School segregation has become a pressing issue in many educational systems across OECD countries. To address this challenge, social innovation in education policies can play a crucial role in fostering new approaches to building more inclusive school systems.
This article examines the dynamics of school segregation, focusing on the region of Catalonia (Spain) as a case study of social innovation. This segregation negatively affects educational outcomes and opportunities, posing risks to equity and social cohesion. In response, innovative initiatives like the MAGNET Project in Catalonia have emerged.
MAGNET aims to reverse segregation by fostering partnerships between schools and institutions of excellence. The goal of these partnerships is to implement high-quality educational projects that attract families, transforming the school into a benchmark in the territory and, at the same time, contributing to the academic success of the school’s students.
The phenomenon of school segregation: An introduction
Creating a truly inclusive and comprehensive education for all is a critical challenge. The pervasive issue of school segregation intersects with a variety of factors such as ethnicity, religion, socioeconomic status, and immigration background. This phenomenon mirrors broader societal inequalities and perpetuates new divisions (Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, 2017).
School segregation, defined as the separation of students based on societal disparities, results in an uneven distribution of students across schools, leading to significant deviations from the demographic makeup of the overall educational system. Certain schools or classrooms may have a disproportionate presence of minority or marginalized groups, reflecting and reinforcing existing inequalities (ECASS, 2023).
The impact of school segregation is profound. It limits access to quality education and resources for minority groups and hinders cultural exchange and social integration. Schools with high concentrations of disadvantaged groups often exhibit lower socioeconomic status, educational attainment, and higher levels of segmentation (Cordini, 2019). Segregated environments can also perpetuate stereotypes and prejudices by preventing interaction among diverse student groups (Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, 2017).
Eventually, school segregation is a multifaceted phenomenon influenced by institutional settings, residential patterns, and household arrangements. Institutional settings include the rules, policies, and governance structures shaping the educational system’s behavior. These intertwined factors are crucial in addressing school segregation (Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, 2017; Cordini, 2019). Addressing this issue requires comprehensive strategies. For instance, we can move towards a more inclusive educational environment that benefits all students by tackling institutional policies, promoting residential integration, and encouraging diverse household arrangements.
Setting the scene: School segregation in Catalonia
In recent years, certain neighborhoods in Catalonia have been experiencing persistent educational segregation, driven by various factors that have led to the concentration of socially homogeneous groups in schools. Despite various political and institutional measures aimed at addressing this pressing issue, segregation has been primarily driven by two factors. On the one hand, urban segregation, which stems from unequal access to housing, gathers social groups in specific areas (Síndic de Greuges de Catalunya, 2008).
On the other hand, there has been a particular increase in migration. The influx of immigrant students, rising from 2% to 15% over a decade, has contributed to segregation due to residential clustering and the preference for schools with peers. Additionally, native families often move to schools with fewer foreign students, exacerbating the issue. However, this phenomenon is not solely due to immigration; the middle classes have also played a role by seeking differentiation and social distinction through education (Tarabini, 2013).
Social innovation and education: A powerful tool to tackle school segregation
In this context, over the last decades, the concept of social innovation started to gain importance in the European scenario. It can be generally defined as a new approach to address social needs that are social in their means and ends and create new social relationships or collaborations by engaging and mobilizing the beneficiaries and help to transform social relations by improving beneficiaries’ access to power and resources (Tepsie, 2014).
In response to the rising awareness of the negative outcomes deriving from school segregation, several innovative social projects started to be implemented in different European countries. An example of an innovative experience is the MAGNET project, developed in Barcelona.
The MAGNET project
The MAGNET project is a transformative educational initiative designed to reverse school segregation by fostering strategic alliances between public schools and institutions of excellence. These institutions, known as institutions of reference, are renowned for their expertise in fields such as science, arts, technology, and/or audiovisual communication. Their role is to promote educational and cultural activities within schools.
The MAGNET school program focuses on schools that struggle to attract families, have an unbalanced social composition compared to their surrounding area (with a high concentration of foreign students), and often perform below the academic average. The program entails a strategic reorientation project centered on a specific field of knowledge, developed in partnership with an institution of excellence over a four-year period. This collaboration aims to make the school more attractive to families, balance its social composition, improve academic performance, and sustain the commitment of the teaching team. The institution of excellence supports the school by providing a reference person to coordinate and motivate the teaching staff, conducting sessions to transfer expertise to the school, offering specialized training for teachers, organizing 1-3 annual activities with students, and granting access to facilities and specialized materials for curriculum development.
