ABSTRACT
This chapter reports the results from an investigation by Scarr et al into the comparative development and educational achievement of children from ethnic minorities in a Midlands town. It also reports a selection of Scarr's findings, focusing on factors associated with successful education as it is widely perceived. Headteachers were interviewed and a total survey of school records was made to identify all minority children. A comparison majority sample was formed by randomly selecting school record cards of children of the same age and sex attending the same school. BWI children showed pre-school language delays, and subsequently at the primary school level lacked reading skills, and verbal and non-verbal reasoning skills. Local anxieties about ethnic minority children have been factually confirmed by an authoritative study. The thoughtful analysis of the Scarr report has jolted any complacency, provoked new thinking and provided fresh impetus and resolve to tackle an important problem with priority.
