Child Discrimination in Schools: Causes, Effects, and Solutions Report

This report delves into the critical issue of child discrimination within school environments. It explores how power dynamics and personality structures contribute to discriminatory practices, highlighting the impact of social inequalities and biases related to race and gender. The report identifies various mechanisms that perpetuate discrimination and examines how teachers' actions can inadvertently foster an environment where children feel marginalized. Furthermore, the report proposes several intervention strategies, including multicultural education, teacher training, and conflict mediation, along with the use of tools like group affiliation and role-playing, to combat discrimination. The report also outlines the objectives of these interventions, targeting both teachers and students, and discusses how their effectiveness can be measured through interviews and evaluations. Overall, the report aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of child discrimination in schools and offers practical solutions to promote equality and create a more inclusive learning environment.

Running head: CHILD DISCRIMINATION IN SCHOOLS
Child Discrimination in Schools
Name of the student
Name of the University
Author note

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Executive Summary
The primary purpose of this report is to elucidate on the problematic issue of the
discrimination of the children in the schools. It elaborates on the power structure along with
personality structure that can help in giving rise to child discrimination. It also talks about the
mechanisms that aids in the occurrence of child discrimination. The report also discusses
about the tools and the programs that can help in dealing with child discrimination in the
schools.

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Table of Contents
Introduction................................................................................................................................3
Description of the problem.........................................................................................................3
Identification of subjects............................................................................................................4
Etiology......................................................................................................................................5
Interventions:..............................................................................................................................5
Conclusion..................................................................................................................................8
References................................................................................................................................10

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Introduction
Discrimination refers to unjust treatment in relation to different categories of the
people on the basis of age, sex or that of race. Discrimination is indicative of the differential
treatment meted out to people that occurs without any kind of reasonable justification.
Children along with adults are the victim of discrimination at that of different level but
discrimination that occurs against the children can be said to be more severe as the children in
the society have less amount of social power (Charactercounts.org., 2018). The children have
to face discrimination because they are dependent on the adults. Discrimination takes place
within the framework of school setting when one children is given preference over that of
another children. This report elaborates on the problematic occurrence of discrimination of
the children in the schools and identification of subjects in relation to discrimination. The
report discuses about the factors that helps in perpetuating mechanisms that paves the path for
discrimination of the children within the framework of the school environment. The report
also talks about the tools and the programs that can help in preventing the incidence of child
discrimination. It discusses about the objectives of the tools and about the effectiveness of the
tools within the ambit of the school setting.
Description of the problem
The children are often the victims of discrimination at the school owing to the
perception that exists among the people that there exist some race that are stringer as
compared to the other races. The discrimination that is perpetrated on the children makes
them feel weak and they lose their self-esteem. The discrimination also takes place owing to
gender bias and it is held that there exist a sex that is weak that makes them discriminated
against within the framework of the school. The ‘weaker sex’ has to bear the brunt of the
discrimination and it is carried out by children against that of children (Dupper & Meyer-

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Adams, 2002). The teachers at the school also take recourse to the discriminatory practices
that harm the morale of the children at the school. The children spend a large amount of time
at the school where they learn fundamental in relation to the aspect of socialization. The
environment that occurs at the school helps the children in learning regarding differences and
about co-existence (Houlette et al., 2004). The school is meant to be a safe place that can help
the children in learning. The practising of discrimination that takes place at school make the
children feel neglected and it makes children feel that they are an integral part of the society.
Identification of subjects
The power relationship that exists between the teacher and the student in the school
leads the way for the incidence of discrimination at the school. Power in the educational
context represents struggle in between the individuals who are unequally positioned at the
school. Transactional process in the educational journey of the students helps in the creation
of culture of that of silence that helps in permeation of the aspect of child discrimination at
the schools. The unequal power relationships has an effect on the voices of the students in
many ways. Relationships helps in reducing honesty in relation to the opinions of the students
that makes the students say what the teacher wants to hear (Jackson & Smith, 2016). This
causes many children to be discriminated against in the schools. The personality structure
also plays an important role in causing the discrimination of the children in the school. The
teachers find it difficult to understand procedures that can actively include that of the
perspectives of the children. It can hence be stated that the personality structure causes the
incidence of discrimination against the children in the school. The teachers are not aware of
the oppressive micro-process which the students experience when they are voicing their
views in the classroom (McGregor, 1993).

