The new Other Catalans at school: decreasing unevenness but increasing isolation

Abstract

This study estimates the trends of school segregation in Catalonia (Spain) between 2001 and 2006. Currently, new immigration has reopened the debate about the ‘Other Catalans’ triggered by concern with the integration of the incoming population. An ‘intersectional approach’ to social divisions suggests that class and ethnic school segregation responds to strategic parental choice and informal policy arrangements. School segregation indices report a more even distribution in most localities, reinforced isolation of ‘foreign students’ in a few public schools in some large cities and a persistent divide between more comprehensive public schools and selective private‐dependent schools in a variety of towns. According to these findings, the analytical approach points at some clues to make sense of impact of distributive policies, the influence of policy contradictions and the success of mobilisation and lobbying political strategies.

Keywords:

• school segregation
• social inequalities
• intersectional approach
• education policy

Acknowledgements

This article is a product of Project EDU2008‐00186, funded by the Ministry of Science (Spain), which aims to explore the contradictory implementation of Education for All in several countries. A first version was presented and discussed at the International Conference in Sociology of Education (Institute of Education, University of London, in January 2008). We thank all the comments of the participants at that event and the two anonymous reviewers.

Notes

1. Since the 1960s some private schools have been created to promote Catalan‐based teaching, pedagogic innovation inspired on child‐centred approaches, democracy and the Catalan nation. During the political transition they constituted the School Group for Catalan Public Education (Col·lectiu d'Escoles per a l'Escola Pública Catalana), who asked for inclusion into the state‐run sector managed by the new Catalan Government (Generalitat de Catalunya). They were finally integrated into this sector between 1983 and 1988.

2. In 2006, the bulk of foreign‐born students enrolled in primary education came from Southern America (6%), mostly Ecuador and Peru and Northern Africa (4% – mostly Morocco).

3. Private‐dependent schools are run by foundations or co‐operatives; they receive state funds in the terms established by a contract with the government and are allowed to charge some fees (whose average share amounts to approximately 30% of their income).