School administrators' perceptions of democratic coexistence in Catalan schools: An analytical study

In democratic societies, education should help build a participative, critical and responsible citizenry and therefore promote the role of schools as settings where students learn democratic coexistence. With the study reported on here we aimed to analyse how coexistence is fostered in classrooms and schools, as well as the possible synergy between schools' efforts to educate in democratic coexistence, and the children's social participation in their setting. To do so, we focused on the perspective of 476 school administrators at schools in Catalonia (Spain) based on an ad-hoc questionnaire comprised of 22 items on a Likert scale. The results reflect settings that value democratic coexistence at school and in society, although when we delved a bit deeper, we found aspects that still required more work. Actions that should be the focal point in the immediate future include developing more innovative educational strategies, training the administrators and enlisting students' participation in running the schools

Higher Education Exchange: 2007

This annual publication serves as a forum for new ideas and dialogue between scholars and the larger public. Essays explore ways that students, administrators, and faculty can initiate and sustain an ongoing conversation about the public life they share.The Higher Education Exchange is founded on a thought articulated by Thomas Jefferson in 1820: "I know no safe depository of the ultimate powers of the society but the people themselves; and if we think them not enlightened enough to exercise their control with a wholesome discretion, the remedy is not to take it from them, but to inform their discretion by education."In the tradition of Jefferson, the Higher Education Exchange agrees that a central goal of higher education is to help make democracy possible by preparing citizens for public life. The Higher Education Exchange is part of a movement to strengthen higher education's democratic mission and foster a more democratic culture throughout American society.Working in this tradition, the Higher Education Exchange publishes interviews, case studies, analyses, news, and ideas about efforts within higher education to develop more democratic societies

Learning from the World: Good Practices in Navigating Cultural Diversity. Bertelsmann Stiftung Study 2018

The Reinhard Mohn Prize 2018 “Living Diversity – Shaping Society” focuses on diversity in German society, that is the plurality of cultural, religious and linguistic identities found among the people who live in the country. With this focus, the RMP 2018 highlights a variety of successful strategies for living peacefully in diversity. In historical terms, cultural diversity is nothing new or unique for Germany. In fact, though we are often unaware of it, cultural diversity has been a feature of our daily life for a long time. Indeed, religious differences have shaped German society since the Reformation. And Judaism has always been present in the area we now call Germany

Urban Policies and the Right to the City: Rights, responsibilities and citizenship

The purpose of the joint research project Urban Policies and the Right to the City: Rights, Responsibilities and Citizenship, launched by UNESCO with UN-HABITAT in March 2005, is to contribute to meeting the MDGs and reducing poverty by identifying good practices and initiatives in law and urban planning that strengthen rights and responsibilities, interfaith tolerance, and the participation of women, young people and migrants in urban management

Discourse Analysis of Policies to Prevent Violent Radicalization in Ten European Countries and their Impact on Educational Systems

After the 9/11 attacks, Western societies and institutions try to respond to terrorist attacks. The fight against radicalization has gained prominence on international agendas. The OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) proposes a new learning objective: global competence. This research analyses how the attitudes of global competence, are reflected in government plans for the prevention of radicalization in tenEuropean countries: Spain, Sweden, Germany, Denmark, the Netherlands, Austria, Belgium, France, the United Kingdom and Finland. A lexicometric analysis was performed using clustering techniques. Iramuteq program is used. A quantitative analysis was also carried out on a qualitative data corpus to facilitate comparative analysis. While European socio-educational policies are, theoretically, a fundamental pillar in the pursuit of integration, in practice, the network of correspondence shows a policy focused on the threat of terrorism, where police intervention is prioritized, and the role of education is insignificant. We conclude that policies for the prevention of radicalization in Europe do not reflect the characteristics that define democratic, interculturally competent citizenship and are not aligned with global competence. We suggest promoting transversality and unity of policies which encourage integration and social cohesion and reassessing the value of schools as a proactive measure for inclusion.Después de los ataques del 11 de septiembre las sociedades e instituciones occidentales intentan responder a los ataques terroristas. La lucha contra la radicalización gana protagonismo en las agendas internacionales. El Programa de la OCDE para la Evaluación Internacional de Estudiantes (PISA) propone un nuevo objetivo de aprendizaje: la competencia global. Esta investigación analiza cómo las actitudes de esta competencia se reflejan en los planes gubernamentales para la prevención de la radicalización de diez países europeos: España, Suecia, Alemania, Dinamarca, Países Bajos, Austria, Bélgica, Francia, Reino Unido y Finlandia. Se realizó un análisis lexicométrico del discurso con el software Iramuteq que combina un análisis cuantitativo y cualitativo para facilitar un análisis comparativo. Si bien las políticas socioeducativas europeas son, teóricamente, un pilar fundamental en la búsqueda de la integración, en la práctica, la red de correspondencia muestra una política centrada en la amenaza del terrorismo, se prioriza la intervención policial y el papel de la educación es insignificante. Concluimos que las políticas para la prevención de la radicalización europeas no reflejan las características que definen una ciudadanía democrática, interculturalmente competente y no están alineadas con la competenciaglobal. Sugerimos promover la transversalidad y unidad de políticas que favorezcan la integración y la cohesión social y revalorizar el papel de la escuela como medio proactivo de inclusión

