What was the goal?
The goal of the project was to research and analyze the challenges of educating Roma students within a mixed classroom and to propose management strategies. The school in question had a significant number of Roma students, yet faced high rates of school dropout and irregular attendance. The vast majority of these students exhibited major learning difficulties and a strong disinterest in school, prompting the question of how to better approach and engage them within the mixed classroom setting.
How did the project proceed?
The project combined two approaches: bibliographic research on Roma education at both the national Greek and European level, focusing on causes of exclusion and strategies for improving educational opportunities and outcomes, and a qualitative survey using questionnaires distributed to teachers across Greece.
What were the results?
The questionnaire results showed that the majority of teachers found the integration of Roma students and their participation in school activities to be difficult. Teachers within Greece proposed several measures: addressing basic language needs from primary school, informing parents and children, promoting proper upbringing within the family environment, fostering a change in mindset among Roma communities, establishing reception classes and reinforcement teaching within Educational Priority Zones, introducing Roma educators, involving social workers and psychologists, organizing discussions and group activities, redesigning educational materials, differentiating learning requirements, and ensuring equality without discrimination. The bibliographic research identified additional strategies including culturally responsive teaching, learning about Roma culture, parental sensitization, zero-tolerance bullying policies with anonymous reporting, cultural events, positive reinforcement instead of penalties, hiring Roma as school staff, multimedia dictionaries, and sex education. The project concluded that the problem is multifactorial and its resolution requires parallel and coordinated action across multiple domains including society, family, and the state, while also recognizing the importance of individual effort from teachers, students, and all other groups involved.