Conference Agenda

An inclusive school is a school where all students are welcome, parents are involved and the educational community is valued (Paseka & Schwab, 2019). It is upon the balance between students, parents, and the educational community that educational success is reached in a dynamic process where everyone is called to participate. However, parental involvement in building an inclusive school is a lacking area (Sharma et al., 2022).

Although an ecological perspective suggests the importance of multiple levels of intervention, most inclusive education research has emphasized individual-, peers- and school-focused strategies (Nilholm, 2021). This brings into debate how parents are called to participate in inclusive education, exercising their role as main shapers of their children’s beliefs and values (Allport, 1954; Bronfenbrenner, 1993). The literature shows that there is a relationship between the attitudes of children and their parents towards inclusion (Dowling & Osborne, 2003; Innes & Diamond, 1999). Children of parents with more positive attitudes also tend to show more acceptance towards their peers with disabilities (Wilhelmsen et al., 2019). Despite the influence that parents may have in the way their children interact and communicate within educational settings, existing research involving parents focuses predominantly on the impact of family-school collaboration (e.g., Paccaud et al., 2021) and the views of parents of children with disabilities or in risk of exclusion for other reasons (e.g., Paseka & Schwab, 2019). However, the parent’s role in educating their children on values and principles of tolerance and acceptance is critical in the effort towards achieving an inclusive school, where all children feel welcome and respected (Vlachou et al., 2016).

This demand gains more significant predominance with the movement of recent years of transferring the focus of inclusion from meeting the social/academic needs of pupils with disabilities towards a broader conceptualization based on creating a school community that can nurture the qualities of equity and care (Goransson & Nilholm, 2014). According to the Index for Inclusion (Booth & Ainscow, 2002) promoting an inclusive culture is a key dimension for implementing inclusive education, referring to “a secure, accepting, collaborating, stimulating community, in which everyone is valued as the foundation for the highest achievements of all. It develops shared inclusive values that are conveyed to all new staff, students, governors, and parents/carers” (p.8).

Interest in exploring the role and participation of parents in building an inclusive education is shared among several countries. The different policies systems implement for the improvement of education are often affected by cultural differences – what is expected from parents’ involvement? What do parents expect from schools? With this study, we intend to contribute to this debate with insights from the implementation of a parental school-based intervention – developed on the basis of the opinion of parents of children at risk for social exclusion and a systematic review of school-based interventions with parents.

Thus, this research project aims to evaluate the effects of a school-based implemented with parents focused on enhancing their involvement in promoting inclusive educational cultures.

In Greece, disabled pupils and their parents tend to experience many challenges because of discrimination and inequities. Educational research shows that from early years in kindergartens to secondary school settings disabled pupils struggle with many barriers in their daily educational environments and face: low to minimal opportunities to access and participate in quality educational processes in the mainstream education (1); restrictive beliefs from their teachers about inclusion (2, 3); high risks for low participation in their peer networks due to low social acceptance and a low number of friends (4); and higher victimization and feelings of loneliness and social dissatisfaction in comparison to their peers (5).

Evidence from studies with parents of disabled children examining their partnerships with teachers and educational staff, extend further the above-mentioned findings. A qualitative study conducted by Loukisas and Papoudi (2016) (6) provides illuminating outcomes from the personal blogs of five mothers of children in the autistic spectrum. The participants felt that as mothers together with their children they experience rejection and exclusion by the educational system. Also, educational professionals seem to be unwilling to promote a shift from a medical approach to education provision. As a result, the participating mothers narrated that they struggle to ensure their child’s right to education. This struggle is associated with frustration and feelings of stress, and anxiety from the mothers’ side. In their study Eleftheriadou and Vlachou (2019) (7), investigated the views of parents and teachers of primary school-aged pupils with learning difficulties about their roles as those identified by the theoretical framework of the Communities of Practice. The results are evident of parents’ low involvement in in-school practices, such as the design of their child’s individual goals, a pattern which raises serious concerns about the effectiveness of inclusive practices and parent-teacher collaboration. These concerns together with issues related to the provision of appropriate resources as well as administrative and organizational issues are themes of significant consideration for 83 parents about the inclusion of their children with intellectual disabilities as discussed in a recent study by Mavropalias, Alevriadou, and Rachanioti (2021) (8).

