Symposium on Boarding Schools for Marginalized Youth

In the center of the discussion of educational justice is still the question how to counteract the effects on social inequality not only of school, but above all of family. But in the education debate it has been neglected that many children and youth live day and night in public institutions, which do not aim at education at all but primarily at care and therapy: the looked after children and youth in residential care of the welfare system. Looked after children and youth, who are deprived of a caring home environment due to their parent’s underprivileged situation live in stigmatized care and therapeutic treatment environments. The aim is to help these disadvantaged and deprived children completing lower secondary education and vocational training. Public spending is often more than 4,000 € monthly. On the other hand, children of privileged parents who are deprived of a caring home environment due to their parent’s privileged social status and high professional commitments are sent to renowned boarding schools. These Children are placed in comprehensive educational environments. The aim is to help them completing upper secondary education in preparation for tertiary education, even if these children have low academic performance and show conduct disorders. Parental spending is up to 4,000 € monthly.

If boarding schools are able to address the challenges of the deprived privileged child they may well suit the challenges of the deprived underprivileged child. Boarding schools may have a potential for achieving educational justice that has not yet been fully explored.

On the Herrenhausen-Symposium distinguished international scholars on residential education as well as representatives of leading boarding school-type institutions from USA, England, Israel and Germany will discuss, to what extend boarding school-type education may serve as a best practice model for achieving educational justice.