ERIC ED369245: The Development of the Danish Folkeskole towards a School for All. Integration of Handicapped Pupils in the Mainstream School System.

15 Pages·1991·0.23 MB·English

by  ERIC

DOCUMENT RESUME
ED 369 245
EC 302 977
TITLE
The Development of the Danish Folkeskole towards a
School for All. Integration of Handicapped Pupils in
the Mainstream School System.
INSTITUTION
Ministry of Education, Copenhagen (Denmark).
REPORT NO
ISBN-87-89727-00-2
PUB DATE
91
NOTE
15p.: Cover title reads "The Development of the
Danish Public School towards a School for All.
Integration of Handicapped Pupils in the Mainstream
School System."
PUB TYPE
Reports
Descriptive (141)
EDRS PRICE
MF01/PC01 Plus Postage.
DESCRIPTORS
*Disabilities; Educational Change; Educational
History; Educational Legislation; Educational
Philosophy; *Educational Trends; Elementary Secondary
Education; Foreign Countries; *Mainstreaming; Public
Schools; *Social Integration; Special Education;
Trend Analysis
IDENTIFIERS
*Denmark; *Inclusive Schools
ABSTRACT
This booklet reviews the past 20 years, during which
Denmark has been committed to the inclusion of children with
disabilities in normal school environments (Folkeskoles) when parents
wish. The booklet notes the school reform measure enacted in 1969 and
the situation prior to 1969. It briefly addresses the following
topics: first attempts at integration, developments in the 1970s, the
development of special education, statistical data, other areas of
education, prerequisites of integration, choice of educational
method, teacher at(itudes, the Danish teaching concept, resources,
various groups of students with disabilities, limits to integration,
parent rights, and principles of future development. (DB)
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Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made
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impqr
The Development
Public School
of the Danish
for All
towards a School
Mainstream School System
Integration of handicapped Pupils in the
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Office of Educational Research and Improvement
EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION
CENTER (ERIC)
/Ms
document has been reproduced as
received from the person or organization
originating .1
Minor changes have been made to improve
reproduction avast,/
Points 01 view or opinions stated in this clocu
official
nent do not necessarey represent
OE RI position or policy
PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THIS
MATEAIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY
C..\\
TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES
Y")
INFORMATION CENTER (ERICI"
2
1,4
BEST COPY AVAILABLE
DANISH MINISTRY OF EDUCATION
.
© Danish Ministry of Education & Research
Frederiksholms Kanal 21
DK-1220 Copenhagen K
Copenhagen 1991
ISBN 87-89727-00-2
Cover: Frank Eriksen
Photos: Niels Hjerrild and Stefan Ilstedt
Printet in Denmark by A-Offset, Holstebro
BEST COPY AVAILABLE
The Development of the
Danish Folkeskole
towards a School forAll
of Handicapped Pupils in the
- Integration
Mainstream School System
Danish Ministry of Education
1991
4
1. Introduction,
of parents and educationist
protested against this situation - a
In May 1969, the Danish parlia-
ment, the Folketing, passed a resolu-
protest that evoked response from the
tion about a reform of the basic school
Ministry of Education and many local
system (9-point programme), which
school authorities. The resolution of
the Folketing, therefore, can be
included a statement to the effect
"that the instruction of handicapped
viewed as clear political support to
pupils shall be extended in such a
an ongoing development towards a
way that the children can receive
Folkeskole more accommodating to
instruction in a normal school envi-
the handicapped.
ronment if the parents so wish and
can care for the child at home, and if
3. The Incipient
conlmitrnent to an institution is not a
necessary part of the treatment".
Integration
The first major attempt to comply
Now, 20 years after the resolu-
with the integration wishes was the
tion, it is possible to evaluate the
establishment of the County education
reform and describe to what extent,
centres in the 60s and early 70s.
under what conditions and in what
These centres consisted of special
way the integration of the handi-
classes placed at the ordinary schools,
capped pupils in the mainstream
and many children with more severe
school has developed.
handicaps such as visual, hearing and
motor disabilities, who would
2. The Situation prior to
otherwise have been segregated into
1969
special care, were enrolled here.
Before 1969, many children with
severe handicaps were referred to
At the same time the municipal
institutions under the special care
schools became very cautious refer-
service, and those enrolled in the
ring blind children to the country's
only school for blind persons: the
Folkeskole often attended separate
Refsnwsskolen at Kalundborg. Due
schools. The influence of the parents
on these decisions of segregation was
to their small number, these children
could not be gathered together in
very limited; indeed, the legislation
special classes and were therefore
for handicapped persons required that
enrolled separately in ordinary
children with special handicaps - e.g
blindness - should be referred to
classes. Something similar happened
special institutions, sometimes far
to many motor handicapped pupils.
away from their homes.
It soon appeared that both centre
Already in the early 60s, a group
class and individual integration were
2
5
feasible and appropriate solutions,
special classes in ordinary schools or
provided that adequate professional
directly into ordinary classes, where
the support of a specially trained
and financial resources were avail-
able. Consultant arrangements were teacher was made available for lon-
set up, according to which teachers
ger or shorter periods of the teaching
with special knowledge - often ac-
time.
quired during employment in institu-
tions for handicapped - offered ad-
An increasing number of children
and youths from the special care
vice to staff from the mainstream
school system received offers of
schools. Concurrently, the special
institutions undertook to make
schooling, and in the late 70s practi-
courses, materials, observation and
cally all severely handicapped chil-
relief periods etc. available to local
dren received instruction.
school authorities.
When, in 1980, the instruction of
the special care service was trans-
These initiatives prove that it is
not always necessary to bring the
ferred to the framework of the Folke-
client to the expert but that it
skole, it had become widely under-
is
feasible too to bring the expertise to
stood and accepted that all children
can receive instruction, hence are
where the user is.
entitled to instruction; which, of
4. Developments in the 70s
course, must be adapted to the quali-
fications, the possibilities and the
Throughout the 70s, fewer and
needs of the individual pupil.
fewer children from the Folkeskole
The idea that the Folkeskole must
were being segregated into special
accommodate all children represents
schools but were placed either in
3
been referred to special instruction
a challenge, which has clearly, in a
than was expected 20 years ago.
positive sense, left its mark on the
Concurrently, there has been a corre-
work with this group of children.
sponding growth in the resources
spent on special instruction by the
5. The Development of
Folkeskole.
Special Education
Since the 60s, increasing atten-
This development was especially
tion has been paid to pupils in the
marked up through the 70s, when the
Folkeskole who could not derive
number of pupils and the consump-
adequate benefit from the ordinary
tion of resources practically doubled
instruction.
whereas, in the 80s, developments
have been stagnant.
The efforts of the Folkeskole have
reflected a still stronger wish to offer
to all pupils the opportunity of opti-
6. The Present Situation in
mum development; however, as this
Figures
objective seems difficult to fulfil for
By the end of the 80s, approx.
everybody within the scope of ordi-
80,000 - or 12-13% - of the pupils in
nary teaching, this task has, in certain
the Folkeskole were referred to spe-
cases, been entrusted to special in-
cial instruction for shorter or longer
struction provision. In the process, a
periods of a school year. The main
much larger number of pupils has
problem of approx. two thirds of these
pupils has been to follow the instruc-
tion, in Danish in particular, but also
in arithmetic and English. The rest is
distributed equally on pupils with
physical functioning difficulties
(speech impairment, hearing, visual
pupils with
or motor disabilities),
general learning difficulties (men-
tally retarded) and pupils with behav-
ioural problems.
The referral rate varies consid-
erably from area to area, being for
instance approx. twice as high in the
Copenhagen area (17.5% in the
Copenhagen County) as in West Jut-
4
7
It should be added, however, that
land (8.75% in Ringkobing County).
These differences can hardly be ac-
also the number of pupils with social
behavioural problems has been on
counted for by differences in the po-
the upgrade, and that the nature of
pulation of children but must also be
their problems has become more
ascribed to varying levels of toler-
severe and thus more difficult to
ance and ambition of the general
handle within the framework of the
teaching provision as well as to the
ordinary school.
local social environments.
