‘Education of International Newly Arrived migrant pupils at primary and secondary school level’ Erasmus Project

Project Title

‘Education of International Newly Arrived migrant pupils at primary and secondary school level’

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for school education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2015

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Early School Leaving / combating failure in education; New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses; Reaching the policy level/dialogue with decision makers

Project Summary

“EDINA created tools that schools seem to find very helpful and EDINA provided insight in best practices and research results that every professional working with newcomers will benefit from. Therefore, I think Edina was a great success.”
– Answer to EDINA Questionnaire about the project

BACKGROUND
The project EDINA (EDucation of International Newly Arrived migrant pupils) has brought together policy makers, schools and researchers from Finland (Helsinki), Belgium (Ghent) and The Netherlands (Rotterdam and Utrecht). The main objective of EDINA was to provide support to municipalities, schools and teachers in the reception and the integration into the school system of Newly Arrived Migrant pupilS (NAMS). The high inflow of newcomer students in and within Europe implies that schools are experiencing a constant increase in the numbers of pupils who do not master the official school language. This situation still creates a heavy challenge for the European school system. Against this background, it is difficult to overestimate the importance of successful reception of NAMS at their new schools in order to facilitate optimal integration.

OBJECTIVES
The high inflow of newcomers in and within Europe implies that schools are experiencing a constant increase in the numbers of pupils who do not master the official school language. This situation creates a heavy challenge for the European school system. EDINA aims at helping schools, teachers and municipalities with the successful reception of newcomers at their new schools in order to facilitate optimal integration and allowing newcomer students to develop their talents and potential.

In order to reach these goals EDINA aimed at:
(1) reducing disparities by preventing under or over referral to specialized care, proposing adequate strategies and activities to help teachers, schools and municipalities to support these children,
(2) increasing the efficiency of investment in the education of newcomers supporting the development of management programs for this group at city level and,
(3) strengthening education and training paths of school staff fostering the collaboration between schools, municipalities, and researchers nationally and internationally.
(1) These aims were translated into the following activities, which were EDINA’s main focus during its three year span creation of an online webtool with research based information, good practices, advice and exercises about arrival of newcomer students (including the transition to the mainstream schools of the receiving countries), the background of this vulnerable group of students (in order to improving the reception of these students by the schools), assessment of students (their observation and evaluation), differentiation in divers classrooms, communication with stakeholders (specifically parents and other family members) and intercultural competences of teachers.
(2) to spread the content and use of the tools among the teacher community, through the organization of workshops for teachers of the participating schools, through the National Transfer event, and through workshops and presentations given at teacher education institutes and networks (e.g. LOWAN, in the Netherlands).
(3) To change attitudes towards the use of the students’ home (and other) languages of teachers and policymakers and aimed at stressing the importance of sufficient funding of newcomer education. This has led to the acceptance by the Dutch parliament of a second year of special funding of newcomer education in the Netherlands.

PARTICIPATING ORGANISATIONS
The EDINA project has been carried out by nine project partners from four cities across three European countries, namely Belgium (Ghent), Finland (Helsinki) and The Netherlands (Rotterdam and Utrecht):
Netherlands:
– University of Utrecht University
– Municipality of Rotterdam
– Stichting BOOR
Finland:
– University of Helsinki
– Municipality of Helsinki
Belgium:
– University of Ghent
– Municipality of Ghent
– Vicariaat Onderwijs Bisdom Gent
– Vriendenkring Kleine Icarus
Importantly, the project partners represented three different disciplines: schools (represented by school boards), municipalities and universities.

 
UNDERTAKEN MAIN ACTIVITIES AND DELIVERABLES:
Taking the goals of the project as a starting point, the EDINA project had 3 targets:
(1) to reduce disparities preventing under or over referral to specialized care, proposing adequate strategies and activities to help teachers, schools and municipalities to support these children,
(2) to increase the efficiency of investment in the education of newcomers supporting the development of management programs for this group at city level and,
(3) to strengthen education and training paths of school staff fostering the collaboration between schools, municipalities, and researchers nationally and internationally.
……………..
TO READ THE REST OF THE ANSWER TO THIS QUESTION, PLEASE SEE ANNEX “EDINA Final Report FULL.”

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 440224 Eur

Project Coordinator

UNIVERSITEIT UTRECHT & Country: NL

Project Partners

• GO! Basisschool De Kleine Icarus
• Vicariaat Onderwijs Bisdom Gent
• HELSINGIN KAUPUNKI
• Stichting BOOR
• UNIVERSITEIT GENT
• HELSINGIN YLIOPISTO
• STAD GENT