The rights of those who have no rights: Italian parent committees in local educational politics in Zurich (1960-1980)

Although Italian immigrants in Switzerland were not allowed to participate in political elections or vote, they had frequently created their own, alternative ways to influence politics. So-called Parent Committees, initiated by Italian immigrant associations, addressed local school authorities and found various ways of contributing to education policies at the local level. Following the perspective of Critical Citizenship Studies, the contribution analyses the different modes as well as the limits of local cooperation of Italian Parent Committees and local school boards. In spite of having no official citizenship rights, immigrants were nevertheless able to ‘act as citizens’. In doing so, they often succeeded in mitigating some of the basic problems of Italian children being disadvantaged at school—although they did not solve these problems entirely. Proceeding persistently, yet pragmatically, the Italian Parent Committees faced serious restrictions when it came to changing school practices on a more fundamental level

Shared reading for valuing diversity and fostering language acquisition

Aslan, E. (Eds). (2020). Migration, Religion and Early Childhood Education (Wiener Beiträge zur Islamforschung). Wiesbaden: Springer VS, S. 3-22It is not unknown that children with a migration background often have fewer chances for a successful school career. Traditionally, a lack of skills in the common language is considered the cause of this inequality. Current discussions however offer multidimensional approaches and emphasise the fact that there are many more factors that account for this development. Nonetheless, good knowledge of the common language does support school success and thus remains an important factor. From an early childhood education perspective, the approach of incorporating language acquisition into it in everyday activities seems to be auspicious. Specific strategies to foster language skill acquisition in children that can be incorporated into everyday activities have been discerned. Among other methods, dialogic book reading is widely accepted as an evidence-based method to support children in enhancing their language skills. As important as the development of a conductive environment for the acquisition of language skills in institutions is the inclusion of the children’s parents into this discussion. One possibility is to encourage parents to invest in the children’s first language. (Verlag