Schools within Sydney are occupied with an abundance of different cultures and identities, which also essentially brings forth an even greater variation of intersections of social economic status (SES). (DEFINE SES) Sydney and Australia as a whole have produced PISA results which demonstrate relatively low levels of equity between students, in comparison to many other developed nations worldwide (Thomson, et al., 2010). Therefore, this issue may be approached by addressing any inequities of social justice within the educational system, in regards to the relationship between culture, identity and SES.
The social justice perspective on education derives from the idea that particular students are disadvantaged within the school environment due to social reasons rather than individual reasons. Culture therefore falls under this category of social reasons, due to the varying different backgrounds and situations which may give particular students advantages or disadvantages within the education system. For example, a student who comes from a family who is working class, speaks English as a second language and was born in another country (overall lower level of SES) is likely to be more disadvantaged than a large portion of other students. Students who come from other countries are also more likely to struggle to find their own identity within a new country, as they have had to adapt to Australia, but no longer feel the same connection to their originating country. This idea is complemented by White (1982) when he states "The higher the SES of the student's family, the higher his academic achievement. This relationship... seems to hold no matter what measure of status is used". This is the situation for many students within Sydney and Australia as a whole.
Stewart (2012) describes social justice as both the process and goal which aims to successfully seek equal participation and opportunity within a society in order to mutually meet their needs. The struggle for teachers to accommodate for such students in this circumstance is what Murray (2011) (INSERT VASS 2012, from week 8 readings) suggests as the fact that 90% of teachers are from a white, middle class, non-urban background (relatively high SES). Within any given circumstance, it is much more difficult for people from a dominant group to consider disadvantaged circumstances, as they usually will not have experienced similar obstacles. The fact that many teachers come from a relatively high SES may lead to a large number of situations where teachers are unable empathise and accommodate for students from these disadvantaged situations and in turn, create even further marginalisation for these students within the classroom. Murray therefore suggests a three-fold approach suggesting that schools should adopt "an ongoing dialogue among staff that helps each person see beyond their own perspective, creating a schoolwide team committed to educating others about relevant issues of equity and social justice". Murray explains how this would be achieved through the implementation of initiatives such as social justice education, development of equity teams, and active engagement in open discourse.
Inequities within the education system are not entirely a result of one's culture and identity, but may be even further marginalised if the non-hegemonic cultures are from a lower SES. Therefore, it is essential that schools address these inequalities by taking on a greater social justice perspective on the ways in which these institutions are run, in order to increase the seemingly low levels of equity of achievement within Sydney.
References
Murray, O. (2011). A Call for K-12 Schools to Invest in Social Justice Education. The Education Digest, 76(5), 60-64.
Stewart, D. L. (2012). Promoting Moral Growth Through Pluralism and Social Justice Education. New Directions for Student Services, 2012(139), 1-103.
Thomson, S., De Bortoli, L., Nicholas, M., Hillman, K., & Buckley, S. (2010). PISA in Brief.
Highlights From the Full Australian Report: Challenges for Australian Education: Results from PISA 2009. Melbourne: Australian Council for Educational Research. Retrieved on 4/9/2013 from http://www.acer.edu.au/documents/PISA-2009-In-Brief.pdf
White, K. R. (1982). The Relation Between Socioeconomic Status and Academic Achievement. Psychological Bulletin, 91(3), 461-481
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