Levels of Community Cohesion; Theorizing the UK Agenda and the Implications for Policy and Practice in Schools

Authors

  • Marie Parker-Jenkins University of Limerick, Ireland
  • Meli Glen Pearson Education

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18251/ijme.v13i1.323

Keywords:

religious education, religion, cultural diversity, faith-based schools, jewish and muslim schools

Abstract

This paper explores the concept of “community engagement,” a central theme within a British research project examining the issues of cultural sustainability among faith-based schools. Discussion is informed by the views of Muslim and Jewish school community stakeholders at the time when the policy of social cohesion was being legally introduced into schools in the United Kingdom. The article provides: (a) an introduction to the context of the British government agenda on “community cohesion” (promoting greater knowledge, respect, and contact between groups within the community) in the aftermath of 9/11, the riots in northern towns in England in 2001, and the bombings in London; (b) an historical perspective on the establishment of denominational schooling in the UK with reference to Muslim and Jewish schools; (c) explication of the research design; (d) exploration of the theory and conceptualisation of community cohesion drawing on qualitative data from the study; and (f) the implications raised for policy and practice in all schools.

Author Biographies

Marie Parker-Jenkins, University of Limerick, Ireland

Professor of Education Department of Education & Professional Studies

Meli Glen, Pearson Education

Meli Glenn is currently a researcher at Pearson Education and previously worked at the Institute of Education, University of London as a researcher in the area of school leadership and school improvement.

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Published

2011-05-11

How to Cite

Parker-Jenkins, M., & Glen, M. (2011). Levels of Community Cohesion; Theorizing the UK Agenda and the Implications for Policy and Practice in Schools. International Journal of Multicultural Education, 13(1). https://doi.org/10.18251/ijme.v13i1.323

Issue

Vol. 13 No. 1 (2011): Open Theme Issue

Section

Articles (Peer-reviewed)

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