7. Integration
However, it is characteristic of
the development that even though
On the whole, the situation as
the number of pupils in special edu-
regards the special instruction of the
cation has grown substantially, physi-
Folkeskole reflects a remarkably high
cal segregation has been used to a
level of integration. Out of the ap-
still lesser degree. It is also charac-
prox. 80,000 pupils referred annually
teristic that the increase, to a large
to special instruction, almost 70,000
extent, refers to children with read-
or roughly 80% of those referred -
ing problems, and that these children
receive the special support as a -
normally are not segregated from the
relatively limited - supplement to the
class but receive special educational
instruction in the ordinary class. Of
support in a limited number of the
the roughly 10,000 pupils who are
weekly lessons, in reading groups, in
referred to special instruction with-
reading courses or in a reading clinic.
out affiliation to an ordinary class,
roughly 6,000 attend special classes
at ordinary schools, while only the
remaining 4,000 pupils attend spe-
cial schools.
This means that only approx.
1/2% of the pupils of the Folkeskole
are now taught outside an ordinary
school environment.
We have reason to be proud of
this development, which is indeed
highlighted by the keen interest shown
by other countries in our system of
special education.
In May of 1990 the education
s.'
5
8
200 students received special educa-
ministers of the EC adopted a resolu-
tional support in upper-secondary
tion concerning integration of handi-
school and approx. 3,000 in voca-
capped children and adolescents in
tional education and training.
the ordinary education systems. It is
worth noting that Denmark, already
In further and higher education,
at this point, has gone a long way
likewise, the intake of students with
towards the fulfilment of these inten-
handicaps, primarily in the form of a
tions.
physical or sensory functional im-
pairment, is growing. This develop-
8. Other Areas of
ment has been facilitated through
Education
improvement of the physical envi-
Over a long period, also the pri-
ronment at the educational institu-
vate schools - where roughly 10% of
tions, modern interpretation equip-
all children in the compulsory school
ment for the deaf, taped textbooks
age are taught - have admitted a
and use of new technology. Further-
growing number of handicapped
more, in a number of cases, exemp-
pupils. At these schools all special
tion has been granted from the admis-
instruction is organized within the
sion requirements in the enrolment of
framework of the general teaching;
students with handicaps.
thus the handicapped pupils are fully
integrated. This also applies to the
9. Prerequisites of the
approx. 250 pupils with more severe
Integration
handicaps who attend private schools.
When the trend towards added
integration of children with handi-
Likewise, the youth education
caps in the ordinary school arose and
courses and the associated supple-
developed in the late 60s, the strong-
mentary and adult training courses
est motive most likely was parent
are open to students with functional
wishes coupled with pedagogical
difficulties; and both the upper-sec-
theories about the positive aspects of
ondary school and the vocational
integration.
training courses offer special educa-
tional support to students with func-
Segregation into an institution of
tional impairment who, given the
special instruction often means a long
necessary compensatory measures,
way to school or perhaps even round-
will be able to complete the course.
the-clock removal from home. This
In any case, full integration exists in
will often alienate the child in rela-
this area, as there is no special provi-
tion to other children in the home
sion at this level.
neighbourhood; and the general view
of the parents often is that although it
In the school year 88/89, approx.
6
9
Lk`
beings with handicaps if their entire
is, indeed, valuable for their child at
school career has been devoid of all
the institution to have the opportu-
those who behave or function some-
nity of acquiring exact knowledge
what differently from they them-
and skills at its own level, it is, at the
selves?
same time, something negative that
the child does not learn to associate
In addition, pedagogical research
with the other children in an ordinary
indicated that handicapped children
school environment. How are these
developed better, both socially and in
children supposed to adapt, as adults,
in an ordinary
respect of learning,
to a life in society if they have spent
heterogeneous school environment
most of their childhood in a special
than in a more homogeneous institu-
environment with friends just as
tion.
deviant as they are?
20-25 yt.ars' experience has shown
This attitude was supported by
that the situation is not quite that
many educationists who added -
simple, i.a. because both children
perhaps a little audaciously in the
and parents, teachers and school
tradition of the day - how will the
environments are different. Thus we
ordinary pupils in the school ever
just
now know, that integration is not
learn to associate with fellow human
7