Evaluating a project on Roma education

Abstract

This research note is based on the evaluation of the Comenius project Teacher‐IN‐SErvice‐Training‐for‐Roma‐inclusion (INSETRom). The project represented an international effort that was undertaken to bridge the gap between Roma and non‐Roma communities and to improve the educational attainment of Roma children in the mainstream educational system. The evaluation of the project showed that such projects can impact a teacher's confidence and attitudes, but that implementing new insights poses many challenges.

Keywords:

• Roma
• intercultural education
• evaluation

Notes

1. The project was initiated in 2007 by cooperating institutions in eight European countries: Austria, Cyprus, Greece, Italy, Romania, the Slovak Republic, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.

2. Of the 165 attending teachers, only 2% acknowledged that they were Roma. This is a general problem in European education. Very few teachers from minority communities can be found in mainstream educational institutions.

3. Teachers from several countries commented that they had expected to share experiences and practical ideas with teachers from other countries. Though a Yahoo group for teachers was created, this was rarely used. Language appears to have been a major cause of this.