Therefore, the MAGNET project is built on a robust framework of public-private partnerships (PPP), involving a diverse array of stakeholders:
- Fundació Jaume Bofill: Provides ongoing support and counseling, assists in developing innovation projects, offers strategic dissemination, supplies material resources, facilitates exchanges with other MAGNET schools, and conducts project evaluations.
- Local Administration: Supports strategic dissemination, reinforces efforts during the pre-registration period for families, and aligns with other territorial projects for cohesive implementation.
- Education Department: This department selects participating schools, supports them through inspections and educational services, assists with strategic dissemination, and evaluates project outcomes.
- University of Barcelona: Coordinates training program activities, oversees the program’s trainers, and monitors implementation to ensure quality and consistency.
- Institution of Reference: Commits to a four-year partnership, shares knowledge and values, trains teaching staff, organizes educational activities for students, and provides necessary infrastructure and material resources.
The MAGNET project exemplifies social innovation by reimagining the role of schools within their communities. MAGNET schools significantly enhance their educational offerings by fostering partnerships with local businesses, universities, cultural institutions, and nonprofit organizations. This collaborative model transforms schools into community hubs, promoting a sense of shared responsibility for educational outcomes. The specialized focus of MAGNET schools leads to unique educational opportunities, including hands-on learning experiences, interdisciplinary projects, and partnerships with relevant businesses and organizations.
What has been the actual impact of the MAGNET project?
In 2024, the MAGNET program celebrated a decade since its implementation. Over the past ten years, it has emerged as a flagship initiative in Catalonia. Evidence indicates the MAGNET program has positively impacted participating schools, although it has not completely achieved the goal of transforming their social composition.
The prevalent social rejection of diversity and associated stigma remain significant challenges that require time and additional measures to be addressed. One major change introduced by the program is the reorganization of pedagogical and curricular practices, with schools developing or strengthening student-centered, competency-based methodologies.The project has also enhanced collaborative work between different actors, providing tools for effective collaboration and strengthening ties between educational institutions, local administration, and other entities. This has fostered shared responsibility within the community towards a more inclusive education system.
Regarding social composition, 43% of MAGNET schools have demonstrated high success, showing a significant increase in diversity and heterogeneity. Additionally, nearly 50% of MAGNET schools have seen notable improvements in first-choice applications, with some doubling previous demand rates. This underscores the program’s strong influence, as more than half of these schools now meet their capacity with first-choice applications—a significant achievement amidst a general decline in applications.
In summary, the MAGNET project demonstrates how strategic partnerships and community involvement can drive innovative educational practices, ultimately helping to overcome segregation and improve academic outcomes in stigmatized schools (Montes and Parcerisa, 2024).
Conclusion
MAGNET schools in Catalonia exemplify how social innovation, integrated into educational policies and local contexts, can serve as a pivotal strategy for rebalancing school segregation, fostering equality, and embracing diversity. Through the collective commitment of local stakeholders, the administration, and schools, MAGNET has redefined the relationship between schools and their communities, fostering a symbiotic connection. This approach propels us towards a vision where schools are integral to their communities and communities are integral to schools. Ultimately, this endeavor advances the genuine promotion of equal opportunities for students and enhances the efficiency and quality of the education system.
References
- Cordini, M. (2019). School segregation: institutional rules, spatial constraints and households’ agency, in “Review of Sociology”, 29(2), pp. 279–296.
- Council of Europe (2017). Fighting school segregation in Europe through inclusive education: a position paper.
- ECASS (2023). Module 2 – What is school segregation – ECASS.
- Montes, A. & Parcerisa, L. (2024). Les aliances Magnet: escenaris, condicions i possibilitats per combatre la segregació escolar.
- Síndic de Greuges (2008). La segregació escolar a Catalunya. Síndic de Greuges de Catalunya.
- Tarabini, A. (2013). Les Escoles magnet: una aposta per l’excel·lència i l’equitat. Fundació Jaume Bofill,
- Tepsie (2014). Social innovation theory and research: a summary of the findings from TEPSIE. A deliverable of the project: ‘The theoretical, empirical and policy foundations for building social innovation in Europe’, European Commission–7th Framework Programme.