Urban Education in Eastern Europe: Section Editors’ Introduction

Abstract

The patterns of immigration have been changing rapidly throughout European countries. Although big cities such as London, Hamburg, Paris, and Rome remain the main sites of mass and multiple immigrations, other European urban and increasingly rural areas are now also receiving new arrivals from European and non- European countries. The urgency to equip layers of the EU school workforce for working effectively with children who are new to the language used in education in their host countries has been apparent for some time. The importance of engaging with cultural diversity as part of good practice in education has been largely accepted, but the recognition of the importance to engage with linguistic diversity seems to be clouded partly by misconceptions that use of other languages will slow down the process of acquiring the host language and partly by a lack of awareness that first language skills are the most important tools and prior experiences when learning a new language. The three chapters that follow the introduction offer an insightful account on the experiences of education from different lens which include the learner, teacher parent and policy officer. The common theme which runs through each of the chapters is the need for cultural relevance pedagogy and the need to understand that language and identity is interconnected.