Early interventions tackling inequalities experienced by immigrant, low-income, and Roma children in 8 European countries: a critical overview

Abstract

We analysed effective and promising interventions, within the classroom and school microsystems, aiming to promote equality and belongingness for immigrant, Roma, and low-income children attending early childhood education and care (ECEC) and primary education in eight European countries. Over 500 interventions were identified, and 78 interventions were analysed. We found that while 79% of the interventions provided some type of language support, only 32% considered children's heritage language. Importantly, around 22% of the interventions targeted ECEC settings specifically, with most ECEC interventions implemented at the national level, taking place in the classroom and implemented by classroom teachers, and involving language support and family involvement activities. Language support seems to be widespread, recognising the foundational nature of language for learning, communication, and belongingness. However, comprehensive intercultural policies that explicitly support culture maintenance, communication, and positive contact may be valuable in guiding future developments.

Supporting democracy and agency for all children: The learning stories of two immigrant boys

“…The findings of this study suggest that, in line with the Nordic tradition, preschool teachers might continue to support vulnerable children and work against the marginalization of children from multicultural backgrounds by building on their competencies, listening to children, and relying on their ways to interact and find solutions. Furthermore, teachers might continue to support children by equally valuing different languages, taking into account the multiple meanings of children, and planning specific methods to support anti-prejudice attitudes (Aguilar et al, 2020). Finally, preschool teachers might use their power as adult professionals in the preschool to change practices to become democratic for all children, leading to the transformation of society (Dowd and Bensimon, 2015).…”

“…It is important to determine if these views support the methods used in preschools and whether they work as a support for vulnerable children, such as those with multicultural backgrounds – that is, those living in a social context but having backgrounds that build on different cultural contexts. Among the suggestions from recent research (Aguilar et al, 2020) are the equal valuation of different languages, valuing multiple meanings and planning specific methods to support anti-prejudice attitudes. In addition, some research underlines the importance of finding a balance between recognizing children and families with multicultural backgrounds as vulnerable and valuing their strengths and right to be agents in their lives (Wihstutz, 2020).…”

Desirable but not feasible: Measures and interventions to promote early childhood health and development in marginalized Roma communities in Slovakia

“…Despite all these initiatives, the desired change has not been achieved yet. Both, European and national level policy recommendations set the direction (30)(31)(32)(33)(34) and previous research accumulated knowledge on measures and interventions aimed at reducing the inequities between children from marginalized Roma communities and children from the majority population [see for example (29,(35)(36)(37)(38)]. Many intended measures and successful small-scale projects or initiatives with good potential for positive results, including those focused on early childhood health and development, face significant barriers to implementation and up-scaling not only in Slovakia but also in other Central and Eastern European countries (5,29).…”

Reading comprehension of monolingual and bilingual children in primary school: the role of linguistic abilities and phonological processing skills

“…Particularly, a family's socioeconomic status contributes to the reading comprehension and phonological processing of children, which partly explains the effect of language background. It is important to note that socioeconomic status and migration background are two aspects that are frequently mentioned in the discourses about social disparities and educational inequalities (Aguiar et al, 2020). Considering that a steady link between socioeconomic status and children's cognitive competence is likely to be mediated by home literacy (Coddington et al, 2014;McElvany et al, 2009), it is essential to enhance children's exposure to literacy activities at home (e.g., HIPPY project at http:// hippy-inter natio nal.…”