Education Equality And Social Cohesion

The first fully comparative empirical analysis of the relationship between education and social cohesion, this book develops a new 'distributional theory' of the effects of educational inequality on social solidarity. Based on extensive analysis of data on inequality and social attitudes for over 25 developed countries.

This monograph analyses and describes successful educational actions with a specific focus on vulnerable groups (i.e. youth, migrants, cultural groups e.g. Roma, women, and people with disabilities). Concrete data that shows success in school performance in subject matters such as math or language will be provided, as well as children, teachers and families accounts of the impact of this success. Alongside, there is an analysis of the relationship between these children’s educational performance with their inclusion or exclusion from different areas of society (i.e. housing, health, employment, and social and political participation). Many studies have already diagnosed and described the causes of educational and social exclusion of these vulnerable groups. This monograph, however, provides solutions, that is, actions for success identified through the INCLUD-ED project, thus providing both, contrasted data and solid theoretical background and development. Some examples of these actions are interactive groups (or heterogeneous grouping in the classroom with reorganisation of human resources), extension of the learning time, homework clubs, tutored libraries, family and community educative participation, family education, or dialogic literary gatherings. All these actions have been defined as successful educational actions, which mean that they lead to both efficiency and equity. Finally, recommendations for policy and practice are included and discussed.

This lecture explores how globalisation is changing education and what this means for comparative study. In an age of increasing social fragmentation, Andy Green argues, comparative analysis of education and society has never been more important.

What would the civic relationship between citizens in a socially cohesive society look like? What models might we use to educate young people to support developing these bonds? Do these different models have different implications for how we structure the bonds that support a civic relationship? Philosophical Perspectives on Social Cohesion challenges the basis of how we characterize civic bonds and how we best organize schools to encourage and develop them. Mary Healy argues that metaphors and social imaginaries often give a framework for considering our interrelatedness. She re-examines the metaphor of fraternity, used as a precursor to elements of the 'Big Society', arguing that such attempts to align fraternity with liberty are mistaken and that equality plays a vital role. At a time of increasing diversity of school provision, this pertinent book indicates the connection between how we organize school structures and the models of citizenship we value.

This book addresses current debates in the field of social cohesion. It examines the ethics and policy making of social cohesion and explores various means for promoting social cohesion including history education, citizenship education, language, human rights based teacher training and school partnerships.

The Education Committee conducts a forum on topical issues each year. This forum discussed some of the education problems facing European societies today: rising illiteracy rates; school dropouts and inadequately prepared school leavers; declining confidence in schools and other institutions; unequal access to education; pockets of gender inequality. Suggested measures to counteract these problems included: public-private partnerships, involving the business community and industry with schools; emphasis on social development rather than economic growth; promoting citizenship participation through curricula and the learning environment; education systems providing moral and ethical education and lifelong learning.

This book examines the consequences of educational segregation from the perspective of social cohesion. It investigates the impact of separating students along socioeconomic lines on student attitudes, dispositions and outlooks considered important for social cohesion as well as on achievement, opening the discussion about the social costs of school segregation. The separation of students based on their social background is a common feature of schooling in many modern systems. This is not only due to the influence of residential segregation but also to the effects of policies promoting educational privatisation, parental choice and student academic selection. By recognising the importance of schooling for citizenship and social integration, the chapters in this book explore how the separation of students throughout their school lives can contribute to the division of citizens beyond school, and how social segregation in school systems affect social cohesion more broadly. By exploring the case of Santiago, Chile, the study is a timely contribution to the understanding of the roots of social division and the role that schools play in creating cohesive societies. The originality of the approach and the evidence presented draw on implications that should be of interest to a wider audience concerned with contemporary discussions on solidarity and its erosion by educational segregation in urban environments.

This volume has three foci - the rationale for considering how aspects of education can affect social cohesion; case studies that review particular country experiences with curricula and textbooks; and practical guidelines and applications to help countries improve areas of education.

"Equality in Education: Fairness and Inclusion is a scholarly call to action. As the book reminds us, governments come and go and in doing so they busy themselves with policy to mark their patch. Inequality and exclusion remain stubborn foes that are proving to be somewhat impervious to glossy policy pronouncements. The change that Hugo Claus calls for requires careful analysis and bold actions. The editors have assembled a collection of insightful essays that assist in that project. Professor Roger Slee, Victoria University, Melbourne, Australia This book attempts to consider the notion of fairness and inclusion in the context of education from different national perspectives, which is a laudable undertaking. The Editors have managed to put together a diverse, informative, and interesting account of equality and fairness that transcends international borders. The Editors are to be commended on their remarkable achievement in bringing together so many authors to discuss such an important subject, yet producing a cohesive collection of chapters that elucidate the diverse nature of equity in education. Professor Divya Jindal Snape, University of Dundee, UK"