Processes and outcomes in the European schools model of multilingual education

Bilingual Research Journal, Spring 2002 by Housen, Alex

Abstract

This article discusses aspects of the European Schools model of multilingual and multicultural education, with aparticular emphasis on its language component. European Schools (ES) cater to a linguistically and culturally diverse population and operate in up to nine languages at the same site. Pupils receive most of their education in their respective first languages but are required to learn at least two other languages in the course of their schooling. The complex structure of the ES program, with its teaching of languages and other subjects in the target languages and its regular mixing of different language groups, has been designed to promote multilingual proficiency and cultural pluralism at no cost to academic development. Key features of the ES model are outlined, and its outcomes are critically evaluated.

Introduction

In the past few decades, bilingual and multilingual education' has received ample attention from researchers and policy makers. Most of this attention has been devoted to the Canadian immersion model (Johnson & Swain, 1997). Other models have received far less attention. One such model is that of the European Schools (ES). The ES have been in operation for nearly 50 years in several member states of the European Union (EU) and have gained a firm reputation as institutes of both linguistic and scholastic excellence (Baker, 1996; Hamers & Blanc, 1989). Recent years have also seen a growing interest in ES as a model for developing multilingual education and second language education elsewhere (cf. European Economic Community, 1990; Skutnabb-- Kangas, 1995). In this light, it is important to draw attention to the available research on processes and outcomes in these schools and to the lessons that can be drawn from their experience. Sections 1 and 2 of this article present an overview of the ES model, with special attention given to its language component. Section 3 evaluates the outcomes of this model, again with special attention to linguistic outcomes. Section 4 considers some wider implications the ES experience may have for multilingual education in general.

Structure, Population, and Objectives of the European School Model

A proper understanding of the organisation and functioning of a bilingual/ multilingual program requires clarity about its target population, the context in which it is implemented, and its proclaimed philosophy and objectives. An appreciation of what a bilingual program sets out to do-how, for whom, and what it professes to be-is very necessary to avoid criticism based on mistaken assumptions about the program evaluated. This section outlines relevant features of the ES model, with particular attention given to its language component. Fuller discussions of the ES model can be found in Swan (1996) and Baetens Beardsmore (1993, 1995), on which the following sections are based.

The Schools and Their Population

The ES model grew out of a private initiative in the 1950s, prompted by a group of parents-foreign civil servants working for the European Coal and Steel Community headquarters in Luxembourg. They felt that their children's specific linguistic, cultural, and academic needs were insufficiently met within the Luxembourg school system. Today, ES are public institutions controlled by the authorities of the member states of the EU. There are currently 10 schools in six member states of the EU, all in or near towns with a high concentration of EU officials. There is one school in each of the following locations: the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg (Luxembourg), Italy (Varese), the Netherlands (Bergen), and the UK (Culham). There are two schools in Germany (Karlsruhe and Munich), and four schools in Belgium (three in Brussels and one in Mol). Two new schools open in 2002 in Frankfurt (Germany) and Allicante (Spain), and there are plans for two more schools (one in Brussels and in Luxembourg).

ES are intended primarily for the education of the children of EU officials, but others, including migrant children and host nationals, also attend. Many ES pupils are examples of what Baetens Beardsmore (1979) calls "highly mobile children," that is, children who reside in a foreign country for potentially short periods of time due to the nature of their parents' employment. About 17,000 children are currently enrolled, representing over 50 nationalities and over 30 different language backgrounds. Each school consists of several language sections, which collectively cover the 11 official languages of the EU (Danish, Dutch, English, French, Finnish, German, Greek, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, and Swedish). Most children utilize one of the official languages of the EU as their home language and several already speak two or more languages, to various degrees of proficiency, upon entry.

The ES population contains both language majority and language minority children but the former are always in the minority in any given school. Thus, most ES pupils are language minority children in the sense that their home language is not the majority language of the host community where the school is located. However, ES pupils are not minority children in the socio-economic sense of the term. Although it is not part of any policy, most students come from middle class families, which contributes to the ES' reputation as elitist schools (Hamers & Blanc, 1989; Baker, 1996; Sears, 1998). When possible, efforts are made to enroll children from non-EU officials (including host nationals and immigrant children) to avoid "ghetto-ization" and to balance out the numbers in the various language sections. Moreover, education in the ES is free, though children of non-EU officials pay a modest annual fee. This fee may be waived for social reasons.