The Work of the European Agency and a European Perspective on Inclusive

Education

Cor Meijer (PhD), director

www.european-agency.org

The Agency• 14th year of operations• Main secretariat in Odense, Denmark

and European Liaison office in Brussels, Belgium

FundingThe Agency is financed by:• The member countries’ Ministries of

Education• European Commission as one of the 6

organisations supported by the Lifelong Learning Programme

Member countries of the Agency● Presently, the Agency has 27 full member

countries: Austria, Belgium (French), Belgium (Flemish), Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom (England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales).

The Agency’s Mission• Member countries’ platform for

collaboration in the field of special needs education (SNE)

• Our ultimate aim is to improve educational policy and practice for learners with special educational needs

The Agency’s Activities• Collection, analysis and dissemination

of information on priority themes• Participation and organisation of

conferences, seminars and political events

• Liaison with the European institutions and international organisations – OECD, UNESCO

Agency Information Resources

The Agency offers various information resources, which can all be accessed via the website www.european-agency.org

– Thematic Reports– Thematic Databases– Newsletters and Electronic Bulletin

Agency publications can be downloaded in up to 21 member languages

Some working parameters• Countries are at different starting points

and have different ‘histories’ – we need to account for that and see it as a strength

• No-one has all the answers – countries have clear examples of good practice, but all countries are still ‘moving ahead’

International Policy Context for SNE

• UNESCO Salamanca Statement and Framework for Action in Special Needs Education (1994)

• UN Convention on Rights of People with Disabilities (2006)

Selection of Past Agency Priority Themes• Early Childhood Intervention• Provision of special needs education• Financing and inclusion• Transition from school to working life• Classroom Practice to support Inclusive

Education• Assessment of learners with Special

Educational Needs• Immigrants and Special Needs

Current Agency Work - 2013• New Priority themes

– Teacher Education for Inclusion– Organisation of Provision for SNE– Vocational Education - policy and practice

in the field of SNE– Inclusive Education in Action (IEA)

• Information Provision– Qualitative and quantitative indicators– Key Principles for policy and practice– Higher Education Accessibility Guide

IEA – Starting Points ● Partners:

– European Agency for Development in Special Needs Education

– UNESCO/UNESCO-IBE– GPDD joined the work in 2010

● Duration of the project: – 1st November 2009 to 31st October 2010 (12

months)● Subcontractor:

– Institut für Technologie und Arbeit (ITA), Germany

IEA - Goal● The starting point for the project was the

UNESCO Policy Guidelines on Inclusion in Education, which consider in detail how the ‘policy cycle’ for inclusive education can be supported

● The IEA project web-site presents examples of policy and practice for inclusive education that exemplify the Suggested Actions listed in the Policy Guidelines document

Progress to date….● The web-site was launched on 1st September

2010 to coincide with GPDD’s involvement in the UN side event relating to the CRPD

● Project information has been presented at a number of key events across Europe

● The Project Framework and Rationale and glossary are available from the web-site http://www.inclusive-education-in-action.org

● Over 40 world-wide examples are now on the website, with others currently being processed

Project DevelopmentsThe use of the IEA website is growing steadily but in order to fully exploit the potential of the project we need to:- collect examples covering all of the suggested actions for the Policy Guidelines- provide information in multi-lingual formats (the 6 official languages of UNESCO as a minimum)- develop the website to accommodate a wider range of examples in different formats

Project development

In order to achieve our goals we need resources for: - Translation- Networking with other key organisations to

provide a comprehensive resource for policy makers worldwide

- Technically enhancing the website

Teacher Education for Inclusion

Key questions:● What kind of teachers do we need for an

inclusive society in a 21st century school?● What are the essential teacher competences for

inclusive education?Essential Focus● The training of mainstream, general teachers

and how they are prepared to work in inclusive settings

● The initial training phase as a priority

Special Events

● European Parliament Hearing in Brussels 2003● Portuguese Parliament Hearing in Lisbon 2007● European Parliament Hearing in Brussels 2011

European Hearing in Portugal

European Hearing of Young People with Special Educational Needs organised by the Portuguese Ministry of Education and the Agency.The event took place in Lisbon within the framework of the Portuguese Presidency of the European Union and the European Year of Equal Opportunities.

European Hearing in Portugal• The Lisbon Declaration ‘Young

People’s Views on Inclusive Education’ is the main result of this event.