In light of this, the European Equality Strategy for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities 2021-2030 (European Commission, 2021) (9) and the National Plan for the Person with Disabilities (Ministry of State, 2020) (10), which are among the most recent policies that frame the policy commitments of Greece for combating discrimination and promoting the rights of disabled pupils in inclusive and equitable education, appear to be violated. It is also expected that the systemic weaknesses surfaced during the emergency of the COVID-19 pandemic in the Greek educational system has significantly widen inequities. Our hypothesis is based on evidence from other developed and developing countries which also strive to ensure quality inclusive education. Such evidence suggests that the established structures were shaken to the core, the psycho-social and educational needs of disabled students and their parents were unmet, whereas educators received minimum support to address effectively the pandemic related challenges in alignment with the principles of inclusion (11, 12). Against this background, the present study draws on survey data from 125 Greek parents exploring their beliefs about the extent to which teachers and support staff in special and regular schools responded and covered the educational and psychosocial needs of disabled children and, by extension, promoted inclusion and parental empowerment during the COVID-19 pandemic.

An inclusive education system cannot be realised unless all stakeholders, including learners and families are actively involved in decision-making, and their diverse perspectives and experiences are recognised (UNESCO, 2021). The European Year of Youth in 2022 also encourages young people to engage in many different forms of civic and political participation (European Commission, 2021).

While the importance of learner and family voices is widely recognised, it remains unclear as to how to achieve meaningful participation in practice. In 2021-2022, a project was undertaken by the European Agency for Special Needs and Inclusive Education (EASNIE) with the aim to establish the theoretical background to this topic, as well as to identify effective ways in which the diverse voices of learners and their families can participate meaningfully in education decision-making processes. The project explored two main research questions:

1. What suggestions does key policy and research literature make for meaningfully engaging the voices of learners and families in decision-making?

2. In what ways can existing frameworks, approaches, and/or methodologies enable learners and families to participate meaningfully in decision-making?

To address these questions, a review of key international policy and academic literature first defined the key concepts and outlined the justification for and issues around learner and family voices. It then explored findings from research, indicating how existing theoretical models and frameworks have been used and adapted for meaningful learner and family involvement (Hart, 1992; Shier, 2001; Sinclair, 2004; Lundy, 2007; Pearce and Wood, 2019). The review also explored evidence from educational research, as well as European country examples of how participation has been achieved in practice.

The analysis indicated a number of conceptualisations of ‘voice/voices’ in the literature. The concept of voice is frequently used as a synonym for other concepts, such as autonomy, engagement, involvement, participation, or agency (Cook-Sather, 2018; 2020; Fielding, 2006; Lundy, 2005; Tiusanen, 2017). The review findings indicated that there is more research on children than on intergenerational participation. ‘Silos’ continue in research, with learners or adults who are vulnerable to exclusion being generally included in research based on a range of classifications and labels.

Several issues also emerged in relation to the processes of some empirical projects and European examples. A main concern is the lack of detailed attention to ethical issues and considerations around eliciting learners’ and families’ views and about the need for more democratic and socially just approaches to research. These are specifically in relation to the imbalance of power, where adults continue to drive the research agenda; knowledge is not shared and made accessible to all; those with the least social capital are the first to be marginalised. Although participatory approaches show positive results, the issue of impact and sustained change is not greatly evidenced.

These issues were reflected in a ‘Framework for Meaningful Participation in Inclusive Education’, developed to highlight the essential elements in future planning for participation activities with learners and families. Validation of the framework for participation was undertaken by three countries (Iceland, Malta, and Norway) that applied different approaches to projects of their own. Analysis of the different stages of their projects, together with their critical self-reflection, helped to finalise the framework and to develop practical, supporting material. This reflective tool proposes a more democratic approach to participation, aiming to enable stakeholders to address barriers and challenges of participation, adaptable to multiple contexts, levels of education, and ages of participants.