Assessing and Understanding the Educational Progress of Children from Different Ethnic Groups

Differences between ethnic groups in educational attainment and progress are considered. Official statistics do not give a clear picture of the situation, and are particularly deficient in ignoring sex differences within ethnic groups. Explanatory models for understanding differences are discussed and attention is drawn to the limitations of approaches which attempt to account for ethnic group differences by socio-economic disadvantage. The value of longitudinal data and the advantages of a multilevel model approach are both emphasised. An important theme of the paper is that technical statistical issues cannot be separated from substantive educational issues, or from political issues, or from the evidence on racism in British society.