Separating newcomers : pragmatism or ideology? Schools’ responses to newly arrived migrants in Flanders

Abstract

This paper focusses on the organisational responses of secondary schools to newly arrived migrant students. In Flanders (the Dutch-speaking part of Belgium), as in many other European regions, newly arrived students are placed in segregated classes that aim to prepare them for integration in mainstream education. Deriving from, on the one hand, academic critiques on the principle of segregated classes and, on the other hand, the autonomy that schools have regarding practices for newly arrived students, the paper aims to shed detailed light on the organisational choices schools make regarding newcomers and how professionals in these schools experience and relate to these choices. Based on representative survey-data and in-depth interviews, gathered for a research project for the Flemish Department of Education, the results address class allocation, interaction with mainstream classes and transition procedures in the education for newly arrived students. The findings indicate that education for newcomers, in spite of being poorly embedded in the mainstream educational system, opts for organisational practices similar to those in mainstream education and very typical for the basic grammar of schooling. Professionals in these schools express doubt and ambiguity over many of these choices, sometimes paving the way for departure from customary practices.