The case of Denmark:

Inclusive efforts at a crossroad

(Opportunities, pitfalls, dilemmas)

2014

Susan Tetler, Professor

Department of Education, Aarhus University
tetler@edu.au.dk
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Victoria State
Area: 237,629 km²
Population: 5,821,300

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Denmark
Area: 43,098 km²
Population: 5,655,750
 The Danish Folkeskole
 Consists of one pre-school year, nine years of primary
and lower secondary education and an optional one-
year (10th grade)

 Is regulated by the Folkeskole Act, which provides the

overall framework for the schools’ activities

 Municipal councils determine the content of the given

municipality’s school policy within the scope of the
Folkeskole Act.

 The principal has the overall educational and

administrative responsibility for the form and content
 The Folkeskole in Figures

98 municipalities
1.605 municipal schools
595.573 students
28.591 classes
The average number of students per class is 19.6
The teacher/student ratio is 1:10.7
50.972 teachers, of which 67 % are women
and 47 % are below 45 years
59.869 bilingual students
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 The Danish situation … in more numbers
An eye opener in 2010

 84,000 students were assigned to special education.

 Of which approximately 33,000 (i.e. 5.6% of the students

population) were placed in separate settings such as
special classes and special schools.

 30 % of all economical ressources for the Folkeskole was

spent on special education

 Among other things, it caused a drop-out/completion

problem when it comes to young people achieving a
vocational/higher education.
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 Political background 1
 New legislation on Inclusive Education (2012)
◦ The primary and lower secondary schools are to be more
inclusive.
◦ Students with special needs are students with needs more
than 9 lessons weekly.

 The General Municipal Agreement for 2013

◦ Strengthen the continued shift towards inclusion
◦ 96 % of all students is to be included in 2015
◦ The proportion of students who achieve the grades 2 or
less in Danish and Math is to be reduced in 2015 and more
towards 2018

 The well-being of the students is to be maintained.

 Political background 2
(struggle for improving the public school)

 Political agreement on an reform of standards

in the schools 2014

◦ The public school must challenge all students to

reach their full potential

◦ The public school must lower the significance of

social background on academic results

◦ Trust in the school and students’ well-being must be

enhanced through respect for professional
knowledge and practice in the public school.
 School reform initiatives (1)
1. A longer and more varied school day (30 – 35 hours weekly)

2. Assisted learning (flexible and differentiated learning techniques etc.

3. More PE (physical exercise) and activity (45 minutes per day)

4. Homework assistance (cafés)

5. Better teaching (clarification and simplification of Common Objectives

= few and clear objectives for the Folkeskole; goal-oriented teaching)

6. More lessons in Danish and Math

7. Strengthening of foreign languages (English from year 1; German and

French from year 5, made compulsory; Spanish from year 7, elective).

8. New subjects: Crafts and design – and Nutrition knowledge

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 School reform initiatives (2)
1. The open school (closer work with local sports clubs, cultural
centres and other associations)

2. Improved transition to higher education (elective subjects)

3. Competency development (among teachers and pedagogues)

4. Better learning environment and quietness in class (classroom

leadership, students’ general well-being, reationships)

5. Learning consultants (a national corps)

6. Stronger parental influence and increased student participation

7. Simplification of rules

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Inclusion still on the top of the school agenda
 Schools are now expected to provide education that
ensures good learning outcomes for all students while
fostering social and educational inclusion.

 Today, inclusion is no longer just a matter of international

declarations (value and ideology), but also a matter of
expectation and policy - and so primarily a matter of
implementation at scale.

 This change forces municipalities and schools to work

systematically to build the necessary capacity to
implement this national strategy. However, the large
number of students who are marginalized clearly
indicates that the existing knowledge-base about, and
experiences with, development of inclusive practices has
limited impact and sustainability in the long run.
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 Challenges of inclusion (1)
(from the political point of view)

 A culture of high segregation

 A negative story – resistance to the strategy of

inclusion and ”budget cutting”

 A concern on the consequences of inclusion

 A need of easy useable knowledge and methods - and

good examples
How should the ‘quality’ of inclusive settings be judged?

The real challenge (2)

(from my point of view)

 Are the efforts in inclusive settings been reduced to a

matter of physical placement, depending on the student’s
adaptability to the more or less standardised norms of the
mainstream school?

OR

 Are the efforts characterized by flexibility and

comprehensiveness, allowing students with disabilities to
be involved as active participants on their own terms?
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 The challenge of implementation (3)
◦ Systemic consensus and co-operation
 The national level (Resource Center; Task forces; Campaigns)
 The municipal level (Plans for implementation and evaluation)
 The school level (Creation of a differentiated and inclusive
school culture and choice of strategies; school resource
center)
 The classroom level (Construction of an inclusive pedagogical
and curricular understanding of learning processes)

◦ All co-actors are involved and share the responsibility

 National and local politicians
 School administrators and head teachers
 Teachers, students and parents
 Researchers
 Interest organizations and trade unions
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 Govermental support
 Framework for school (legislation; reform initiatives)
 National Ressource Centre for Inclusion and Special
Education (collect existing, develop new, dissemiate knowledge)
◦ Knowledge about ’what works’ (practice and knowledge panel;
knowledge networks (universities and university colleges; doctoral
students); (providing an overview of available knowledge,
disseminating this to practitioners and developing new research-
based knowledge about inclusive processes in practice)
◦ Implementation (task force of learning consultants; nationwide
counselling)
◦ Support and advocacy (co-actors/information campaigns; The
National Association of Schoolparents and The Danish Disability
Council; Disabled Peoples Organisations Denmark)
◦ Joint communication strategy and website

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 Selected ongoing and future research
 The municipalities’ efforts of inclusion
 Development of coping strategies (for students)
 Program about students’ inclusion and development
(based on a panel of students’ voices (8000 students)
 Students’ roles in the inclusive learning communities
 Differentiated teaching strategies and implementation
 The quality of instruction and teaching in special schools
 Students’ support to one another – outside the lessons
 Inclusion in school subjects as science, music etc.
 Collaboration between special schools and regular
schools
 Evaluation strategies of municipality-based projects
about inclusion
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 Preparedness at the institutional level

 An inclusive school culture (values​​)

 Changed perceptions of 'children‘s difficulties'
 Differentiation as a culture … not as a method
 Awareness of resources / potentials and possible contributions

 Schools' leadership of inclusive processes

(strategies)
 Diversity of skills and competencies … in play
 Knowledge sharing and collaboration
 A common understanding of concepts / shared language
 Prioritized choice of strategies and methods

 'Resource Centre' as a distributor of knowledge

 Wide range of (special) educational and teaching skills
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 Crucial points

 The student in his/her context/learning situation

 Systemic thinking – inclusion preparedness at all

levels

 Problem identifying and problem solving as a

double loop learning process

 A wide range of strategies, methods and tools

 Student involvement and engagement

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 Which way to go?
Opportunities and pitfalls
 Transferring more children to mainstream schools
 Political decision
 Cuts and savings
 ’It will work … all by itself’
 Evidence-based methods
 A reform of special education

 Systemic work in a multi-year perspective

 Project of co-operation and collaboration
 Professional development resources
 Capacity and competence building
 Focus on both value and method development
 Common concern and therefore a reform of the Danish school