Preference for Different Types of Secondary School Among Various Ethnic Groups in Sao Paulo, Brazil

Abstract

As opposed to what happens in other parts of Brazil where indtstrial schools are attended mainly by children of manual workers, in Sdo Paulo this type of secondary school attracts substantial proportions of students from the middle and upper-middle classes. The hypothesis is entertained that the fact could be explained by the large influx of foreign immigrants with different attitudes towards school and work. The distribution of various ethnic groups in different types of school is examined. Controlling for social class, no difference is found among Brazilians-, Japanese, Italians, Portuguese and Spaniards. The greater acceptance of industrial schools in Sao Paulo is shown to result mainly from choices made by middle class Brazilians who are by far the largest group in the student population. It is suggested that the greater acceptance of this type of school in Sao Paulo as compared to other piarts of Brazil is related to the heavy concentration of industrial plants in the Siao Paulo metropolitan area, and the availability of well paid technical jobs in the modern sectors of the economy.