1. 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

2. Diversity Dimensions  Age  Gender  Ethnicity  Nationality  Language  Culture  Religion  Social Class  Mental and Physical Dis/ability  Sexual Orientation

3. Diversity Dimensions and Schooling Ageclasses according to age-groups (some exceptions) Genderco-education (some schools for girls/ boys only) Sexual Orientationno special measures Social Classcompensatory measures for students with disadvantaged backgrounds (pre-schools)

4. Diversity Dimensions and Schooling Culture, Ethnicity, Nationality monocultural approach (assimilation to dominant culture) multi-/intercultural approach (recognition of diversity) bicultural approach (minority schooling) Languagefirst-/second language teaching bilingual schooling Religionreligious schools/ programs Mental and Physical Dis/ability special education, mainstreaming, integration, inclusion

5. 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

6. 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

7. 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)

8. 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

9. 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)

10. Inclusive Education Goals:  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)

11. Justifications for Inclusion UNESCO (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

12. Inclusion - Target Groups Salamanca 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.

13. 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)

14. 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)

15. 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

16. 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)

17. 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)

18. 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.

19. 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