processes that perpetuate that inequality. Unfortunately, however, this research remains concentrated on either individual or ideological grand narratives and ignores the fact that the work narratives do, including the production and structuring of inequality, occurs at multiple levels: cultural, structural, organizational, and personal, and never exclusively at just one of these. In this study, we use Somali origin narratives to describe conceptually the ways in which narratives produced at different personal and societal levels—cultural, institutional, organizational—dialectically structure the generic processes that produce and perpetuate social inequality.

In recent years, many social scientists have explored young people’s lives and transitions, considering such matters as social exclusion, disempowerment and disenchantment, as well as promoting effective interventions, strategies and innovations through policy. These have taken account of issues of gender, race, ethnicity, sexuality, disability, inequality, migration, faith and radicalisation. In order to benefit from bringing this diverse range of studies together a themed issue of Contemporary Social Science is planned.

Submissions are therefore invited that address both the scale and the urgency of the crisis of social trust, democratic participation and civic engagement in relation to youth, as well as the complexity of youth experience and identity in today’s challenging and troubled contexts.

We welcome original articles dealing with research on youth in times of crisis, turbulence and uncertainty, from any disciplinary perspective. This could include, inter alia, the interactions between youth democratic practices, socioeconomic inequalities, including social exclusion/inclusion in employment, education or training (EET), and the impact of current social, economic, cultural and political contexts. Soundly empirically based studies are preferred, either quantitative or qualitative, although well argued scholarly essays will also be considered.
Submission instructions

Manuscripts should follow the usual format for submission of papers to Contemporary Social Science as indicated in Instructions for Authors at: https://www.tandfonline.com/action/authorSubmission?journalCode=rsoc21&page=instructions#.

Papers should be submitted to the Guest Editor, Prof. Charalambos Tsekeris, at the address below. He is happy to review plans for papers in advance of their receipt. All papers will be anonymously peer reviewed. The closing date for submitting papers is Monday 5th December 2016. The corresponding Guest Editor for this issue is:

Prof. Charalambos Tsekeris
Academy of Athens,
Research Centre for Greek Society,
14 Anagnostopoulou Str,
106 73 Athens, Greece
Editorial information

    Guest Editor: Charalambos Tskeris, Academy of Athens, Greece ([email protected])
    Guest Editor: Lily Stylianoudi, Academy of Athens, Greece