Equitable Access and Inclusion in Education for Every Child in Europe
I N V I T A T I O N to the General Assembly and International Conference
to be held on April 27th-29th, 2018 in Milan, Italy
Co-organised by EPA, AGeSC and FAES
The European Commission has announced its commitment to creating a European Education Area partly to establish a policy framework providing the path towards Sustainable Development Goal 4: Inclusive and Equitable Quality Education. When EPA published its Manifesto 2015 envisaging 21st century education provided by education systems offering equitable learning environments for all children and their parents, based on a free and informed choice for parents on the education of their children that should never be restricted by the financial capacity of the family, UNESCO published its own vision calling for establishing education as a common – rather than public – good. This approach, based on childrens’ and parents rights demands governments to make informed and unrestricted choices possible for parents for an education that is best for the individual child as well as society.
This conference will focus on challenges European countries and European parents are facing for real equity: an equal opportunities approach of some countries, double financing by parents, inclusion of learners of diverse talents and needs, geographical differences, cultural differences, migration.
Programme
The conference is held in English.
Friday, April 27th, 2018 – Stocktaking of equity issues
9:30 Visiting the FAES School
11:30 Visiting Carlo Porta School
13:00 Lunch at Carlo Porta School then transfer to the conference venue
14:00 Registration
14:30 Official opening – Presidents of the hosting organisations
15:00 Engaging parents to narrow the achievement gap – keynote by Prof. Janet Goodall, University of Bath
16:00 Coffee break
16:30 Workshop sessions on equity for different talents and needs
Workshop 1 – Participation for combatting discrimination (Integrate-ED) – Luca László
Workshop 2 – Engaging parents to narrow the achievement gap – Janet Goodall
Workshop 3 – Overcoming challenges in science and mathematics education (ELITe) – Eszter Salamon
18:30 Panel discussion on workshop outcomes with Prof. Janet Goodall
19:30 Dinner at the canteen
Saturday, April 28th, 2018 – Challenges and Solutions
10:00 Policy input by the Professor João Costa, Secretary of State for Education of Portugal
Inclusiveness and excellence in Education and Training – the latest EU policies – Anna Barbieri, European Commission
Challenges of equitable access to education in Italy– Luisa Ribolzi
11:30 Coffee break
12:00 Inspiring practices from Italy
Educating street children – Sara Ferraioli, Maestri de Strada, Naples
Closing the digital divide – Eleonora Panto, D-Schola, Torino
Involving families to overcome disadvantages – Eugenia Carfora, School Head from Naples
13:10 Round table – Challenges of equity in different European countries
14:00 Lunch
15:00 Financial and organisational challenges
Education as public good – the way forward – Conny Reuter, Secretary General, Solidar
15:30 Workshop session – Equity and inclusion from organised parents’ perspective – with a coffee break
Workshop 1 – Educating difficult-to-attract children – Sara Ferraioli
Workshop 2 – Closing the digital divide – Eleonora Panto
Workshop 3 – Financial issues around equitable access to education – Janko Korošec and Anton Meden
Workshop 4 (Italian-speaking) – Involving families to overcome disadvantages – practical experiences – Eugenia Carfora
17.30-18:30 Panel discussion: A rights-based approach to equity in education
19:30 Conference dinner
Sunday, April 29th, 2018 – Inclusion and equity after the refugee crisis
9:30 Collaborative learning for equity in education – Finland’s experiences – Prof. Mika Risku, University of Jyväskylä
10:00 Workshop session – sharing and challenging national good practice (with a rolling coffee break)
Workshop 1 – Opening up schools for inclusion and training teachers for this (Open School Doors) – Brigitte Haider
Workshop 2 – Inclusion of parents with disabled children (ELPIDA) – Herminio Correa
Workshop 3 – Collaborative learning for equity in education – Prof. Mika Risku
11:00 Coffee break
11.15 Closing plenary – workshop reports and conclusions
12:15 EPA General Assembly – for EPA members only
13:30 Lunch
14:30 EPA General Assembly – continued – for EPA members only
In all organisational questions please contact Brigitte Haider
e-mail: GA@euparents.eu
Tel. no: +43-664 562 4043
