Segregation segmentation and socio-residential segmentation. Reflections from cases studies in Bahía Blanca (Argentina)

Abstract

The processes of educational segregation are of crucial importance and their approach constitutes a relevant factor in relation to the differentiation in access and permanence in the educational circuits as well as in the reproduction of the system itself. This study focuses on educational segregation at the secondary level in the city of Bahía Blanca (Buenos Aires, Argentina) between 2016 and 2019, specifically on five case studies that allow characterizing student trajectories, educational policies and socioeconomic and spatial processes in this particular context. The methodological tools used were the analysis of statistical data, the critical survey of legal documents and a series of semi-structured interviews with various actors of the educational communities, selected as key informants of the period. Among the conclusions obtained, it can be observed that the implementation of different educational programs and public policies had a slight influence on the accentuation of educational segregation. In turn, these seem to be strongly linked to socio-residential segregation and the actions that may or may not be carried out by the different intermediate authorities of the Educational System of the province of Buenos Aires.