1. European Agency for Special Needs and Inclusive Education
Potential contribution of Inclusive Education in fighting ESL and preparing for the labour market
Harald Weber
JOINT Public Hearing on
The reform of educational systems in Europe as a way to fight early school leaving, child poverty and youth unemployment
26 February 2015, , European Parliament, Brussels

2. European Agency Focus (1)
National networks in 29 European countries
The Agency’s main focus is upon inclusive education within its widest interpretation – that is dealing with learner difference and diversity in all educational settings as a quality issue
The Agency’s work is essentially concerned with how the achievement of all learners at all levels of inclusive lifelong learning can be improved in a meaningful way that enhances their opportunities for an effective participation in society

3. European Agency Focus (2)
In order to account for the heterogeneity of contexts and approaches in member countries, Agency projects and activities take a broad view of inclusive education as a systemic approach to meeting the needs of all learners, with a specific focus on the pupils identified as having special educational needs (SEN)

4. Common views
Reducing school failure has a positive impact both on society and on individuals. The highest performing education systems across OECD countries are those that combine quality with equity [2]
Rather than looking at individual support, systems of support should aim to increase schools’ capability to meet the requirements of all learners
• Inclusive systems should develop forms of teaching and learning that enable all learners to participate fully in the learning process and prevent them from dropping out of school

5. Governance and cooperation
Report
Governance and cross-sectoral cooperation
Collaborative policy and practice
Key actors include policy makers, educational authorities, parents, pupils, teachers and their representative associations
Strong coordination and cooperation between national, regional and local actors required ([1] p 13)
Key representatives from policy fields such as employment, youth, health, welfare and social policy need to be involved in a collective approach to reducing ESL from the start ([1] p 14)
Services should be provided in local communities through close collaboration – in policy and practice – between education, health, social services and other agencies
Co-operation and networking are needed at all levels – national, local area, school and classroom – between all stakeholders, learners and families [3]

6. Improvement processes based on evidence
Report
Data collection towards evidence-based policies
Inclusive accountability
Transparency of data beneficial in encouraging cooperation between national, regional, local, school levels
Publication and analysis of data followed by concrete measures
Support to local authorities, stakeholders and schools to help them continuously improve their practice ([1] p 17)
Strong leadership and careful planning of, i.a., external monitoring and opportunities for self-reflection ([1] p 20)
Approaches to system and school accountability should include a strong element of self and/or peer review
Empower stakeholders to see accountability as professionally owned rather than externally imposed
To move towards greater equity in education, a variety of performance indicators are needed
Such developments should measure what is valuable for all learners to ensure consistency and reinforce inclusive values and practice [3]

7. Whole school approaches Support for school and system leaders
Leadership
Report
Whole school approaches
Support for school and system leaders
Learners require environments that are welcoming, open, safe, and friendly, where pupils feel noticed, valued and part of a community
Provide opportunities to help learners build confidence and develop a desire for learning (p18)
Encourage and support positive and caring relationships for and between teachers, school staff, pupils ([1] p 20)
Vision and competences to establish a positive ethos and provide appropriate leadership for inclusive practice
Planning to meet the diverse needs of all is integral part of the whole area/school development process
Move away from top down leadership towards distributed leadership that emphasises teamwork and collaborative problem solving [3]

8. Quality through participation
Report
Involvement of pupils and parents
Stakeholder involvement
Special attention to involving pupils and parents and their representatives in the planning and implementation of measures to reduce ESL ([1] p 15)
Involvement of parents in school decision-making is essential to ensure conducive and supportive learning environments ([1] p 20)
Parents need to be supported in their engagement with school education, be strongly encouraged to get involved and responsible for their children's school attendance and education ([1] p 15)
The voice of the learner is key in shaping all policy and practice
Working more closely with parents and families to address support requirements in a more holistic way [3]
Strategies to encourage parents’ active involvement in their children’s learning process
Involvement of labour market representatives in school procedures (e.g. examinations) and/or structures (e.g. school boards) [4]

