Inventory and analysis of promising curriculum, pedagogy, and social climate interventions tackling inequalities
Value language and cultural heritage of minority students and promote positive contact with majority students
Authors
University Institute of Lisbon
University Institute of Lisbon
University Institute of Lisbon
University Institute of Lisbon
University of Milano-Bicocca
This inventory aims to identify, describe, and critically analyse promising interventions within the classroom and school microsystems aiming to promote educational equality and belongingness for immigrant, Roma, and low-income children. Interventions include curriculum, pedagogy, and school social climate approaches in early childhood and primary education in eight European countries (Czech Republic, England, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, and Portugal).
The report provides a brief overview of existing evidence on social and educational inequalities and a theoretical framework for designing and implementing coherent multicultural policies within the school system. Based on the application of eligibility and priority criteria by country teams, a total of 78 interventions were selected for review and analysed.
Findings suggest that participating countries are testing or implementing a considerable number of very diverse and often comprehensive interventions. Language support, in particular, seems to be widespread within these interventions, appropriately recognizing the foundational nature of language skills for learning, communication, and belongingness. The authors suggest that there is still considerable room for further development in the design, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of interventions with positive impacts on belongingness, wellbeing, social cohesion, learning, and lifetime success. The first key step identified by the authors is to increase support for immigrant and minority students’ heritage language and culture, while promoting positive contact and interactions between majority and minority children. Recommendations for national and European-level policy-makers and practitioners are proposed.
Link to the full article based on this publication: Early interventions tackling inequalities experienced by immigrant, low-income, and Roma children in 8 European countries: a critical overview