Moving towards an educational policy for inclusion? Main reform stages in the development of the Norwegian unitary school system

Abstract

The purpose of the article is to study the development of educational policy in Norway in the field of the unitary school system and to analyse whether the development can be seen as a move towards increasing inclusion. The educational policy, when seen over a long time span, has progressively aimed towards the development of a common compulsory school that has embraced increasingly more groups, across social and geographical divides. At the same time, the development has been characterised by discord and tensions, e.g. between standardisation and differentiation, coordination and special arrangements and organisational and pedagogical differentiation. Gradually, it was stressed that as many pupils as possible should be allowed to live and grow up at home and that special education was to be coordinated with the ordinary school as much as possible. Later on, inclusive education has been clearly formulated as a principle of education. It did assume a broadening of responsibility for the ordinary schools in order to develop an educational programme that can accommodate the diverse learning needs of all pupils. It is pointed out that the policy of the unitary school has to deal with a lot of critical dilemmas for moving further towards inclusion.

Special education and general education – coordinated or separated? A study of curriculum planning for pupils with special educational needs

“…In the Norwegian education policy, the emphasis for many years has been on promoting a development towards increased integration and subsequently inclusion within a common school for allthe unitary school (Nilsen 2010). Since 1975, the principle has been that children and youth with special educational needs should receive their education in the comprehensive school and primarily within the general education classroom (Haug 1998).…”

Education without a shared language: dynamics of inclusion and exclusion in Norwegian introductory classes for newly arrived minority language students

“…Norwegian schools are regulated by the principle of the unitary school: children and young people are to be included in the same school, whatever their capabilities and heritage (Nilsen 2010). Equality and inclusiveness are central values for Norwegian educational policies (Arnesen, Mietola, and Lahelma 2007), and exceptions to the principle of the unitary school are strictly regulated by the Education Act.…”

The development of intentions for adapted teaching and inclusive education seen in light of curriculum potential. A content analysis of Norwegian national curricula post 1980

“…The issue of integration and inclusion in schools in Norway must be viewed in conjunction with a long developmental process (Nilsen 2008(Nilsen , 2010. M87 was the first Norwegian curriculum to explicitly use the word 'inclusive', although it was only used once.…”