Secretariat: Østre Stationsvej 33 MENNTUN FYRIR ALLA Á ÍSLANDI DK-5000 Úttekt á framkvæmd stefnu um menntun án aðgreiningar á Íslandi Odense C Denmark EDUCATION FOR ALL IN ICELAND Tel: +45 64 41 00 20 External Audit of the Icelandic System for Inclusive Education [email protected] Brussels Office: Final Report Rue Montoyer 21 BE-1000 Brussels Belgium Tel: +32 2 213 62 80 brussels.offi[email protected] www.european-agency.org EUROPEAN AGENCY for Special Needs and Inclusive Education MENNTUN FYRIR ALLA Á ÍSLANDI Úttekt á framkvæmd stefnu um menntun án aðgreiningar á Íslandi EDUCATION FOR ALL IN ICELAND External Audit of the Icelandic System for Inclusive Education Final Report European Agency for Special Needs and Inclusive Education This document is the Final Report of the External Audit of the Icelandic System for Inclusive Education. The European Agency for Special Needs and Inclusive Education has prepared this report on behalf of the Icelandic Ministry of Education, Science and Culture (Mennta- og menningarmálaráðuneytið). The report and all accompanying materials have been developed as a result of work conducted throughout 2016 by a team of staff and consultants from the European Agency for Special Needs and Inclusive Education (the Agency). The External Audit Team members were: Professor Eva Björck-Åkesson, Professor of Special Education, Jönköping University, Sweden, School of Education and Communication, CHILD (Children-Health-Intervention- Learning-Development) and the Swedish Research Council Dr Verity Donnelly, Project Manager, Agency staff member Professor Serge Ebersold, Agency staff member and Chair of Accessibility at CNAM (Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers/National Conservatory for Arts and Crafts), Paris, France Dr Cristina Popescu, Agency staff member and Associate Researcher at EHESS (École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales/School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences), Paris, France Dr Joacim Ramberg, Agency staff member and senior lecturer in Special Education at Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden Dr Amanda Watkins, Assistant Director, Agency staff member. Extracts from this document are permitted provided that a clear reference to the source is given. This report should be referenced as follows: European Agency for Special Needs and Inclusive Education, 2017. Education for All in Iceland – External Audit of the Icelandic System for Inclusive Education. Odense, Denmark: European Agency for Special Needs and Inclusive Education © European Agency for Special Needs and Inclusive Education 2017 Secretariat Brussels Office Østre Stationsvej 33 Rue Montoyer, 21 DK-5000 Odense C Denmark BE-1000 Brussels Belgium Tel: +45 64 41 00 20 Tel: +32 2 213 62 80 [email protected] [email protected] www.european-agency.org 2 Education for All in Iceland ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The European Agency for Special Needs and Inclusive Education wishes to formally acknowledge the contributions of the following stakeholder groups and individuals to the implementation of the External Audit of the Icelandic System for Inclusive Education: The former Minister for Education, Science and Culture, Mr Illugi Gunnarsson and the current Minister for Education, Science and Culture, Mr Kristján Þór Júlíusson. The signatories to the External Audit Memorandum of Understanding: The Ministry of Welfare The Icelandic Association of Local Authorities The Teachers’ Union The National Home and School Association The Head Teachers’ Union of Upper-Secondary Schools. The Icelandic Team supporting the work for their extensive practical and technical assistance in planning and implementing the Audit: From the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture: Guðni Olgeirsson, Ragnheiður Bóasdóttir, Sigríður Lára Ásbergsdóttir and Stefán Baldursson From the Ministry of Welfare: Þór G Þórarinsson From the Icelandic Association of Local Authorities: Svandís Ingimundardóttir and Valgerður Freyja Ágústsdóttir From the Teachers’ Union, Aðalheiður Steingrímsdóttir, Vice President From the National Home and School Association, Hrefna Sigurjónsdóttir, Executive Director From the Head Teachers’ Union of Upper-Secondary Schools, Baldur Gíslason. The participants in the Fieldwork activities: Auður Stefánsdóttir, the project manager for the fieldwork activities in Iceland The teams organising and hosting fieldwork activities from the regions of Reykjavík, Akureyri, Egilsstaðir, Árborg, Borgarbyggð and their surrounding municipalities The participants of the Focus Groups The school teams hosting school visits External Audit of the Icelandic System for Inclusive Education 3 The respondents to the On-line survey. Without the on-going input and support of these stakeholders throughout the process, the External Audit could have not been undertaken. 4 Education for All in Iceland CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.......................................................................................... 3 ABBREVIATIONS AND FIGURES .............................................................................. 9 FOREWORD ......................................................................................................... 11 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY......................................................................................... 13 Findings ............................................................................................................... 14 Evaluation of the Standards and Descriptors ......................................................... 15 Audit recommendations....................................................................................... 16 Critical levers ....................................................................................................... 17 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................... 19 External Audit approach ....................................................................................... 20 The Audit Reporting Package................................................................................ 22 IMPLEMENTATION OF THE EXTERNAL AUDIT IN ICELAND .................................... 25 Planning phase .................................................................................................... 25 Critical Reflection process.................................................................................. 27 Standards and Descriptors ................................................................................ 28 Data collection phase ........................................................................................... 29 Background information collection .................................................................... 30 Audit Fieldwork................................................................................................. 31 On-line survey................................................................................................... 32 Data analysis .................................................................................................... 33 Evaluation of the Standards and Descriptors ...................................................... 33 THE WIDER CONTEXT FOR INCLUSIVE EDUCATION IN ICELAND ............................ 35 Background ......................................................................................................... 35 Population ........................................................................................................ 35 Employment ..................................................................................................... 36 Education in Iceland ............................................................................................. 36 Children’s rights and well-being......................................................................... 38 Pre-school education......................................................................................... 38 Compulsory education ...................................................................................... 39 Upper-secondary education .............................................................................. 40 Career guidance................................................................................................ 41 External Audit of the Icelandic System for Inclusive Education 5 National Qualifications Framework ................................................................... 41 Early school leaving .......................................................................................... 41 Curriculum ........................................................................................................ 42 Assessment and performance data .................................................................... 42 Quality assurance/evaluation ............................................................................ 43 Teacher education ............................................................................................ 43 Special educational needs ................................................................................. 44 Financing of education ......................................................................................... 45 Financing linked to meeting special educational needs ....................................... 46 The Directorate of Education................................................................................ 47 Overarching educational priorities and challenges ...............................................