Most Segregated in the World: Here’s Why That Matters

Australian schools are among the most socially segregated in the developed world. Students are separated by parental occupation, education, and cultural backgrounds. Our new research shows that this segregation is associated with the number of private and selective schools in a neighbourhood and the fees that they charge. We argue that without major reforms to address the uneven enrolment of students, segregation will continue to undermine educational fairness and social cohesion in Australia.

Why does school segregation matter?

School segregation has profound consequences for individual students, local communities, and the country as a whole. Students from disadvantaged backgrounds often face additional barriers when they are enrolled in schools with high concentrations of other disadvantaged students. They have fewer chances to benefit from aspirational peer effects, social networks, and resources that can raise achievement. This means that the structure of Australia’s schooling system guarantees educational unfairness.

International comparisons show Australian schools ranks among the most segregated in the OECD. This is a systemic problem, as governments fund school in ways that separate children by family resources.

What our research found

We examined why school segregation varies between different geographical areas across Australia and looked at the role of different types of schools in explaining the level of segregation. We found that:

• • No school sector reflects the Australian population. Public, Catholic, and independent schools do not reflect the social and cultural diversity of Australian students. In particular, low socioeconomic and Indigenous students are under-represented in private and selective schools.

• • Segregation varies between states. States with fewer Catholic, independent, and selective schools showed lower levels of segregation.

• • Independent, Catholic and public selective schools all contribute to the uneven enrolment of low socioeconomic status and Indigenous students.

• • School fees matter. The higher the fees charged by schools, the more segregated low socioeconomic and Indigenous students are in a neighbourhood.

What does this means for policy?

Extensive policy reforms are required if Australian schools are to ensure all children receive a high quality education.

We need to substantially increase our investment in public schools. Public schools enrol the majority of students, but they remain underfunded. Additionally, the majority of disadvantaged schools are in the public sector. Funding in such schools should match the resources of the most advantaged private schools. Without a vibrant public education system that educates children from all sections of society, Australia is setting itself up for further social division and conflict.

Greater school accountability is required to ensure everyone is contributing to the learning of disadvantaged students. The most recent school funding agreement requires federal and state governments to work together to investigate how to reduce school segregation. One potential strategy would be for the MySchool website to report the contribution of each school to segregation in its neighbourhood. Regular monitoring of enrolments across schools would help parents and communities see whether schools are spending their tax dollars on educating all children.

As occurs in the private health sector, the federal government should regulate school fees and enrolment policies. At present, private schools receive substantial taxpayer support but are free to set fees or select students in ways that exclude disadvantaged families. Public money should come with public obligations.

State governments should consider the impact of wasteful school competition on the curriculum of public schools. More Catholic, independent, or selective schools often reduces the curriculum choices at comprehensive public schools. As a minimum, state registration authorities should require all schools to enrol a fair share of children from disadvantaged backgrounds.

But what about school choice?

Private school lobby groups and some politicians argue that school choice is a right. They claim parents should be free to select schools that fit their values, traditions, or religious beliefs. But our research shows that choice is really exercised by schools, not parents. If parents had choice, schools would be more reflective of their local communities. Instead, uncapped school fees are a burden on families. Exclusionary enrolment practices undermine the legitimacy of schools in receipt of taxpayer funding.

Higher performing schooling systems in other countries, such as in Canada, show that it is possible to have school choice without separating children based on social backgrounds. For example, in British Columbia, government funding to private schools reduces to zero as fees increase. While in Ontario, Catholic schools that expel students are required to enrol them in another Catholic school.

Such policies in Australia would increase the choice of all parents while leading to a fairer schooling system.

A socially cohesive education system

The Alice Springs (Mparntwe) Education Declaration has made academic excellence and equity fundamental goals of the schooling system. But such goals are split between school sectors. Excellence for private and selective schools, equity for public schools. This fracturing of purpose sustains the social division of our schools. It widens achievement gaps and diminishes the efficiency of the schooling system.

Many students will continue to miss out on learning opportunities while schools remain unaccountable to their learning.

Michael Sciffer is a PhD candidate of Murdoch University researching school segregation and compositional effects in Australia and internationally.

This article was originally published on EduResearch Matters. Read the original article.