How the West Indian child is made educationally sub-normal in the British school system : the scandal of the black child in schools in Britain /
How the West Indian child is made educationally sub-normal in the British school system : the scandal of the black child in schools in Britain
Bernard Coard
- 5th edition.
- xxiv, 109 pages ; 23 cm
50th anniverary expanded edition First published in 1971 '50th anniversary expanded fifth edition'--on front cover.
"Back in 1971 when this booklet was first published, the principal Weapons of Mass Suppression, or WMS, of Black Caribbean children’s educational and life prospects were the ESN school, ESN streams and ‘Remedial’ classes in regular schools. New versions of WMS appeared over the ensuing decades, as the original model, and each replacement, met with Black Caribbean resistance and even open protest. In each case, the objective of these ‘new’ iterations was not to concentrate more resources and more experienced and skilled teachers to meet the needs of the children designated as ‘in Special Educational Need (SEN)’, but rather to assign less of these resources, and less experienced teachers to their care. It was a dustbin solution, not a lifting-the-child-up operation. It was a life sentence, not a life-line to greater opportunities. The last 50 years has taught us not to rely on pleas to or the goodwill of those running the system to effect the changes our children need. Just as we did a half-century ago and since, we have to accept that future progress for our children on all fronts depends on our actions, our initiatives..." — Bernard Coard (Extract from the Preface)
9798703252703
Children, Black--Education--History--Great Britain--20th century. Discrimination in education--History--Great Britain--20th century. School failure--Great Britain.