Parents’ stories point to better inclusion in Danish schools

A website created by three parents in Holstebro Municipality is collecting advice on improving inclusion in Danish public schools, DR reports. Nearly 150 teachers and parents from western Jutland have shared their experiences anonymously over the past year.

Anita Hove Olesen helped launch InkluToo.dk with two other parents just over a year ago. Contributors suggest adding more playground supervisors during breaks, giving all school staff better guidance and giving children a say in their schooling.

Some of the anonymous stories describe severe struggles. Their titles include “I had the happiest child in the world, now we are fighting for her life” and “He tried to jump out of the moving car on the motorway.”

Hove Olesen hopes the accounts and recommendations can help improve inclusion in public schools across Denmark. “There is a need to look at the public school system in relation to inclusion, and hopefully someone will also listen to the advice we are offering,” she said.

Lotte Hedegaard Sørensen, an associate professor at the Danish Institute for Pedagogy and Education at Aarhus University, said the website’s recommendations were sound. She has researched inclusion for more than 30 years.

The website’s founders hope the recommendations will be heard by politicians in Christiansborg and eventually help improve inclusion in Danish public schools.