9. Professional development
Report
Initial and continuous education for education staff
Professional development for inclusive education
Schools/teachers should be equipped with skills, expertise and resources to provide all pupils with the learning support they require ([1] p 18)
High quality teaching and learning calls for the continuous professional development of teaching staff
Teachers should be supported in dealing with diversity and supporting individuals with special learning needs and/or learning disabilities
Teachers need the skills and ability to work with other professions and partners to prevent ESL ([1] p 20)
Teachers must be active agents in any system/school change
Teacher competences should be addressed through both initial teacher education and continuing professional development
Four areas of competence:
valuing learner diversity,
supporting all learners,
working with others and
personal professional development
All teachers must develop the necessary values, attitudes, skills, knowledge and understanding [6]

10. Curricula and pedagogy
Report
Engaging curricula and learner-centred approaches
Pedagogical approaches for all
Relevant and engaging curricula that can motivate pupils to fully develop their strengths and talents ([1] p 19)
Adopting a learner-centred approach in teacher education with a focus on diversity and inclusion is recommended
Teachers should be capable of identifying different learning styles and pupils’ needs and be equipped with the skills to adopt inclusive and student-focused methods, including conflict resolution skills to promote a positive classroom climate ([1] p 20)
Shift from an approach that works for most learners (with something additional to or different from for some) to an approach that involves ‘the development of a rich learning community characterized by learning opportunities that are sufficiently made available for everyone’ [5]
Using pedagogical approaches that have proven to benefit all learners, for example team teaching and peer assisted learning [3]

11. Transition to the labour market
Report
High quality, attractive and engaging VET
Resilient networks between schools, VET and labour market
High quality VET provides opportunities for all at an early stage to explore and learn more about the world of work and ease transition ([1] p 21)
It is important that high quality VET allows progression to HE
Reduce ESL through the provision of high quality, structured work-based learning opportunities in VET ([1] p 19-20)
Respect and reflect learners’ individual wishes and expectations in each step of the transition process
Provide real VET options for learners to choose from (e.g. different pathways, qualification levels)
Career counsellors/officers to inform learners about employment possibilities, support them with job applications, inform and support employers and facilitate contacts
Build and maintain sustainable networks and connections to employers

12. Further reflections
Being in / staying in education is not a sufficient indicator for learners with SEN fully participating in the learning process
To achieve basic knowledge and skills is necessary, but unfortunately not sufficient in order to fully participate in society
• There is no evidence if learners with SEN are equally likely to drop-out or belonging to the group of early school leavers from inclusive educational settings, compared with their non-SEN peers
Basis of an analysis by the European Agency

13. More information www.european-agency.org
European Agency for Special Needs and Inclusive Education
Østre Stationsvej 33
DK-5000 Odense C
Denmark

14. The Agency Network
National networks in 29 European countries: Austria, Belgium (Flemish and French speaking communities), Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom (England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales).

15. References
[1] European Commission: Reducing early school leaving: Key messages and policy support, Final Report of the Thematic Working Group on Early School Leaving, November 2013 [2] Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development: Equity and Quality in Education: Supporting Disadvantaged Students and Schools Paris 2012: OECD [3] European Agency for Development in Special Needs Education: Raising Achievement for All Learners – Quality in Inclusive Education, Odense, Denmark 2012: European Agency for Development in Special Needs Education [4] European Agency for Development in Special Needs Education: European Patterns of Successful Practice in Vocational Education and Training – Participation of Learners with SEN/Disabilities in VET. Odense, Denmark 2013: European Agency for Development in Special Needs Education [5] Florian, L. and Black-Hawkins, K.: Exploring Inclusive Pedagogy. British Educational Research Journal, 37(5), p. 814 ( ) [6] European Agency for Development in Special Needs Education: Profile of Inclusive Teachers, Odense, Denmark 2012: European Agency for Development in Special Needs Education