Multi-actor perspectives on successful and inclusive socio-educational practices: overcoming school failure and dropout in Portugal

Abstract

Project "EDUPLACES: Practices, voices and pathways of inclusive education" seeks to identify, characterise and discuss socio-educational practices aimed at overcoming school failure and dropout. Teachers/professionals, parents, children/young people and institutional partners engaged in ten practices, located in four Portuguese municipalities, participated in interviews (10) and focus groups (37). Cross-analysis produced relevant results pertaining to the practices’ location, basis (school or community organisation) and philosophy (student grouping, study support, mediation or pedagogical differentiation). Additionally, it revealed some differences between groups of participants: individual change is an outcome more predominantly identified by parents and children/young people; teachers/professionals frequently address successful approaches to school-family-community interactions; partners express a generally positive outlook on the practices, instead of focusing on barriers.