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Resilience, the Black Child and the Coalition Government

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Abstract

In a climate of austerity and radical change in education, this chapter considers the challenges faced by Black parents to find ways to achieve the best educational outcomes for their children in an ever selective and competitive educational environment. It examines the current educational climate and some recent policy directions and legislation, and it demonstrates the need for Black pupils to develop greater resilience in order to succeed in an education system set up to increase the purchasing power of the White middle class to the disadvantage of Black pupils. The impact of these changes will be considered in relation to Black pupils, particularly as they often come from the most disadvantaged communities. For the purpose of this chapter Black predominately refers to Black African, Black Caribbean and Black other groups, but does not exclude other minority groups who also experience inequality as a result of government policy. The chapter will discuss resilience and how it impacts and enables Black children to achieve against the odds. It highlights a greater need within the current educational climate for parents and communities to work harder to ensure the academic success of their children.

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© 2014 Jasmine Rhamie

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Rhamie, J. (2014). Resilience, the Black Child and the Coalition Government. In: Race, R., Lander, V. (eds) Advancing Race and Ethnicity in Education. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137274762_15

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