Enhancing Migrant Education in Ireland: Key Focus Areas and Challenges

1. Update from Ireland on OECD thematic review of migrant education Breda Naughton breda_naughton@education.gov.ie

2. Key Areas • Context • Early childhood education and care • School – primary and post-primary • Partnership and engagement • School choice in Ireland • Data collection

3. Context in Ireland • Rapidly changing – migration trends, economy, future? • Migrants in Ireland have a different profile to many other countries • Most adults have upper secondary education – may not be in employment commensurate with qualifications • Few second generation migrants • Approx 10% primary and post primary principals noted that nearly all their students have sustained academic difficulties (ESRI) • PISA ( 2006) – very small immigrant sample (few second generation) – indicative findings + ESRI (2009) – national survey (www.esri.ie) • Students enrolled in urban and disadvantaged schools but also in schools throughout the country • Less 2% schools have over 50% migrant students in primary • Average of 2- 9 % migrant students in post-primary education • Approx 70% migrant students do not speak English as their first language on arrival • Concept of critical period hypothesis theory for EAL students in post-primary – age of arrival is critical • Communicative, discrete language skills and academic language proficiency (Cummins, 2009)

4. Early Childhood Education and Care in Ireland • Primary education starts from 4 years • New universal pre-school year for 3 to 4 year olds from Jan 2010 – OECD welcomes initiative • Importance of quality pre/ early school experiences • Need to ensure migrant children participate • Staff have CPD on • diversity • catering for migrant children/ language stimulation – in host and mother tongue • social integration and cohesion • All parents are involved – need for effective communication strategy that includes migrant parents

5. School – Primary and Post- Primary • Teaching is choice of high performers • 160 nationalities and 160+ languages • English as Additional Language Teachers • Few migrant teachers • Budget constraints from 2009/2010 • Majority of EAL students receive two year support – should be based on their identified English language needs • NCCA’s Intercultural Guidelines – advocate a whole school approach • AFL – Assessment toolkits – to guide teachers • “AIM” – Accessing Intercultural Materials Portal • Qualifications for EAL teachers • Research on a north / south basis recommended – area of common interest

6. School – Primary and Post- Primary ( contd) • Pre-service and CPD – inadequate for EAL teachers, mainstream teachers, principals • (role of Teaching Council) • Whole school approach/ positive climate towards diversity • Addressing racism • Language acquisition (host language and preserving and reinforcing mother tongue – important in their linguistic, social and cognitive development) • Greater reliance on in-class support should be promoted to scaffold language learning – importance of interaction with peers

7. Partnership and Engagement • Parents • Information should be easily accessible • May lack knowledge of host country’s education system, of language of instruction and other supports • Cultural differences may hinder their involvement with schools • Encouraging participation in parents councils (at school and national level), in school life • needs proactive personal efforts by school personnel • Immigrant and host communities • Provide mother tongue or English language classes • Liaise with families and service providers • Act as mentors • Home School Community Liaison Scheme – limited service, co-ordinators need CPD on diversity • Other school / home links

8. School choice in Ireland • Historical context for primary and post-primary schools • Governance challenges in Ireland in 21st Century – concept of patron bodies – live issue • Inspectorate oversees the quality of teaching and learning • 80% schools take all students ( ESRI, 2009) • Schools should evaluate their admissions policies so that they are inclusive and reflect the diversity within their community • Lack of accessible information and community networks may affect informed school choice by parents • Need for enrolment data to be analysed

9. Data collection for evaluation and feedback • AFL – assessment toolkit, tests, state examinations • How well do migrant students perform compared to their Irish peers? • Adapting teaching practice to reflect needs of diverse student profile • Are interventions effective? • Involvement of all teachers, not just EAL teachers • Support of school leaders • CPD in AFL • Lack of data specific to migrants / data protection legislation • Inspectorate’s whole school and EAL evaluations • Promote and support improvement • ESRI – Adapting to Diversity: Irish schools and newcomer students, 2009 (www.esri.ie) • Value for Money Review of EAL expenditure • PISA etc have enlarged newcomer samples into the future • Evaluate policy on evidenced based data

10. The future • Ireland is developing an Intercultural Education Strategy with an implementation plan • OECD country report + Handbook for policy makers – provide significant evidence based data