Education: Hope for newcomers in Europe
The role of education unions
Education unions (even labelled as teacher associations) are rarely mentioned in international literature on the education of newly-arrived children. This seems peculiar given the nature of their mission, size, influence, and resources in many countries. There are four possible explanations for this: 1.
Unions are not really considered as part of civil society, so often invoked as an indispensable contributor to high-quality education and student attainments (Dettlaff & Fong, 2016). Sport clubs, cultural activities, parental and ethnic association, other citizen initiatives and even businesses (European Commission, 2017) are often addressed as aspects of civil society or the local community, but not unions.
2.
Unions are not considered as part of governmental structures at national and local levels. What is expected from these levels is not just legal frameworks, guidelines and inspections, but also additional resources and activities aiming at improving the professional skills of school staff. Education unions are not always regarded as potential contributors to professional development and resources.
3.
Until recently, education unions had been invisible in public discourse with regards to the education of newly-arrived children. They may have been very active, but this did not attract any considerable attention from schools, media, parents, and researchers. Their activities - primarily directed at demanding more teachers and higher salaries - may have been regarded as unions doing what they have always done, irrespective of what is at stake.
4.
Education unions may have been invisible because they have done little to elevate the issue of education for newly-arrived children on their own agenda or that of schools and public bodies.
This volume is produced under the auspices of Education International, a federation that represents organisations of teachers and other education employees across the globe. The four national contributions have had the explicit task of also exploring the activities of education unions in relation to the education of newly-arrived students and, if applicable, even teachers. What becomes evident from the national contributions is that the role of education unions is confined to a few common tasks, but there are also some interesting local practices. 13