The right to learn: Educational strategies for socially excluded youth in Europe

Evidence has shown that individuals leaving school without qualifications are four times more likely to be unemployed than those with qualifications. Preventing and combating unemployment therefore requires active measures both in the labour market and in the institutions responsible for preparing the future workforce - educational institutions. Attempts to remedy this problem have so far largely neglected children from socially excluded families - one of the most vulnerable groups in education. The right to learn explores a wide range of strategies, both at the policy level and in the field, to improve educational success among such disadvantaged children, taking stock of good practice in a selection of EU member states, chosen to reflect the diversity in systems and policies that currently exist. The book suggests that a number of strategies are effective and feasible. The authors recommend that a sufficiently powerful opinion movement is needed to promote the transfer of experience and action on different levels. They conclude with several suggestions for good practice - not just equal opportunity and equal treatment but also equal outcomes strategies. The right to learn is important reading for teachers, school administrators, educational researchers, policy makers, NGOs, parents' associations, those engaged in youth services and teacher training, and in formulating policies to secure the social integration of the young generation.

Table of Contents:
Part One: A status quaestionis: The educational situation of disadvantaged children; Strategies to reduce educational inequality: a general framework; Part Two: Equal opportunity strategies: Learning duties and learning rights; Financial and material assistance for low-income pupils; Integrated services for disadvantaged young people; Early childhood education; Part Three: Equal treatment strategies: Curricular reforms; Social expectations, poverty and pedagogical innovations; Teacher training; Parent-school-community relationships; Provision, integration and inclusion for children with special needs; Part Four: Equal outcomes strategies: Educational priority policies; Learning support; Alternative curricula, transition systems and second-chance provisions; Conclusions and recommendations.

About the Author :
Ides Nicaise is Research Manager at the Hoger Instituut voor de Arbeid (Catholic University of Leuven) and Chair of the Belgian Anti-poverty Unit.

Review :
"... there is a wealth of information here. Current provision may remain 'inadequate' if the challenges of social exclusion are to be tackled, but a comprehensive tool-kit of potentially relevant interventions is provided in this book." Work, Employment & Society "The right to learn is an ambitious attempt to link education policy to the struggle for inclusion. It is a valuable addition to the comparative policy studies literature." Michael Wiseman