Building Professional Capacity Aiming to Improve the Educational Position of Migrant Children A reflection on the Sirius network activities

Abstract

This paper describes the activities in the area of professional capacity conducted by the European network Sirius on education and migration. The activities include a survey on the state of the art, three peer reviews and a one-day meeting for policy makers. The results of these activities are described and combined with an overview of the research literature on professional capacity in urban schools. Five recommendations are given on the basis of this comparison: develop professional learning communities, improve the teaching and learning environment with a focus on diversity, increase expertise in dealing with language diversity, and organize “open schools” with good quality relationships with parents and communities. It can be expected that the implementation of these five recommendations, adapted to their national context, will improve the educational position of children from a migrant background.