The role of community groups and community language schools in initial teacher education (ITE).

This research report, commissioned by Multiverse, looks at how to build links between community language schools and mainstream schools. The report acknowledges and accepts community groups’ own organisations as valuable domains for learning for Initial Teacher Education (ITE) students, ITE providers and research communities and examines how ITE providers can further develop trainee students’ knowledge and understanding of different linguistic, ethnic and cultural groups and mainstream schools (KS 1 and 2).
The research project stems from the long-term marginalisation of minority ethnic groups in schools. Over many decades the need for building connections between different linguistic and ethnic minority communities and mainstream schools has been highlighted in a number of governmental reports (see for example the Bullock Report (DES, 1975) or the Swann Report (DES, 1985)). Whilst some progress has been made, much more needs to be done. The Race Relations Amendment Act (RRAA) of 2000 shifts the attention from responding to the needs of minority ethnic groups to promoting good relations between different ethnic groups. This is now a duty, in which all public organisations, such as universities and schools, are expected to engage. This project was developed in view of this duty, and uniquely the project brings together ITE providers and students and CLSs.