经济学人495:教育与种族

 　　Education and race

　　教育与种族

　　On the road

　　在路上

　　Ethnic¹-minority pupils are storming ahead, thanks partly to tutors

　　由于家庭教师的原因，少数民族学生总能在学业上拔得头筹

　　Nov 16th 2013 |From the print edition

　　IN APRIL Kumon, a Japanese firm, opened a tuition centre in Small Heath, a poor district of Birmingham. Its lessons are fairly cheap: about ￡55 ($88) a month for twice-weekly English and maths classes and homework. As in many of Kumon’s 680 British outfits², its clients are diverse. Many are south Asian; a few are eastern European; none is white and British.

　　4月，日本公司Kumon在伯明翰市的贫困地区小希思开设了一家讲学中心。它的课程非常便宜：只需大约55英镑（约88美元）就能获得2周英文和数学的课程，还包括了家庭作业。Kumon在英国有680家机构，它们的顾客构成非常丰富。很多都是来自南亚的人，少部分是来自东欧的；而几乎没有白人和英国人。

　　In much ofEurope, pupils from many ethnic minorities linger at the bottom of the heap, says Chris Hamnett of King’s College London. That used to be true inBritaintoo—but not any more. Every ethnic-minority group that trails white Britons in GCSE exams, normally taken at 16, is catching³ up. Bangladeshis used to perform worse than whites; now they do better. Indians have maintained a huge lead. All this despite the fact that ethnic minorities are poorer than average. Control for that, by looking at pupils who are entitled to free school meals, and all ethnic-minority groups now do well.

　　伦敦国王学院的克丽丝 哈姆尼特说，在很多欧洲国家，少数名族学生一般在底层扎堆。过去在英国也是这样——但现在完全不同了。每一个在普通中等教育证书考试中输给英国白人的少数民族学生通常在他们16岁的时候就能赶上英国人。孟加拉裔过去曾不如白人；但现在他们更加优秀。印度人则一直保持着巨大的领先。所有这些都说明了少数民族学生并不比平均水平差。而且通过观察获得免费校园午餐的学生我们不难看出几乎所有的少数民族学生都表现出色。

　　But some fare better than others. One difference is imported social capital: Indians, who were middle-class when they arrived inBritain, have lots. Bangladeshis and Pakistanis, who often came from rural parts of their homelands, have less. Tenure⁴ inBritainmatters too. Newcomers have immigrant aspirations⁵ but suffer from not understanding the system. Better-established folk know how things work, but may have lost some of their ambition. A few are in a sweet spot in between.

　　但是有些学生的遭遇比其它人更好一些。其中一个差异就是外来人员的社会阶级：大部分来到英国的印度人都是中产阶级，他们拥有更多福利。而孟加拉人和巴基斯坦人则多半是来自农村，他们则明显无法享受那么多福利。在英国的居住时间同样有影响。新来者有强烈的移民愿望但苦于不能理解整个体系。有些人已经较好地了解了事情如何运转，但他们中的很多人已经失去了自己梦想。极少一部分人能够很好地平衡这些问题，让自己处在一个很完美的状态。

　　Bangladeshis certainly seem to be. They arrived in large numbers from the 1970s and are now settled, largely inLondon. Plenty are still poor: half fall into the lowest income quintile. But the parents of many children now in school grew up speaking English and attended British schools. They not only understand the system but are shaping it. In 1987 the Collective of Bangladeshi School Governors was set up in theLondonborough of Tower Hamlets, where a fifth ofBritain’s Bangladeshis live. Shahanur Khan, its chairman, encourages parents to get involved in local schools. Parents are increasingly pushy⁷: one mother recently complained to him that her children were not getting enough homework.

