Education: Hope for newcomers in Europe
The organisation of reception
International literature on newly-arrived students primarily deals with and/or touches upon the question of whether to organise initial schooling (which may last for years) in separate classes or to directly place children in ordinary classes through so-called direct immersion (McBrien, 2005; Rutter, 2006; Pinson, Arnot & Candappa, 2010; Pinson & Arnot, 2010; Svensson & Eastmond, 2013; Crul, Keskiner, Schneider, Lelie, Ghaeminia, 2016; Nilsson Folke & Bunar, 2016). The research has never offered a clear answer to this question, simply because it cannot be answered definitively. Some children, notably those with limited literacy and numeracy, may need initial schooling in separate classes, while others would mostly benefit from direct immersion. As Bunar points out in his contribution in this volume, the education of newly-arrived children must be based on an individual approach to every child, taking into consideration his/ her background, strengths, and challenges. All organisational and pedagogical models must take this as a starting point. That being said, and against the backdrop of research on school segregation and its detrimental effects on achievement (Oreopoulos, 2003; Rumberger & Palardy, 2005; Vigdor & Ludwig, 2008; Schofield, 2010; Van Ewijk & Sleegers, 2010a, 2010b; Willms 2010; Sykes & Kuyper, 2013; Brunello & De Paola, 2017), as well as evidence from the four national contributions in this volume, inclusion of newly-arrived children in schools’ social and pedagogical contexts must be an imperative and the first alternative. Inclusion is often misunderstood to only stand for physically sharing a space, be it a school, a playground or a neighbourhood (Candappa, 2000; Nilholm & Alm, 2010; Stewart, 2012). Indeed, the unreflective quest for integration has left newly-arrived students with limited proficiency in the majority language, in “inclusive” classrooms without any support from teachers, other students or additional assistance in their first language (Juvonen, 2015; Nilsson & Axelsson, 2013). Consequently, they were completely excluded from learning opportunities and from opportunities to forge peer relationships with other, non-refugee children (Zembylas, 2011). Inclusion is not a matter of a “sink or swim” policy - the disadvantaged children will, in most cases, sink. Rather, it is a matter of a meticulously designed plan on what to offer and how to approach the educational challenges and needs of these children once they are in the classroom (Ainscow, Booth, & Dyson, 2006; Ferguson, 2008; Tjernberg & Heimdahl Mattson, 2014). The foremost feature of inclusion is support in 5