Abstract
In recent years a number of studies conducted in schools have claimed to provide evidence of the existence of racism amongst teachers, and practices within schools which significantly disadvantage many ethnic minority students. Unfortunately, there has been a tendency to accept such studies rather uncritically, without questioning the nature of the evidence they present to support their conclusions. In this paper I examine two such studies from a more critical point of view. I argue that both suffer from a number of serious weaknesses and that their claims should not have been accepted in the way that they have been.