The black‐white gap in examination results: A statistical critique of a decade's research

This article reviews major British studies of differences between ethnic groups in examination results that have appeared in the decade since the Swann Committee was given the task of assessing the education of children from ethnic minority groups. The extent to which the studies illuminate the relative importance of social background, community cultures and related factors is addressed, as is the question of whether schools affect children's performance. Comment is made upon the influence of the underlying conceptual framework and the statistical procedures employed. While earlier studies gave considerable emphasis to social background, and thus ran the risk of ‘blaming the victim’, later studies have increasingly corrected this weighting by highlighting the potential role of the school. It remains unclear, however, whether schools are the major contributing factor and further research is needed to answer the questions which the Swann Report raised.