This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Howes, A. Articles by Kaplan, I. Search for Related Content Social Bookmarking                         What's this?

A School Responding to Its Cultural Setting

Ian Kaplan

University of Manchester

This article examines the journey of a secondary school in its attempts to be more responsive to community values. The school had worked hard for many years to gain the trust of the Asian-heritage population, and, after much debate and consultation, it was agreed to teach boys and girls separately in the first three years. The article examines the way in which existing research on single-sex schooling was used in support of this change, and focuses on an evaluation of the change that involved teachers and parents. It highlights some unexpected and contradictory responses of parents, and the dangers of a stereotyped understanding of identity and religion among teachers and school leaders. The authors advocate a boldness of vision in imagining possible changes and responding proactively to a cultural context, but also that major changes should first be piloted on a smaller scale in order to evaluate the experience and the responses of different groups of parents, even within a seemingly cohesive community.

Key Words: Asian • community • evaluation • gender • parents • single-sex classes

Improving Schools, Vol. 7, No. 1, 35-48 (2004)
DOI: 10.1177/1365480204042112


CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?

This article has been cited by other articles:

				C. R. Monroe The cultural context of 'disruptive behaviour': an overview of research considerations for school educators Improving Schools, July 1, 2005; 8(2): 153 - 159. [Abstract] [PDF]