The Salamanca Declaration in Practice: Inclusion in Europe 2008-2012

Abstract

Educating all children in local schools (inclusive schooling) was agreed by the Salamanca declaration in 1994. Progress has been uneven with evidence from the USA that rural areas achieve higher rates of inclusion possibly due to socio-economic factors. This paper considers whether individual jurisdictions in Europe are making progress, and which socio-economic factors may be relevant. A novel statistical analysis to identify outliers and economic and Social Progress Index data were used to determine likely sources of variation. There are significant differences across Europe both in the level of inclusion and in the progress towards inclusion. No economic or social indices predicted levels of inclusion. The most likely explanation for the one consistent outlier was a legislative one. The results are discussed with reference to data from the USA, and proposals are made for further analyses that might elucidate the reasons for differing levels of inclusion in education.