　　孟加拉人明显就是这种类型。他们于上世纪70年代大量来到伦敦，而且现在已经站稳了脚跟。他们中的大多数依然很穷：几乎半数人都是收入最低的群体。但是很多孩子的父母都开始学习说英语并且开始在英国学校求学。他们不但理解了整个体系并且在让自己适应这个体系。1987年孟加拉人学校管理者集团在伦敦哈姆雷特镇成立了，在英国五分之一的孟加拉人生活在那。它的主席莎哈雅 可汗鼓励父母们去加入当地的学校。父母们越来越有进取心：最近一个月来对他的抱怨就是她孩子的家庭作业不够多。

　　Somalis arrived much more recently: just 9% of Somali pupils were born inBritaincompared with 83% of Bangladeshis. And they struggle. Many parents came as asylum-seekers and speak little English. Just one in ten Somalis is in full-time⁸ work. But their children are faring better, along with other black Africans. In Lambeth, a borough⁶ ofLondon, 61% of Somali pupils got five good GCSEs last year, up from 11% in 2007. Schools employ Somali teaching assistants to help parents and children with their English. The council organises an awards ceremony for outstanding students. And, increasingly, parents pay for extra tuition.

　　索马里人则是最近一段时间内较多的移民者：相比于83%的孟加拉学生出生在英国，只有9%的索马里学生是这样的。并且他们在抗争。很多父母都是为了寻求避难所而来并且几乎不会说英语。只有十分之一的索马里人有全职工作。但是他们的孩子和其它非洲黑人相比表现得优秀得多。在伦敦市的兰贝斯镇，索马里学生在普通中等教育证书考试中获得了5A成绩的人数从2007年的11%上涨到了去年的61%。学校雇佣索马里裔老师去帮助家长和孩子学习英语。当地居委会为杰出的学生举办授奖仪式。同时的，父母们因为请课外辅导也需要支付额外的学费。

　　That is another reason black and Asian children are doing better. Saturday schools have long been common, but parents are increasingly turning to private tutors. In a survey of 11- to 16-year-olds by the Sutton Trust, an education charity, 45% of Asian children said they received some kind of private tuition compared with 20% of white pupils. Another study suggests that Somalis are more likely to receive tuition than average, too. Supply has increased along with demand. Karamat Iqbal, director of Forward Partnership⁹, an education consultancy in Birmingham, sees growing numbers of Pakistani graduates, who themselves attended British schools, working as tutors.

　　周末学校课程已经变得很常见，但是父母渐渐得更倾向于私人教师。那也是黑人和亚洲学生表现更出色的一个原因。一个教育爱心组织萨顿托管会关于11到16岁学生的调查显示，相比20%接受私人辅导的白人学生，45%的亚洲学生有私人教师。另外一个研究显示，相比平均水平索马里的学生更可能得到私人辅导。供给也随着需求的上升而上涨。伯明翰教育机构前程伙伴的主席卡马特 伊克巴尔表示随着越来越多的巴基斯坦人毕业，他们开始进入英国学校开始作为一个助教工作。

　　Black Caribbeans, a long-established group, are doing better but not dramatically so. They have mostly lost immigrant zeal¹⁰: many doubt that education will make much difference to their chances in life, suggests Steve Strand¹¹, a professor of education atOxfordUniversity. And some teachers may be conflating bad behaviour (last year blackCaribbeanboys were over four times more likely to be excluded from school than Bangladeshi boys) with a lack of aptitude¹². Afro-Caribbeans are less likely to be entered into higher tiers for exams where they could obtain the best grades.

　　而很早就站稳脚跟的加勒比黑人最近也表现得更加出色了但却不是那么引人注目。牛津大学教授斯蒂文 斯特兰德表示：他们中的大多数已经失去了移民的热情，很多人怀疑教育是否会让他们的人生有更多地机会。而且一些老师可能将恶劣的行为与缺乏学习天赋混为一谈（去年加勒比黑人男孩是孟加拉男孩4倍的可能性被逐出学校。）加勒比黑人很难去参加那些能取得好成绩的考试。

　　Job prospects¹³ for ethnic minorities are not yet improving commensurately with their school results. Despite their success in exams, Mr Khan worries that Bangladeshi students are choosing “easy” A-levels, such as sociology and psychology¹⁴, which limit their options. Pakistani pupils inBirminghamare doing better, says Mr Iqbal, but too many are still driving taxis and running corner shops or cheap restaurants.

