Supporting refugee students in schools: what constitutes inclusive education?

TLDR

The global rise in refugees and asylum seekers highlights the need to scrutinize host institutions responsible for their resettlement. This study examines how schooling contributes to the successful resettlement of refugee children. The authors analyze forced migration, globalization, and inclusion barriers, discuss educational challenges, and present case studies of four schools’ inclusive strategies. They propose a model of best practice in refugee education and argue that schools can actively facilitate refugee youth’s transition to citizenship through inclusive approaches.

Abstract

The worldwide rise in numbers of refugees and asylum seekers suggests the need to examine the practices of those institutions charged with their resettlement in host countries. In this paper, we investigate the role of one important institution – schooling – and its contribution to the successful resettlement of refugee children. We begin with an examination of forced migration and its links with globalisation, and the barriers to inclusion confronting refugees. A discussion of the educational challenges confronting individual refugee youth and schools is followed by case studies of four schools and the approaches they had developed to meet the needs of young people from a refugee background. Using our findings and other research, we outline a model of good practice in refugee education. We conclude by discussing how educational institutions might play a more active role in facilitating transitions to citizenship for refugee youth through an inclusive approach.