Why school context matters in refugee education

Abstract

Education plays an important role in the successful settlement and life outcomes of young people from refugee backgrounds. Because of this, research into young people from refugee backgrounds in education systems tends to focus on examples of “good practice” in terms of how these young people experience education. Yet, examples of good practice commonly fail to take into account that schools are engaging in particular practices from very different contexts. This article contributes to the study of refugee education by drawing attention to the role that school contexts play in how different schools enact “good practice”. It presents data from a large multi-stage study which explored how the schooling experiences of students from refugee backgrounds are shaped by educational policies and school practices. By outlining case studies of seven schools, it highlights the impact of differing school contexts on how schools respond to the needs of students from refugee backgrounds. In this way, this article highlights that the notion of “good practice” within refugee-background education is always nuanced and contextual.