Nordic welfare state and the dynamics of segregation in urban schools and neighbourhoods: Research evidence from Finland

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2 Nordic welfare state and the dynamics of segregation in urban schools and neighbourhoods: Research evidence from Finland Ph.D., Senior Lecturer University of Helsinki Trondheim

3 What is urban segregation, why it happens and how it affects our neighbourhoods, schools and families? What can we do about it? Defining segregation: research and lived differences Welfare in the Nordic welfare states Growing differences and effects on children, urban neighbourhoods and schools Drivers of segregation: polarization and choice Nordic strengths challenged What can we do about it?

4 The essence of segregation Socio-spatial segregation is often defined as the undesired, uneven spatial concentration of different socio-economic and ethnic groups, related to concentration of disadvantage and social problems, as well as possible effects on inhabitants (stigmatization, negative socialization, life chances etc.) Map of Chicago: source

5 The tale of two cities 5 10/6/2017

6 Parallel lives Two stories of kids living parallel lives in the same city The long trip to the city centre from a high-rise suburban neighbourhood The family divided by moving International schools vs. immigrant schools?

7 Characteristics of the former Finnish PISA success are the characteristics of the Nordic welfare state Three particularly interesting qualities pointed out by the OECD reports (PISA 2000, 2003, 2006, 2009) 1. Excellence : High overall level of learning 2. Equality of opportunities : Small differences between students and schools, small effect of socio-economic background 3. High tail end : Partucularly good performance in the lowest quartile (Törnroos & Kupari 2005: 25)

8 The growing wealth gap: GINI index in selected European societies

9 Growing social polarization contributes to spatial segregation Growing social polarization economic changes (e.g. structural changes in the labour market, growth of income differences) political changes (e.g. welfare crisis ) social changes (e.g. growth of immigration, growth of urban population) cultural changes (e.g. values regarding housing choices, increased competition) Growing socio-spatial segregation Department of Geosciences and Geography Source: Helsingin Sanomat

10 Neighbourhoods of Helsinki: From small and decreasing differences to growing segregation Unemployment in urban blocks in Helsinki (Mats Stjernberg 2013)

11 Segregation seeps into other spheres: Increasing segregation among school catchment areas Average annual income Growing income differences Income differences between school cathcment areas have increased in Path-depencency in urban development: Incomes have risen most in those areas that were in the top-end of the income distribution already in 1995 Relative position of the areas has remained rather constant Figures by Hertta Lehvävirta

12 Average income in school cathcment areas in 1995 & 2011 Incomes have been adjusted to real income values of 2014 Figures by Hertta Lehvävirta

13 Percentage of residents with foreign background in school catchment areas 1995 & 2011 Figures by Hertta Lehvävirta

14 Share of residents with foreign language in school catchment areas

15 Three spatial trends of urban segregation in the North Deeper divides: growing differences between neighbourhoods Matching maps: Accumulation of different aspects of disadvantage in the same neighbourhoods Growing blots: The spatial clusters of disadvantage are getting bigger, from block level to whole neighbourhoods or parts of the city Map: Juho Kiuru

16 Socio-economic segregation in the neighbourhoods and school catchment areas affects school segregation (student base) and educational outcomes Parental education is linked to students educational outcomes in all Nordic countries (8 % individually, 80 % in school level) school segregation turns into growing differences in the schools ouctomes

17 Helsinki metropolitan region Series Norms and social control: The adults in my neighbourhood would most likely interfere if they saw underaged youngsters drinking alcohol in the park. Helsinki Series MetrOP-research: Rimpelä, Vaattovaara, Bernelius, Hautamäki, Vainikainen, Kupiainen, Kauppinen et al.

18 The effects of segregation: quality of life, life chances, outcomes, institutions and neighbourhood effects Especially concentrations of poverty affect the quality of life, social cohesion, safety, access to services and jobs and social life in general in the disadvantaged areas (see e.g. Sampson 2012: The great American city) institutional effects on schools In recent years, there has been increasing evidence of neighbourhood effects i.e. independent effects on the individual, created and mediated by the local conditions and social composition especially on the children (educational outcomes, social norms, life expectations )

19 The falling results are linked with growing differentiation The development of within-school (blue) and betweenschool (brown) variation Average results in literacy, maths and science Literacy Maths Science Results from the PISA 2015 data: Analysis and images by Jouni Välijärvi 2017

20 Spatial dynamics of segregation Socio-spatial segregation is typically a reflection of social inequalities in the wider society: income, education etc. Changes in the social structure often affect the socio-spatial segregation with a delay but spatial segregation is also partly an independent phenomenon, and theoretically spatial segregation can grow even if social differentiation in the society diminishes Segregation is driven largely by the unseen forces outside the disadvantaged neighbourhoods: the ones feeding into segregation are the ones who can choose where they live

