Local level initiatives – policy recommendations

1. Local level initiatives – policy recommendations OECD, Paris, October 13-14, 2008 Jana Huttova

2. Local Level Initiatives • with decentralised systems the role of local governments crucial • increased importance of public-private partnerships • great varieties of policies but missing dissemination and lateral learning • lack of evaluation

3. Selected Characteristics of ‘Good Practice’ • School culture for critical reflection • Inclusion and diversity are reflected in school curriculum and school organization • Strong school leadership with a vision and commitment to addressing inequality • Admission and induction strategies for ‘newly arrived’ migrant pupils • High quality teacher training • Meaningful involvement of parents and community • High expectations from teachers’ and all school staff of their students, and the inclusion of mentoring programs • Utilizing ‘restorative’ and ‘preventative’ approaches to behaviour management

4. Policy Recommendations Arriving from ‘Good Practice’ • Provision of comprehensive services tend to be most effective • National policy framework with explicit commitment to equity and respect for diversity • Legislative framework prohibiting any form of discrimination and racism, obliging schools to develop culture that values equality and diversity and establishing system of monitoring and sanctions • Provide centralised guidelines on strategies for improving attainment, including examples of successful schools and clearly defined set of criteria of what constitutes good practice • Teacher education should prepare for diversity, multicultural education, anti-bias education, bilingual education approaches