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Etiology
The factors that perpetuate the discrimination of the children are social inequality
along with racial discrimination. The social inequalities exist in relation to income and
housing that gives rise to discrimination of the children in the ambit of school setting. These
mechanism has an effect on that of child health outcome that causes mental repurcussions on
the children at the school. The children of colour are treated in an unfair manner in the school
that hampers the mental development of the children. Racial discrimination can occur at
personal level and it also occurs at the institutional level (Neisser, 2014). The mechanism
through which discrimination occurs is the family and the environment of the children. The
teacher not being able to deal with different kinds of cultural backgrounds can make way for
the discrimination of the children in the school. It has been found that the parents of the
children are busy with their work and they cannot devote sufficient amount of time for their
children. It acts as a mechanism that helps in permeating the discrimination of the children
within the school. It can also be said the teachers are also the victims of discrimination in
their family that make them practice discrimination within framework of the school (Poteat &
Espelage, 2007). Bad economic situation acts as a mechanism that causes the discrimination
of the children in the schools.
Interventions:
Identification of tools
Group affiliation along with self-evaluation can help in preventing the incidence of
child discrimination at the schools. Multicultural education can be provided to the children
from that of an early age that can help them in understanding the similarity that exists
between the different groups. Multicultural education revolves around explicitly teaching
regarding the history along with culture in relation to the specific groups that can help in
reducing discrimination of the children within school (Thibaut, 2017). The teachers at the

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school should be encouraged to change the teaching strategy that can help in reducing
discrimination within that of the school setting. The teachers should be able to detect the
students who can face discrimination and make them have positive images that can prove to
be of great use in bringing down child discrimination in the schools. It can help in eliminating
the aspect of negative stereotypes that can augment of the academic performance of the
students at the school. Role playing can also act as an important tool that can be instrumental
in reducing child discrimination in the schools (Whitley & Kite, 2016). Conflict mediation
approach can also be practised in the school that can help in the fostering of that of intergroup
dialogue. Role playing can help in bringing levity to the aspect of conflict resolution. The
students can be placed within the opposing roles that can help them in looking at actions from
that of a different point of view. Intergroup contact can act as a significant intervention that
can help in bringing down the discrimination that the children face in the schools (Whitted &
Dupper, 2005). It can help in reducing the aspect of prejudice in the schools that can help the
children belonging to various kinds of ethnic groups in coming together.
Intervention valid programs
The “contact theory” of Allport can be used in bringing together people from different
kinds of ethnicities. There should be the provision of weekly meetings for the staff at the
school that can help in discussion of the social differences that exist at the school.
Diversity training courses can help in the aspect of re-educating the staff members and the
professional help from anti-discrimination institutions can be taken recourse to that can help
in reducing the impact of discrimination on the children of the schools (Williams, 2015). It
would be able to help the teachers in supporting the diverse learning needs of the students
within the classroom.

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The administration of the school should give orders that all the children at the school should
be treated in the equal manner irrespective of their race along with cultural origins.
Peer projects that can involve role playing can help in mitigation of the element of
discrimination that occurs at the schools. In the project the teacher can adopt children that can
help in encouraging the feeling of acceptance (Yee & Brown, 1992). The staffs can be
engaged by taking recourse to this method and it can help them in knowing regarding the
thoughts along with feelings of the students.
Targeted subjects
The targets subjects of the intervention programs along with tools would be the
teachers along with the children in the school. The programs would be able to help the
teachers in becoming aware about the kinds of discrimination that can take place in the
school. It can help them in growing aware about the prevailing methods that help in
permeating the aspect of discrimination in the schools. The other kinds of targeted subjects
would be the students of the school who would be able to understand the implicit manner in
which the discrimination may be spread across the school. The children would be able to
know about the different kinds of discrimination- direct, indirect, harassment along with
victimisation. The children would be able to know how other people are being favoured that
can help them in gaining knowledge in relation to the subject of discrimination that occurs at
the schools. They would be able to voice out in the event of being faced with discriminatory
practices at the school.
Objectives
The objectives of the intervention programs and the tools would be to make the
conditions in the school favourable that can help in nurturing the aspect of equality in the
schools. The objectives would be to:

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 Reduce implicit bias of the teachers
 Providing equal opportunities in relation to education
 Challenging inequality that exist in the classrooms
Time and place
The place of the intervention programs can be the schools that can prove to be
convenient for both the teachers along with the students of the school. The time of the
programs can be after the regular class hours that can suit the interests of both the teachers
and the students. The students do not have to be accompanied to another place in the event of
the program being the school (Whitted & Dupper, 2005). They would easily be able to take
part in the intervention programs and gain more knowledge about the tools that can help them
in becoming conscious about the incidence of child discrimination at the school.
Effectiveness
The effectiveness of the programs can be gauged with the help of interview of the
individual students of the school that can help in revealing important information regarding
whether the students have been able to understand the different kinds of discrimination that
the students may face within the ambit of the school (Poteat & Espelage, 2007). Interview
should be taken by the people in the management of the school of the teachers that can help
in understanding the current mental framework of the teachers at the school.
Conclusion
Discrimination is indicative of the unjust treatment that the people in the society have
to face owing to their race, culture along with ethnic origin. It refers to the differential
treatment that is shown to people that can make another person feel humiliated. Both the
children and the adults in the society may have to suffer from the impact of discrimination.
Discrimination occurring against children can be more severe because children do not have

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much social power. There exist the belief that there are some race that are stronger which can
perpetuate discrimination in the society. Group affiliation can act as an important step that
can be useful in preventing child discrimination occurring within the schools. Multicultural
education can prove to be useful for the teachers in handling the different kinds of student at
the school. Diversity training course can educate staff in the school and anti-discrimination
institutions can act as a great source of help in dealing with the aspect of discrimination
within the framework of that of school setting. Peer projects involving the aspect of role
playing can help in the elimination of discrimination taking place within the school.

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References
Charactercounts.org. (2018). National Report Card – CHARACTER COUNTS!. Retrieved
from https://charactercounts.org/national-report-card/
Dupper, D., & Meyer-Adams, N. (2002). Low-level violence: A neglected aspect of school
culture. Urban Education, 37, 350-364.
Houlette, M., Gaertner, S., Johnson, K., Banker, B., & Riek, B. (2004). Developing a more
inclusive social identity: An elementary school intervention. Journal of Social Issues,
60, 35-55.
Jackson, B. T., & Smith, R. A. (2016). Educational Discrimination of Native American
Students. Routledge.
McGregor, J. (1993). Effectiveness of role playing and antiracist teaching in reducing student
prejudice. Journal of Educational Research, 86, 215-226.
Neisser, U. (2014). Cognitive psychology: Classic edition. Psychology Press.
Poteat, V., & Espelage, D. (2007). Predicting psychosocial consequences of homophobic
victimization in middle school students. Journal of Early Adolescence, 27, 175-191.
Thibaut, J. W. (2017). The social psychology of groups. Routledge.
Whitley Jr, B. E., & Kite, M. E. (2016). Psychology of prejudice and discrimination.
Routledge.
Whitted, K., & Dupper, D. (2005). Best practices for preventing or reducing bullying in
Schools. Children & Schools, 27, 167-175.
Williams, H. L. (2015). Discrimination and learning. Routledge.

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Yee, M., & Brown, R. (1992). Self-evaluations and intergroup attitudes in children aged three
to nine. Child Development, 63, 619-629.