Discourses and Concepts of Diversity and Inclusion

in Educational Contexts

Dr. Mikael Luciak, University of Vienna

Stream 1 Diversity and

Education: On the Way to Social

Inclusion

Diversity Conference Vienna, 28.2.2012

SPOT ON 3: Reality

Kulturkontakt Austria

Diversity Dimensions

Age Gender Ethnicity Nationality Language Culture Religion Social Class Mental and Physical Dis/ability Sexual Orientation

Diversity Dimensions and Schooling

Age classes according to age-groups (some exceptions)

Gender co-education (some schools for girls/ boys only)

Sexual Orientation no special measures

Social Class compensatory measures for students with disadvantaged backgrounds (pre-schools)

Diversity Dimensions and Schooling

Culture, Ethnicity, Nationality

monocultural approach (assimilation to dominant culture)multi-/intercultural approach(recognition of diversity) bicultural approach(minority schooling)

Language first-/second language teaching bilingual schooling

Religion religious schools/ programs

Mental and Physical Dis/ability

special education, mainstreaming, integration, inclusion

Diversity Increasing diversity due to migration, transnational

mobility, and globalisation

Long-standing diversity in nation states (majority-minority relations)

Main focus: cultural and language differences

Main target groups: (im)migrants, refugees, travellers; ethnic/linguistic/regional minorities

Intercultural Education targets all students

Discourses on Diversity

Issues: school segregation, regional segregation, educational inequalities, disproportionality, disparate educational achievements

Debates concerning: curriculum, instruction, forms of schooling, teacher education

Debates on objectives: equal access to education, cultural identity, bi-/multilingualism, social cohesion

Intersectionality of diversity dimensions is frequently disregarded – „culturalization“ of social inequalities

Discourse on Diversity

Communitarian ideals and minority group rights: Several countries grant in situ minorities the right to

minority education and bilingual schooling or have decentralised school systems that take into account the cultural and linguistic variations of the population in different (autonomous) regions of the country.

Liberal notions of individual rights and freedoms: Recognition of cultural diversity in the context of migration

focuses on the paradigms of integration, intercultural dialogue, and mutual respect. (see: Luciak 2010)

Diversity on the Global Agenda

Council of Europe (1998) Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities; European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages

UNESCO (2006) Guidelines on Intercultural Education Council of Europe (2008) White Paper on Intercultural

Dialogue European Commission (2008) Green Paper on Migration and

Mobility Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe

(OSCE) initiatives on tolerance and non-discrimination OECD (2010) Teacher Education for Diversity

Inclusion on the Global Agenda

Program: Education for All (UNESCO 1990) UN-Convention on the Rights of the Child (1990) Salamanca Declaration (UNESCO 1994) Report: Equity In Education. Students with disabilities,

learning difficulties and disadvantages (OECD 2004) UN-Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

(2006) Project: Teacher Education for Inclusion (European Agency

for Development in Special Needs Education 2011)

Inclusive EducationGoals: Combating exclusion and segregation Making regular schools more inclusive Educating all children in their communities

Assumptions: Most effective means of combating discriminatory attitudes Creates welcoming communities and inclusive society Helps to achieve education for all and to provide an effective

education to the majority of children Improves efficiency and cost-effectiveness of the entire education

system (UNESCO, Salamanca Statement)

Justifications for InclusionUNESCO (2009) Policy guidelines on inclusion in education

Educational Justification Economic Justification Social Justification

Contrary to diversity discourses issues of cultural identity and minority group rights are hardly addressed in discourses on inclusion

Debates: Deaf community, minority schools, religious schools

Inclusion - Target GroupsSalamanca Declaration (1994) Main target group: people with disabilities

World Education Forum (Dakar, 2000) Main target group: all disadvantaged groups ‚Education for All‘ must take account of the needs of the poor and

the disadvantaged, including working children, remote rural dwellers and nomads, ethnic and linguistic minorities, children, young people and adults affected by conflict, HIV and AIDS, hunger and poor health, and those with disabilities or special learning needs. It also emphasized the special focus on girls and women.

