Inclusion of Roma students in Europe
A literature review and examples of policy initiatives
Despite the international commitment to Roma social inclusion from 2005 onwards, the
overall situation has not significantly changed. In education, important achievements
have been reached, mainly in terms of access to primary. Yet, Roma students still
lag behind.
This paper maps policy initiatives for Roma inclusion in European education systems,
analyses remaining challenges and explores policy perspectives. It first describes
European countries’ conceptualisation and categorisation of ethnic groups. In doing
so, it differentiates colour-blind countries that prohibit diversity data and prioritise
integrated approaches in policymaking, and countries that collect such data and use
targeted approaches. This work then identifies initiatives aimed at improving Roma
students’ inclusion and recurrent challenges, such as segregation in education and
anti-Gypsyism. The few evaluations available indicate that best practices are those
that (1) combine mainstream and targeted approaches; (2) are community-based, with
a genuine participation of Roma; (3) are conscious of cultural disparities; and (4)
adopt an intercultural approach.
Published on September 30, 2020
In series:OECD Education Working Papersview more titles