Grand Duchy of Luxembourg

in Wehmeyer, Michael L.; Patton, James R. (Eds.) The Praeger International Handbook of Special Education (2017)

Luxembourg, among the world’s smallest but also wealthiest countries, lies in the heart of Western Europe. Bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany and historically known for its strategic position as the ... [more ▼]

Luxembourg, among the world’s smallest but also wealthiest countries, lies in the heart of Western Europe. Bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany and historically known for its strategic position as the “Gibraltar of the North,” Luxembourg is today one of the European Union’s three capital cities. Luxembourg sits at the crossroads between Europe’s Germanic and Francophone language communities. The Grand Duchy’s inhabitants and their many languages – the national language Luxemburgish as well as German and French as languages of administration and of everyday living – reflect the country’s close historical relations with its neighbors and remarkable migratory flows that have resulted in an ethnically hyper-diverse and multilingual population. Reflecting this cultural diversity, the educational system emphasizes language learning, with Luxemburgish learned in preschool; German the focus throughout primary schooling and in secondary technical-vocational education; and French emphasized in secondary academic-oriented schooling. Compulsory schooling age lasts from 4 to 16. The educational system provides a range of primary and secondary schools, mainly run by government but with some maintained by religious bodies. Home schooling is possible, but rare. At the tertiary level, the national flagship University of Luxembourg (UL), building upon the legacies of several postsecondary training institutes, was founded in 2003 according to three principles: internationality, multilingualism, and interdisciplinarity. Beyond this research university, more applied postsecondary organizations offer a range of courses of study. Today, tertiary attainment for 25 to 34 year-olds, more than half of each cohort, is among the highest across OECD countries. [less ▲]

„Ich hoffe sehr, sehr stark, dass meine Kinder mal eine normale Schule besuchen können.“ Pädagogische Klassifikationen und ihre Folgen für die (Selbst-)Positionierung von Schüler/innen

in Zeitschrift für Pädagogik (2016), 62(Beiheft 62), 58-74

Despite legal commitments to inclusion in education systems, the category learning disability is maintained almost “naturally” and hardly questioned, even by students. Yet, for decades, the purpose and ... [more ▼]

Despite legal commitments to inclusion in education systems, the category learning disability is maintained almost “naturally” and hardly questioned, even by students. Yet, for decades, the purpose and relevance of this and other categories and classifications of “special educational needs” and student disabilities have been fiercely discussed. Controversy is driven by the frequent stigmatization and abasement that follows classification, exacerbated by the persistent segregation practiced in Germany’s school system. This contribution investigates medical-pedagogical classifications that draw symbolic and social boundaries between individual students and groups even as they stabilize disciplinary and professional boundaries between “special” and “regular” education. These processes are investigated on the basis of a self-description given by a school-leaver who considers herself to have a “learning disability”. She positions herself very low in social hierarchies and has grave doubts regarding her life chances, and those of her potential children, as she transitions from schooling to the labor market. This perspective illustrates the biographical consequences of (negative) educational classification and emphasizes the need for a debate on classification practices in inclusive approaches to education reform. [less ▲]

Von Ableismus zur universal design Universität

in Dannenbeck, Clemens; Dorrance, Carmen; Moldenhauer, Anna (Eds.) et al ]. In: Dannenbeck, C., C. Dorrance, A. Moldenhauer, A. Oehme & A. Platte (Eds.): Inklusionssensible Hochschule: Grundlagen, Ansätze und Konzepte für Hochschuldidaktik und Organisationsentwicklung (2016)

Barriers to Inclusion: Special Education in the United States and Germany

Book published by Routledge (2016)

Barriers to Inclusion provides a comparative and historical account of the rise of special and inclusive education over the twentieth century in the United States and Germany. This institutional analysis ... [more ▼]

Barriers to Inclusion provides a comparative and historical account of the rise of special and inclusive education over the twentieth century in the United States and Germany. This institutional analysis demonstrates how categorical boundaries, professional groups, social movements, and education and social policies shaped the schooling of children and youth with disabilities. It traces the evolution of special education classification and categories, explores growing special education organizations, and examines students' learning opportunities and educational attainments. Highlighting cross-national differences over time, the author also investigates demographic and geographic variability within the federal democracies, especially in segregation and inclusion rates of disabled and disadvantaged children. Germany's elaborate system of segregated special school types contrasts with diverse American special education classrooms mainly within regular schools. Joining historical case studies with empirical indicators, this book reveals persistent barriers to school integration as well as factors that facilitate inclusive education reform in both societies. [less ▲]

Luxemburg als Weiterbildungs-Arena

in Zimmermann, Therese E.; Jütte, Wolfgang; Horváth, Franz (Eds.) Arenen der Weiterbildung (2016)

From exclusion and segregation to inclusion? Dis/ability-based inequalities in the education systems of Germany and Nigeria

in Hadjar, Andreas; Gross, Christiane (Eds.) Education Systems and Inequalities: International Comparisons (2016)

While many groups have historically been marginalised in education systems, few groups have faced the same extent of exclusion and discrimination within formal education systems as the diverse group of ... [more ▼]