Divergent Understandings of Inclusion

Providing education for all (access, contrary to exclusion)

Increasing numbers of children with special educational needs (SEN) in regular schools (integration) while maintaining special schools

Educating all SEN children in mainstream classes (mainstreaming, only temporary withdrawal)

Educating children with a wide diversity of differences, difficulties and needs in mainstream schools (full inclusion) (see: Hornby 2011)

Inclusive Schools vs. Inclusive Society

Social inclusion in education: Fostering social contacts and integration through common

education of children with a wide diversity of differences in mainstream schools

Social inclusion in society: Counteracting marginalization by valuing all individuals and

providing them with important roles in society (via education and vocational training)

Debates on Diversity and Inclusion

Right to quality education vs. Right to inclusive education

The pro‘s and con‘s of heterogeneous classrooms (Who benefits?)

Labelling vs. De-categorization

Inclusive education vs. Differentiation and Tracking (Contradictions)

Required competencies of general teachers vs. The role of specialists

Equity-related Questions

Does the education system offer:

(1) Equity of access or equality of opportunity, i.e. is there an equal chance for progress in the educational system for all members of the school population?;

(2) Equity in relation to the environment for learning or equality of means, i.e. are there equitable conditions for learning for students from disadvantaged groups as compared to students from advantaged groups?;

(3) Equity in production or equality of achievement, i.e. do individuals from different backgrounds achieve equivalent educational outcomes?;

(4) Equity in benefiting from the results of education, i.e. do all individuals regardless of their background have the same opportunities to apply their skills and knowledge in the job market and in society? (see: OECD, 1993; Demeuse, Crahay, and Monseur, 2001)

Inclusion and Equity

A critical analysis of educational systems in regard to equity and inclusion needs to go beyond looking at accessibility, educational outcomes or inclusiveness of curricula and pedagogies

It must disclose the ideological underpinnings on which the understanding of equity and inclusion are based.

This demands that the role of “power relationships and structures of privilege” is recognized in shaping “the goals of education, the curriculum, and the organizational structures and processes of schools”

(see: Artiles, Harris-Murri, & Rostenberg 2006)

Conclusions Discourses on diversity and inclusion frequently focus on

cultural/language differences and/or disability by disregarding social inequalities as a main cause of educational disadvantage.

Minority group rights and identities must be considered in inclusive strategies, which primarily are based on individual rights and freedoms.

Strategies to make schools more inclusive must recognize the intersectionality but also the different implications of migrant, ethnic, and social background as well as of inequalities based on gender and disability.

Whether combating exclusion from schooling, early drop-out, being at risk and underachieving, or separation and segregation, targeted measures are required to foster inclusion.

Early selection and tracking contradict inclusive education. In order to successfully restructure the school system to make school systems more inclusive, the power relationships and structures of privilege in society must be challenged.

References

Artiles, A. J., Harris-Murri, N., & Rostenberg, D. (2006) Inclusion as social justice: Critical notes on discourses, assumptions, and the road ahead. Theory Into Practice, Volume 45 Issue 3 2006, 260 – 268

Demeuse. M., Crahay, M., & Monseur, C. (2001). Efficiency and equity. In W. Hutmacher, D. Cochrane, & N. Bottani (Eds.), In Pursuit of equity in education: Using international indicators to compare equity policies. Kluwer, Dordrecht

Hornby, G. (2011) Inclusive Education for Children with Special Educational Needs: A critique. In: International Journal of Disability, Development and Education, 58:3, 321-329

Luciak, M. (2010) On Diversity in Educational Contexts. OECD (Ed.) Educating Teachers for Diversity: Meeting the Challenge. Paris: OECD Center for Educational Research and Innovation, 41-62.

OECD (1993) Access, participation and equity. Paris: Organisation for Economic Co- Operation and Development

UNESCO (2009) Policy guidelines on inclusion in education. Paris: United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization