Minority Education and Caste: The American System in Cross-Cultural Perspective (A CARNEGIE COUNCIL ON CHILDREN MONOGRAPH)

Minority Education and Caste: The American System in Cross-Cultural Perspective (A CARNEGIE COUNCIL ON CHILDREN MONOGRAPH) by Ogbu, John U.. hardcover edition. ISBN: 9780125242509.

This study examines the way in which the position of blacks in the American system of caste or racial stratification contributes to their lower school performance. It explores the myths and stereotypes that support the caste system and shows how they are translated into practices by school personnel. It probes into the responses of the minority group people themselves. To these ends, the functions of caste and education in the United States are examined. Current explanations of black-white differences in school performance are reviewed. Reforms intended to close the school performance gap are examined. Black access to education is discussed. The job ceiling and other barriers to the rewards of education are explained. Black school performance is described as an adaptation to the system. An overview of Americas other minorities is given. Caste systems of other societies are discussed. These include the West Indians in Britain, the Maoris in New Zealand, the scheduled castes in India, the Buraku outcasts in Japan, and the Oriental Jews in Israel. The education of castelike minorities in these six societies is compared. Ways of eliminating caste barriers and thus closing the gap in school performance are examined.