Educational Integration of Asylum-Seeking and Refugee Children in Sweden

Abstract

The aim of this chapter is to describe and analyze how Sweden provides educational opportunities for refugee and asylum-seeking children (RASC), including unaccompanied minors. Most education in Sweden is public, organized on the municipal level, and regulated by the state. A review of national research into education of so called “newly arrivals” is presented coupled with theoretical perspectives related to the concepts of inclusion and exclusion. The chapter also presents a general picture of migration patterns, asylum processes, and educational and legal arrangements such as evaluation programs and “General recommendations” for the reception of newly arrived children. The Schools Inspectorate, an authority closely connected to the National Agency of Education, is responsible for this program. The focus is on the effectiveness for integration of refugee and asylum-seeking children, by presenting examples for identifying, describing and analyzing so called best practices. Advantages as well as disadvantages of this set-up are discussed in light of new reforms for education, such as extended rights of schooling for migrant children. Finally, some ideas are developed of how school can be informed by a more inclusive and intercultural perspective.