• We see a lot of benefits in inclusive education: we acquire more social skills; we live more experiences; we learn about how to manage in the real world; we need to have and interact with friends with and without special needs.

• Inclusive education is mutually beneficial to us and to the others

UN convention on the rights of people with disabilities (2006) –

Article 24 - EducationStates parties are requested to ensure an inclusive education system at all levels• 147 signatories to the Convention • 90 signatories to the Optional Protocol • 99 ratifications of the Convention • 61 ratifications of the Optional Protocol

Ratification of the optional protocol by European Agency

member countries • Austria - 26 September 2008 • Belgium – 2 July 2009• France - 18 February 2010• Germany - 24 February 2009 • Hungary - 20 July 2007• Italy – 15 May 2009• Latvia – 31 August 2010• Lithuania – 18 August 2010• Portugal – 23 September 2009• Slovenia - 24 April 2008 • Spain - 3 December 2007 • Sweden - 15 December 2008• United Kingdom – 7 August 2009

Map of signatures and ratifications, 07.03.2011

Social Cohesion and Inclusive Education

● Key Questions

● Normative position?

● Role of research?

In promoting friendship and loyalty, and in safeguarding the commitment to freedom and peace requires….…that children be exposed to ideas from many different backgrounds and perspectives. Basic education is not just an arrangement for training to develop skills; it is also a recognition of the diversity and richness of the world, an appreciation of the importance of freedom as well as friendship. The need for that understanding – that vision- has never been stronger. (Sen, 2004)

Percentage of pupils in the compulsory school sector recognised as having SEN in 2010 (in all educational settings)

 

 

< 2.0% 2.01% - 4.0% 4.01% - 6.0% 6.01% - 10.0% > 10%Sweden Austria

FranceGreeceItalyLuxembourgPolandPortugalSpainUK (England)UK (Wales)

Belgium (Fr)CyprusDenmarkGermanyHungaryIrelandLatviaMaltaNetherlandsSwitzerlandUK (N.I.)

Belgium (Fl)Czech rep.EstoniaFinlandNorwaySloveniaUK (Scotland)

IcelandLithuania

Percentage of pupils with SEN in segregated settings

 

Up to 1.0% 1.01 %- 2.0% 2.01%- 4.0% 4.01% and aboveCyprusGreeceIrelandItalyMaltaNorwayPortugalSloveniaSpain

AustriaBulgariaFranceIcelandLithuaniaLuxembourgPolandSwedenUK (England)UK (Scotland)UK (Wales)

DenmarkFinlandHungaryLatviaNetherlands

Belgium (Fl)Belgium (Fr)Czech Rep.EstoniaGermanySwitzerland

Factors related to differences between and within countries

• Funding• Population density

Financing

Funding explains differences on segration-integration continuum

Funding explains differences between policies and practices

Funding changes may contribute to development of inclusive practices

More in detail Input funding: negative consequences Throughput funding: positive results Pupil bound budgets: disadvantages

Developments in EuropeDevelopments• A wider range and more flexible provision• Developing funding models• The development of resource centres   Challenges• Academic achievements (output) versus SEN• Secondary and higher education• 2% of pupils in separate settings across Europe• Preparing all teachers for inclusive education

Inclusive Education and Classroom Practice

What works within inclusive settings?

How inclusive education works?

Why it is working?

Some general conclusions

● What is good for pupils with special educational needs is good for all pupils

● Behaviour, social and/or emotional problems are the most challenging

● Dealing with differences in the classroom forms one of the biggest problems

Effective practices within the context of inclusive education

Co-operative teaching• Teachers need support from colleagues• Students get their support in the classroom • Teachers learn from each others’

approaches and feedback. Thus, it also meets the needs of teachers

Effective practices within the context of inclusive education

Co-operative learning Peer tutoring is effective in both cognitive

and affective areas Moreover, there are no indications that the

more able pupil suffers from this situation

Effective practices within the context of inclusive education

Heterogeneous grouping Students of the same age stay together in

mixed ability classrooms, to respect natural variability in characteristics of students.

Heterogeneous grouping is effective when dealing with a diversity of pupils in the classroom

We deal with differences!

Climb the tree!

Contact Us

www.european-agency.org

European Agency for Development in Special Needs EducationØstre Stationsvej 33DK-5000 Odense CDenmarkPhone: +45 64 41 00 20

secretariat@european-agency.org