Adapting to Diversity: Irish schools and newcomer students (Primary and Second Level School Principals, 2009)

Funded by the Department of Education and Science (now the Department of Education), and conducted by the Economic and Social Research Institute, this study represents the first large-scale national research conducted on school experiences regarding provision for newcomer students. It draws on a national survey of primary and second-level school principals, complementing this information with detailed case-studies of schools with varying proportions of newcomers. The main objectives of the study are: To analyse the distribution of newcomers across schools and the characteristics of schools with different proportions of newcomers; To document the current mode of provision for language support, the perceived language needs of newcomer students, and the issues involved in addressing their needs; To examine the perceived suitability of the existing curriculum and teaching materials for educating a diverse student population; To document the social supports put in place by schools for newcomers and the perceived adequacy of such supports in fostering social integration; To examine the implications of the study findings for future policy development.