African Caribbean Students, Achievement in U.K. Schools

Significant numbers of African Caribbean students have been present in United Kingdom (U.K.) schools since the 1950s. Of those who are currently in the school system, the vast majority were born in the United Kingdom, as were the vast majority of their parents. Throughout the past 60 years, the academic achievement of African Caribbean students has been markedly lower than the national average. Recently, however, the attainment gap, called the achievement gap in the United States, has been narrowing. This entry describes the concerns of parents, educators, and officialdom over the years, and their conflicting understandings of causes and remedies. It concludes with a look at the relevance of school factors in Black achievement, both in the United Kingdom and elsewhere.