Inclusive education and school choice lessons from Sweden

Abstract

While school choice and marketisation have been studied extensively, some areas remain under-researched, for instance, the consequences of choice for the development of inclusive education. The aim of this article is to illustrate the consequences of school choice for inclusive education, as it relates to special education, using Sweden as a case study. The Swedish education system is often raised as inclusive in an international perspective. However, school segregation has been increasing in terms of attainment and pupils´socio-economic-, and immigration backgrounds, groups that are over-represented among SEN-pupils and under-represented among pupils that exercise school choice. This summary of research indicates that the increased segregation in the education system also regards special education. There is a clustering of SEN-pupils at schools with particular profiles and a lower proportion at other types of schools, resources for special educational support are less accessible at independent schools, and school choice is not as open to SEN-pupils as other pupils. These are disconcerting results for an education system renowned for being inclusive. ARTICLE HISTORY

Shopping for schools: parents of students with disabilities in the education marketplace in Stockholm

“…Booth stresses on the notion of participation; inclusion is about increasing participation. This aligns with the Salamanca´s view of inclusion which focuses on participation and limitation of unnecessary exclusion of students in need of special support from local schools (Magnússon 2019). Rouse and Florian (1997) specify participation by using the notion of opportunity to participate.…”

“…This study contributes in elucidating school choice within the framework of special education, by bringing in the demand-side perspective especially the experiences of a consumer viewed as undesirable and risking segregation and exclusion (Tah 2018;Magnússon 2019). More so, to contribute to the theoretical discussions on inclusion, equity and consumer empowerment in education market which is oppositional.…”

The Role of Teachers in the Organization of Inclusive Education of Primary School Pupils

“…The inclusion model includes child rehabilitation centers, resource centers. However, according to recent studies in the country, there are "problems of increased segmentation of pupils at special educational institutions, and pupils are limited in their choice of school" (Magnússon, 2020).…”

“…The investigation is based on an integrated approach that combines elements of segregation, differentiation and integration in the education of primary school pupils in Europe (Nxumalo, 2018). The conceptual basis of the investigation was the study of (Göransson, Lindqvist, Klang & Magnússon, 2018;Magnússon, 2015;2020), where the methodology is based on studying recent publications on the features of the organization of inclusion and confirmation of the latest trends in statistics and legislation. Thus, the investigation is based on the following methods: 1) the secondary analysis of studies and publications for the period 2015-2020, where the role of teachers in the organization of inclusion is oulined, which allowed us to compare the disadvantages, advantages of inclusion models, and the organization of teachers' work as a key element of its effectiveness;…”

La escolarización del alumnado con necesidades educativas especiales en España: un estudio longitudinal

“…La investigación sobre la presencia o el emplazamiento del alumnado con nee y su vinculación con el desarrollo de una educación inclusiva ha sido escasa e intermitente en los últimos años (Anastasiou y Kauffman, 2009;Magnússon, 2019) pero, al mismo tiempo, arroja evidencias significativas. López-Torrijo (2009) comparó la escolarización del alumnado con nee entre varios países de la Unión Europea y evidenció una tendencia generalizada al alza de la presencia de esta población en contextos diferentes a los ordinarios.…”