- Five years since the Parliament resolution and Council Conclusion on the education of children and youth with migrant background, it is time to revisit the recommendations, assess progress and renew commitments of all stakeholders.
- Despite political declarations, evidence from PISA and other studies show that the gap in achievement between native and migrant pupils is widening in many countries.
- To close the achievement gap, we need general frameworks of inclusive, fair and quality education systems combined with targeted measures for vulnerable groups. Furthermore, we applaud schools that are open to new level of strategic partnerships with migrant community, that also foster active involvement of parents and migrant youth organizations.
- There is still a long way from comprehensive strategies to actual implementation and change at the school level. Yet we do know that schools that support migrant students to succeed are good for all.
The SIRIUS Policy Network has spent the past three years working to provide the keys to closing the “achievement gap” between pupils with migrant background and their native peers. Results will be shared at the international SIRIUS conference “Helping Children and Youth with Migrant Background Succeed: Making schools matter for all” on 19 and 20 November 2014 in Brussels.
During this 1.5 day conference, we will highlight successful strategies to effectively implement holistic education policies with targeted measures for migrant students on a systematic level. At the local level and with a particular focus on children and youth, we will outline our suggestions for developing inclusive classrooms within schools that are open learning spaces and that develop strategic partnerships with the local community.