The Economics of Schooling in a Divided Society The Case for Shared Education

Countries that have suffered ethnic or religious conflict and become segregated societies reflect these divisions in education provision for their children. Northern Ireland is a case study in point where a parallel system of schools offers education in Catholic maintained schools and Protestant (de facto) controlled schools. While school segregation is the most obvious manifestation of Northern Ireland's fractured society, there are more important issues of 'educational inequality' with respect to schools and pupils. This book analyses three issues in some detail: segregation, educational performance and inequality in educational outcomes between schools and between pupils from deprived and affluent family backgrounds. Thus far public policies to tackle these issues have been met with limited success. The authors consider an alternative approach, which they term 'shared education', the aim of which is to improve school performance and, in so doing, to dismantle some of the barriers between maintained and controlled schools.

Vani Borooah, who was born in India, is Emeritus Professor of Applied Economics at the University of Ulster and Adjunct Professor at the Indian Institute of Dalit Studies, and Honorary Fellow at the Australian Institute for Business and Economics at the University of Queensland. He is a past President of the European Public Choice Society and of the Irish Economic Association, and Member and Secretary of the Royal Irish Academy.

Colin Knox is Professor of Comparative Public Policy at Ulster University. His research interests are devolution in Northern Ireland and comparative public sector reform in developing countries. Knox is a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences (FAcSS) and a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA).

Contents
List of abbreviations, acronyms and glossary of terms
Preface
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION – DIVIDED COMMUNITIES
Divided communities
Behavioural Vs structural approaches to division
The 'parallel lives' thesis
A shared and equal future?
CHAPTER 2: THE HISTORY AND EVOLUTION OF EDUCATION IN NORTHERN IRELAND
Education in Ireland
Education in Northern Ireland
Improving community relations through schools
Integrated education:
Education for mutual understanding (EMU):
Cross-community contact scheme (CCCS).
Segregation Vs integration in education
Is integrated education the solution?
CHAPTER 3: THE EDUCATION POLICY CONTEXT
Political background
Declining violence
Tackling segregation
A reconciled society?
Shared Space
Building a United Community?
Education in Northern Ireland
School Structures
School performance
Education segregation
Tackling segregation and inequality
CHAPTER 4: POST-PRIMARY SCHOOLS' PERFORMANCE
School performance
Salient Features of Northern Ireland's Post-Primary Schools
Pupil Absenteeism
A Multivariate analysis of School Performance
School Size, Financial Stress, and Area Boards
Single Sex versus Co-educational Schools
FSM and SEN pupils
Catholic versus Protestant Schools
Explaining Absenteeism
Is there a Catholic Ethos?
Summary findings
CHAPTER 5: INEQUALITY AND SEGREGATION
Inequality and segregation
Differences in educational outcomes between Grammar and Secondary Schools
Differences in Educational Outcomes between Secondary Schools
Difficulties of Accessing Grammar Schools by FSM and SEN pupils
Selection Tests: FSM pupils and Grammar School Admission
The performance gap – underachievement and inequality
The deprivation-induced performance gap
Segregation in schools
Measuring Segregation
Summary findings
CHAPTER 6: SHARED EDUCATION – AN ALTERNATIVE APPROACH
Collaborative learning
Shared Education
The Shared Education Programme – its inception
Shared Education – its theoretical underpinnings
Shared Education – implementation
Shared Education - Impact
Education Vs Reconciliation benefits
Impact on Primary schools
CHAPTER 7: THE ECONOMICS OF SHARED EDUCATION
The Economics of Shared Education Programme
The Case Studies
Case Study A: Lumen Christi/Foyle College
Case Study B: Belfast High School/Dominican College/Hazelwood Integrated
Case Study C: Belfast Model School for Girls
Case Study D: Shimna Integrated College
Measuring the Economic Benefits
Measuring the reconciliation benefits
CHAPTER 8: CONCLUSIONS – EMBEDDING SHARED EDUCATION
REFERENCES