Professor
Paul Downes and his team has just published a scientific paper setting up an exhaustive
set of structural indicators to measure the inclusiveness of systems in and
around schools on different vertical levels and local. Inclusion is key to
making Europe more successful in educating lifelong learners who are equipped
for future challenges and can also cope with the present. Professor Downes, one
of the speakers of our conference in Dubrovnik in April 2016, shares our
thoughts about the importance of fully engaging both parents and students of all
ages as the only means to achieve this successfully. We were consulted as
experts during the development of the indicators, and we are proud to see that our
comments were not only taken into account, but the paper refers to and openly
embraces EPA advocacy messages, becoming the first official European Commission document
referencing our Manifesto 2015. The publication offers assessment tools for use
on national policy and also on institutional (school) level. It is free to be
downloaded from here.
Short
summary:
International evidence indicates that school
systems need to change in order to tackle early school leaving and improve
social inclusion in education and society. Policy-makers and school actors
require practical tools to assist them in this process, made all the more
urgent by the EU2020 headline target to reduce early school leaving. This
report develops such practical tools; it is designed to inform strategic policy
and practice by offering an innovative framework of structural indicators for
early school leaving prevention and inclusion in school. It draws upon key
European Council and Commission policy documents on early school leaving
prevention, and also on the Paris Declaration 2015 on promoting common values
of freedom, tolerance and non-discrimination through education, which includes
a focus on social marginalization. This report expands on these key policy
documents with recent international research and with the input of a number of
key policy stakeholders. Inclusion in education, viewed more comprehensively as
inclusive systems in and around schools, concentrates on supportive, quality
learning environments, on welcoming and caring schools and classrooms, and on
preventing discrimination. It addresses the needs of students in a holistic way
(their emotional, physical, cognitive and social needs), and recognises their
individual talents and voices. It is open to the voices and active
participation of parents, and also wider multidisciplinary teams and agencies.
Inclusive systems in and around schools particularly focus on the
differentiated needs of marginalised and vulnerable groups, including those at
risk of early school leaving and alienation from society. This proposed
framework of structural indicators for inclusive system development applies to
both national policy level and school level. The key overall areas examined in
this report include a whole school approach to developing inclusive systems,
and teacher and school leadership quality for inclusive systems in and around
schools. Macrostructure issues and promotion of system integration of policy
and practice are also addressed. Other key thematic areas of the report include
a multidisciplinary focus on health and welfare issues in education, on
promoting parental involvement and family support, and on meeting the needs of
particularly vulnerable individuals and groups. These thematic chapters support
the structural indicators with international evidence, combined with the EU
policy documents. The structural indicators are underpinned by ten key
principles for inclusive systems in and around schools, and are based on EU
policy documents, legal principles and international research. These ten
principles include: a System wide focus on addressing system blockages as
barriers and on system supports; a Holistic approach that recognises the
social, emotional and physical needs of students and not simply their academic,
cognitive ones; and the principle of Equality and non-discrimination, which
acknowledges that different groups may need additional supports in a respectful
environment free of prejudice. The principle of Children’s voices requires a
commitment to concerns directly affecting children’s own welfare, with due
regard to their ages and maturity. The principle of Building on strengths challenges
negative deficit labels of vulnerable groups by going beyond mere prevention
and instead seeking to promote their personal and educational growth. The
principle of Active participation of parents in school requires a strategic
focus on marginalised parents. The principle of Differentiation acknowledges
that different levels of need require different prevention strategies,
including for students and families experiencing moderate risk and chronic
need. The Multidisciplinarity principle recognises the need for a multifaceted
response for marginalised students with complex needs; marginalised groups
include those experiencing poverty and social exclusion, those at risk of early
school leaving, those experiencing bullying, mental health difficulties and/or special
educational needs, as well as some groups of migrants and ethnic minorities.
The principle of Representation and participation of marginalised groups
involves a distinct focus on processes and structures for their representation
and participation. The Lifelong learning principle brings educational focus on
active learning methodologies for issues of active citizenship, personal and
social fulfilment, intercultural dialogue across communities, as well as on
poverty and social inclusion, and employment. The framework of structural
indicators for inclusive systems in and around schools is developed into two
tools, one for use by national policy makers and one for use by schools. These
tools can be used as verifiable self-assessment approaches, and potentially
also for comparative external assessment purposes to support development of
inclusive education systems across Europe. This framework of enabling
conditions for school system development is a reference point for strategic
decision-making. It is not a framework meant to be static and frozen in time;
rather, it should be viewed as dynamic, as an enduring reference point that is
subject to additions and revisions over time, both locally and nationally
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