Multicultural, yet assimilationist. Paradoxes caused by the hidden curriculum in a school, with a high percentage of migrants students

Abstract

The steady flow of immigrants into Chile from Latin America and the Caribbean, in particular, since the early nineties has led to a significant increase of foreign students in Chilean school. This growing diversity presents the school system with a new set of questions and challenges. Aiming to contribute to the understanding of how schools are dealing with the growing diversity, this article presents a case study of a school which has received immigrant students since the beginning of the nineties, and thus, today, is among the public schools with the highest enrollment of foreign students. Using a qualitative approach, it was possible to reveal that despite the heterogeneity of its students, the school implements a set of rules to foster homogeneity through strict norms and discipline, thus revealing an assimilationist logic. This paradoxical situation (heterogeneity of the student population coupled with homogenizing practices) represents an obstacle in advancing towards a public education that takes cultural diversity in the classroom into account.