While many groups have historically been marginalised in education systems, few groups have faced the same extent of exclusion and discrimination within formal education systems as the diverse group of pupils with disabilities, learning difficulties or disadvantages. These children and youth have been largely excluded from, segregated or separated within formal education systems, resulting in persistent inequalities in learning opportunities and in (lifelong) disablement and reduced life chances (Powell, 2011). A range of special education settings has been institutionalised, providing additional or specialised support to help these groups of learners to address their ‘special needs’. Most often, such support and services were and continue to be provided in segregated or separated formal settings, such as special schools or classrooms. Special education has provided learning opportunities to groups of children and youth previously excluded outright from schooling, but globally the goal has shifted from special to inclusive education, due to the benefits it brings in fostering individual learning and democracy (for example, Allan, 2008). For all countries, whether in Africa, the Americas, Asia, Australia or Europe, this remains a challenge. Even the most egalitarian education systems, which have done the most to overcome outright exclusion from schooling have yet to succeed fully in schooling all children in diverse classrooms (see Richardson and Powell, 2011 for a global analysis; see also Biermann and Powell, 2014, comparing Germany, Iceland and Norway). [less ▲]

Inklusioun: Zesumme liewen, zesumme léieren

Computer development (2016)

This video features inspiring practices in inclusive education in Luxembourg, filmed on location between 2014 and 2016 in the École Jean Jaurès in Esch-sur-Alzette. Film directed by Anne Schiltz and Pol ... [more ▼]

This video features inspiring practices in inclusive education in Luxembourg, filmed on location between 2014 and 2016 in the École Jean Jaurès in Esch-sur-Alzette. Film directed by Anne Schiltz and Pol Linden (MENJE, DPAV). [less ▲]

Europe’s Center of Science: Science Productivity in Belgium, France, Germany, and Luxembourg

E-print/Working paper (2016)

European countries have increasingly invested in higher education and science systems, leading to rising numbers of scholars and scientists, considerable infrastructure development, and dense cross ... [more ▼]

European countries have increasingly invested in higher education and science systems, leading to rising numbers of scholars and scientists, considerable infrastructure development, and dense cross-cultural networks and collaboration. The result: significant growth in scientific output and productivity in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields. For four EU member states in Western Europe of different size and institutionalization pathways of science, we assess the development and current state of universities and research institutes, and the resulting science output. We measure output in peer-reviewed research articles collected in Thomson Reuters’ Science Citation Index Expanded (SCIE). Based on a comprehensive historical database, this comparison uncovers both stable and dynamic patterns of productivity from 1975 to 2010 in Germany, France, Belgium, and Luxembourg.[1] This emphasizes different institutionalization pathways that created the conditions necessary for continuous, but varying growth in scientific productivity in the European center of global science. Today, these countries invest considerably in research and development (R&D) and in higher education, the smaller ones doing so through a single national research university (Luxembourg), or a set of strong research universities in different regions (Belgium’s language communities of Flanders and Wallonia). The two larger countries (France and Germany) maintain differentiated systems of universities—of varying size and prestige—and extra-university research institutes that are connected in large umbrella associations or coordinated by government agencies. Rising science productivity reflects considerable state investment, yet the impact of any individual scientific article remains difficult to measure. [less ▲]

Awareness-raising, Legitimation or Backlash? Effects of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities on Education Systems in Germany

in Globalisation, Societies and Education (2016), 13(2), 227-250

Global discourse about human rights, Education for All, and inclusive education has altered social norms relating to dis/ability and schooling, especially through awareness raising, by legitimating ... [more ▼]

Global discourse about human rights, Education for All, and inclusive education has altered social norms relating to dis/ability and schooling, especially through awareness raising, by legitimating advocates’ positions, and by facilitating policy reforms. Affected by societal and educational change, special education systems and their participants have also transformed societies. Widespread recognition of education’s impact—and of institutionalized discrimination that disabled pupils face—galvanizes contemporary debates. If special education successfully provided learning opportunities to previously excluded pupils, the goal has shifted to inclusive education. In such settings, all children, regardless of their characteristics, attend neighbourhood schools where they are supported to reach their individual learning goals in diverse classrooms. This global ideal has gained legitimacy, as most countries have ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities (UN-CRPD), which mandates inclusive education, specifying facilitated access and meaningful educational opportunities. This has considerable implications for all learners. Ex-amining the effects of the UN-CRPD in Germany, one of the most highly stratified and segregated education systems in Europe, provides a hard test case of the (potential) impact of this international charter on national education systems. To meet its mandate, Germany’s sixteen states (Bundesländer) would have to radically reform their education systems, whose segregated structures remain antithetical to inclu-sive education. Examining education policy reform processes since the 1970s, we find contrasting reactions: In Schleswig-Holstein, inclusive education has diffused broadly and attained broad legitimacy, but in Bavaria its development has stalled; school segregation remains pervasive. Below national level, the UN-CRPD’s potential to affect the pace and scope of change—depends on the structures in place at ratification. [less ▲]

جذور وفروع الجامعات مابين "العولمة المحلية (العولمحلية) والعالمية": جامعات قطر الوطنية /الدولية

Article for general public (2015)