The report explores the policies and measures implemented by top-level educational authorities across Europe to support integration of students with immigration background in schools. This includes steps implemented in relation to placing in schools and once students are enrolled, addressing their language, learning, and psycho-social support needs. “It (the report) also offers a deeper analysis of some of the key policies that can enable schools to be welcoming for students from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds and to take into account students’ social and emotional well-being in order to create an optimal state for their learning and development.” In total 42 educational systems are analyzed, from primary to upper secondary education, including school-based initial vocational education and training.
In this report you can read more about the context, including the statistics and experiences of students from migrant backgrounds, governance, access to education, language, learning, and psycho-social support, teachers and school heads. The reports provides analysis on how schools embrace and manage diversity, as well as apply a whole-child approach to teaching and learning. The overview of the key findings is provided in the summary section. According to the report:
- Most countries focus on knowledge of the language or competences in some particular subjects when initially assessing new students with migrant background, but a few examples that apply holistic approach are Spain, Portugal, Sweden and Finland.
- Among the countries that carry out continuous assessment of the students, only Spain monitors also social and interpersonal skills, in addition to the progress in learning the language.
- When provided, learning support often focuses on cognitive learning, only in Spain and Portugal social and motivational needs are included as well
- While some countries provide support in relation to extra-curriculum activities, only very few highlighted this as an important factor that can contribute to improving integration and inclusion
- Seven countries include social and emotional competences as areas of teaching, but only Finland considers those competences as transversal, to be thought across the whole curriculum.
- Vast majority of countries recognizes the importance of psycho-social support, but only a few have policies and practical measures how to tailor the services offered to the student needs
- The training and support for teachers on how to implement a whole-child approach exists in very few countries
- Spain and Slovenia have the most advances systems when it comes to parental involvement, with a focus on academic issues, but also the overall well-being of a child, including tackling health, social and emotional needs