Transnational transitional justice and reconciliation: the participation of conflict-generated diaspora in addressing the legacy of mass violence

This paper is a preliminary exploration of the role that conflict-generated diaspora communities can play in transitional justice and processes of reconciliation. The aim is to consider what potential there is for tapping into diaspora communities and the possible benefits this could have on diasporas themselves and on peacebuilding processes in the homeland. The goal is also to explore and reflect on ways in which reconciliatory attitudes can be encouraged among diaspora communities, as well as their participation in transnational activities. The paper begins by providing a brief overview of diasporas, followed by a discussion on relationships and attitudes within conflict-generated diaspora communities in the aftermath of violence. The paper then explores the various roles that diasporas can play in transitional justice, such as providing input to strategies and participating in established mechanisms; or mobilizing on their own to push for transitional justice measures. This is followed by a brief look at diaspora involvement in other processes of reconciliation, including dialogue and media initiatives. The paper then discusses how integration policies and outcomes in the hostland can influence the views of diasporas and their involvement with the homeland. The paper concludes with challenges related to diaspora participation and some overall reflections

The Role of the Arts in Education for Peacebuilding, Diversity and Intercultural Understanding: A Comparative Study of Educational Policies in Australia and Spain

This article reviews and analyses educational policies and curricula for general education in Australian and Spanish systems, in relation to their concerns for arts education to contribute to values education and the acquisition of peaceful, social and civic competences in schools. The use of the arts to shape individual and community identities, to enhance relationships between people, to promote positive conflict transformation, development and, in general, contribute to peacebuilding, has been acknowledged worldwide. Curriculum helps to legitimise what is considered to be important to learn within a society and therefore determines what is included to be understood as good artistic knowledge and practices. The documentary analysis of both Australian and Spanish educational documents in relation to teaching and learning of the arts gives responses on the extent the arts are expected to contribute to build peaceful and sustainable societies, and faces some current challenges of the role of the arts in schools.This work was supported by the University Jaume I of Castellón (Spain) under Research project P1·1A-2015-01

What do our future teachers think about terrorismand politically motivated violence in the BasqueCountry?

Euskadi Ta Askatasuna-Basque Country and Freedom (ETA) was an armed organisation from the Basque Country and after it declared that it would cease violent actions and subsequently disbanded, the Basque Country has been involved in a peace process. The Adi-adian programme that is part of this process has been implemented as a part of teacher training programmes. By means of a mixed model that combines both qualitative and quantitative elements, the present study has attempted to identify the attitudes of future teachers-prior to implementation of Adi-adian-regarding terrorism and politically motivated violence that occurred in and from the Basque country since 1960, the information they have received with respect thereto, and their opinions as to how the issues are dealt with in the classroom. The results obtained reveal a generally respectful attitude toward human rights and the delegitimisation of violence; lack of satisfaction regarding the information they have received throughout their lives; and, as future teachers, a lack of certainty as to how to approach such issues in the classroom. It was noted that these future teachers had a high degree of motivation and interest with respect to these matters. Información del autorThis project has received financial support from the office of the Vice Rector for Innovation, Social Outreach and Cultural Activities of the University of the Basque Country (UPV-EHU) via the Educational Innovation Project Memory and coexistence (HBP2019-20/102); from the Basque Government, via the Research Group GIPyPAC, UPV/EHU (IT1193-19), and from the Department of Peace and Coexistence of the Basque Government and the: Vice-Rectorate for Basque Language and Continuing Education of the University of the Basque Country (UPV-EHU) (PIC INVEC3L4-D00024-1)