21 Egalitarian Finnish welfare state perspective vs. the differentiating metropolitan Helsinki and the role of individual choice It can be stated that the equality between schools is still strong in the Nordic countries. When considering the choice of school, the parents and youngsters themselves can trust to have approximately equal learning opportunities in every school, or at least the opportunities do not depend on the socioeconomic status of the school. In Denmark and Sweden one can see a weak link between school status and the results, but the correlation is nonexistent in Iceland and Finland. (Välijärvi & Malin 2005, translation Bernelius) I m not putting my child to a multicultural school. Although I don t consider the Finnish families lack of welfare and loss of life control any better. [ ] We are looking for a new flat. On the other side of the catchment area border. (A mother with higher education, Helsinki) Department of Geosciences and Geography

22 Mechanisms of change: Selective school choices and increased school segregation by outcomes All students in their own catchment area school (artificial reallocation) The situation after actual school choices (current outcomes) The net effect of school choices on the schools outcomes Standard deviation between schools (S) 4,5 6,4 +1,9 Outcomes in the weakest school (min) 41,9 38,7 3,2 Outcomes in the best school (max) 63,3 66,7 +3,4 Difference between the weakest and best school Outcomes in schools by deciles (10 %) 21,4 28,0 +6, ,4 40,8 3, ,0 46,5 1, ,8 48,6 1, ,3 50,9 0, ,6 52,6 0, ,2 54,0 0, ,2 56,0 +0, ,5 57,4 +0, ,3 59,9 +2, ,9 64,7 +4,8

23 Mechanisms of change: Dropping of the tail - The interrelated processes of urban segregation and school segregation appear to operate most systematically in the more disadvantaged schools and neighbourhoods Popularity in choices Rejection in choices Alakoulut (N=85) Yläkoulut (N=45) Alakoulut Yläkoulut Foreign-language speakers in the school 0,13 0,06 0,47** 0,42** Educational outcomes in the school 0,06 0,31* 0,30** 0,50** Foreign-language speakers in the catchment area Adults with low educational level in the catchment area Adults with high educational level in the catchment area Share of families on welfare benefits in the catchment area 0,05 0,09 0,40** 0,27 0,08 0,19 0,30** 0,23 0,02 0,11 0,35** 0,36* 0,03 0,10 0,32** 0,32* Average income in the catchment area 0,12 0,14 0,32** 0,47** Department of Geosciences and Geography

24 Social and spatial processes in the local level and schools reflect European findings on mechanisms of urban and educational change During the latter part of 20th century outcomes were rising and inequalities diminishing. Differentiation was mostly based on the elite taking off not the decreasing or stagnating welfare of the relatively disadvantaged (Kortteinen & Vaattovaara 1999) However, the recent research evidence (Kortteinen 2006; Vaattovaara & Kortteinen 2012; Vilkama 2011; Bernelius 2013) points to a growth through polarization; concentration of disadvantage also in the local level in neighbourhoods and schools It is evident that the decrease in the overall educational performance level of the younger generation is a factual empirical trend in most Northern European countries (Hautamäki et al. 2013: 119)

25 Statistics, individuals and stereotypes: Who is this? We have randomly selected one of the people living in Norway: A man of the age of 52, married In his free time, his hobbies include cooking, wines and classical music. He also plays the piano. He often travels to the Wagner Opera Festival in Bayreuth in the summer with his wife Is this person more likely: A) a professor of German language and literature or B) a sales representative (salgesrepresentant)?

26 Using research to find schools in need of targeted support: using stereotypes to find ways to fight them and to help individuals surprise us % of schools receive extra finances based on education and income level of the school s catchment area, the share of students with immigrant background and the school s popularity in school choices The schools are allowed to decide on the way resources are used

27 Understanding the dynamics and effects of segregation helps assessing needs, planning for action and targeting extra resources The city of Helsinki annually allocates 1,7 million euros based on local disadvantage recent study found that the resources had a positive effect to educational careers (Silliman 2017) The Ministry of Education and Finance allocates 17 million annually based on similar criteria Key issues: Evidence-base, cooperation between actors, respecting local stakeholders and understanding the local context school as the heart of the community

28 The most important goal of Nordic welfare is to break the kid s statistical likelihood to fail and to always give a second chance In Tove Janssons novel Sommarbok, a scared little girl asks in the middle of the night: "Are you sure that the door is locked?" "It's open," answered her grandmother. "The door is always open, and that's why you can sleep perfectly safely." 2 8

29 , /en/persons/venla- bernelius(1e2aa9af-c8e8-4e98-8c1a- 055cdc1780bb).html Recommended reading from European colleagues:

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