　　为少数名族学生准备的工作却没有随着他们学校成绩的提高而增多。除开他们在考试中的成功不谈，可汗担心孟加拉学生去选择一些容易拿A的科目，例如社会学和心理学，这可能会限制他们将来的发展。伊克巴尔表示伯明翰的巴基斯坦学生则做的好一些，但是有太多人依然在开出租车 经营街角商店和低端餐馆。

　　Still, blacks and especially Asians are edging their way into the professions. Fully¹⁵ 2,087 British Pakistanis started studying law at university in 2011, up from 478 in 2000. Some of those long-held ambitions are now being realised.

　　黑人尤其是亚裔人仍然在让他们求职的路上缓慢前行。学习法律的巴基斯坦裔的从2000年的478人增加到了2011年的2087人。他们中一些曾有远大理想的人现在也已经实现了。

1 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

2 outfits   

n.全套装备( outfit的名词复数 )；一套服装；集体；组织v.装备，配置设备，供给服装( outfit的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• He jobbed out the contract to a number of small outfits. 他把承包工程分包给许多小单位。 来自辞典例句
• Some cyclists carry repair outfits because they may have a puncture. 有些骑自行车的人带修理工具，因为他们车胎可能小孔。 来自辞典例句

3 catching   

adj.易传染的，有魅力的，迷人的，接住

参考例句：

• There are those who think eczema is catching.有人就是认为湿疹会传染。
• Enthusiasm is very catching.热情非常富有感染力。

4 tenure   

n.终身职位；任期；(土地)保有权，保有期

参考例句：

• He remained popular throughout his tenure of the office of mayor.他在担任市长的整个任期内都深得民心。
• Land tenure is a leading political issue in many parts of the world.土地的保有权在世界很多地区是主要的政治问题。

5 aspirations   

强烈的愿望( aspiration的名词复数 )； 志向； 发送气音； 发 h 音

参考例句：

• I didn't realize you had political aspirations. 我没有意识到你有政治上的抱负。
• The new treaty embodies the aspirations of most nonaligned countries. 新条约体现了大多数不结盟国家的愿望。

6 borough   

n.享有自治权的市镇；(英)自治市镇

参考例句：

• He was slated for borough president.他被提名做自治区主席。
• That's what happened to Harry Barritt of London's Bromley borough.住在伦敦的布罗姆利自治市的哈里.巴里特就经历了此事。

7 pushy   

adj.固执己见的，一意孤行的

参考例句：

• But she insisted and was very pushy.但她一直坚持,而且很急于求成。
• He made himself unpopular by being so pushy.他特别喜欢出风头，所以人缘不好。

8 full-time   

adj.满工作日的或工作周的，全时间的

参考例句：

• A full-time job may be too much for her.全天工作她恐怕吃不消。
• I don't know how she copes with looking after her family and doing a full-time job.既要照顾家庭又要全天工作，我不知道她是如何对付的。

9 partnership   

n.合作关系，伙伴关系

参考例句：

• The company has gone into partnership with Swiss Bank Corporation.这家公司已经和瑞士银行公司建立合作关系。
• Martin has taken him into general partnership in his company.马丁已让他成为公司的普通合伙人。

10 zeal   

n.热心，热情，热忱

参考例句：

• Revolutionary zeal caught them up,and they joined the army.革命热情激励他们，于是他们从军了。
• They worked with great zeal to finish the project.他们热情高涨地工作，以期完成这个项目。

11 strand   

vt.使（船）搁浅，使（某人）困于（某地）

参考例句：

• She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ears.她把一缕散发夹到了耳后。
• The climbers had been stranded by a storm.登山者被暴风雨困住了。

12 aptitude   

n.(学习方面的)才能，资质，天资

参考例句：

• That student has an aptitude for mathematics.那个学生有数学方面的天赋。
• As a child,he showed an aptitude for the piano.在孩提时代，他显露出对于钢琴的天赋。

13 prospects   

n.希望，前途(恒为复数)

参考例句：

• There is a mood of pessimism in the company about future job prospects. 公司中有一种对工作前景悲观的情绪。
• They are less sanguine about the company's long-term prospects. 他们对公司的远景不那么乐观。

14 psychology   

n.心理，心理学，心理状态

参考例句：

• She has a background in child psychology.她受过儿童心理学的教育。
• He studied philosophy and psychology at Cambridge.他在剑桥大学学习哲学和心理学。

15 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。