Introduction to the Handbook (Second Edition): Comparative Sociological Perspectives on Racial and Ethnic Inequalities in Education

Abstract

This second edition of the Palgrave Handbook of Race and Ethnic Inequalities in Education brings together nearly forty years of sociological research on the relationship between race/ethnicity and educational inequality carried out in 25 national contexts. Not only does this second edition expand the number of countries examined, it also includes a chapter on cross-national comparative research on ethnic inequalities in education, using large-scale data-bases (such as PISA), an examination of the relationships among social cohesion, trust, and tolerance in each of the countries. Finally, the chapters report on the extent to which educational accountability systems impact education in the different nations. Such accountability systems are influenced by the forces of globalization and neo-liberalism that heighten the competition among nations. An additional factor that impacted the present edition has been the growing refugee crises around the world, including those fomented by wars in the Middle East and changes in U.S. policies regarding immigrants and refugees that have resulted from the 2016 presidential election.