PRESENTATION

SIRIUS is a European platform that brings together key stakeholders in migration and education from around Europe, including policy makers, researchers, practitioners and representatives of migrant communities. 

SIRIUS transfers knowledge and influences policy developments in order to help pupils from a migrant background achieve the same educational standards as their native peers.

SIRIUS aims to:

• Encourage high-quality, inclusive education for all, with specific measures to improve the support for migrants both inside and outside the school system.
• Mainstream migrant education into education policies so that it becomes a cross-cutting issue in national and European migration and education debates.
• Promote better policy implementation that encourages lifelong learning for all disadvantaged pupils.
• Develop European-wide collaboration between stakeholders of all levels.

SIRIUS concentrates its efforts in the following areas:

1. Implementing policies and networking

• Compares national policies on migrant education;
• Encourages cooperation on policy implementation;
• Develops policy recommendations;
• Communicates the SIRIUS results to migration and education stakeholders both online and offline.

2. Improving interactions in the classroom

• Develops professional capacity building in schools;
• Encourages teacher diversification;
• Scopes citizenship education across Europe.

3. Involving the community in education

• Supports knowledge exchange between education support projects;
• Highlights successful parental involvement.

As a collaborative partner in the network, MPG carries out the role of communications officer for SIRIUS. As such, MPG disseminates SIRIUS’ contributions in Brussels and helps to make the work of the network more targeted and policy relevant. It does this by reaching out to and mobilising migration, education, and grassroots organisations on migrant education.

On education, MPG’s work started with proposing and monitoring EU standards to fight various forms of discrimination in education and vocational training. In recent years, MPG facilitated EU exchange of good practice on the education and training of immigrant pupils, through the Commission’s Handbook on Integration and Website on Integration (www.integration.eu).

MPG is also developing and analysing indicators of integration policies and the education outcomes of immigrant pupils. In 2010, its Migrant Integration Policy Index (www.mipex.eu) mapped the targeted policies for immigrant pupils in all EU Member States, Norway, Switzerland, Canada, and the United States. See also our publication What can international comparisons of outcomes and policies tell us about ‘good practices’ of migrant education?

SIRIUS products:

• SIRIUS position paper http://www.sirius-migrationeducation.org/?portfolio=sirius-policy-network-position-paper
• Literature review on migrant education – http://www.sirius-migrationeducation.org/?portfolio=literature-review
• Report on national policy implementation processes http://www.sirius-migrationeducation.org/?portfolio=report-on-national-policy-implementation-processes
• Citizenship Education and Ethnic and Cultural Diversity: http://www.sirius-migrationeducation.org/?portfolio=citizenship-education-and-ethnic-and-cultural-diversity-a-scoping-study-of-sirius-network-countries-on-the-education-of-children-from-a-migrant-background
• Brochure on Mentoring: http://www.sirius-migrationeducation.org/?portfolio=brochure-on-mentoring
• Peer review: Antwerp – http://www.sirius-migrationeducation.org/?portfolio=peer-review-report-antwerp
• Peer review: Zagreb http://www.sirius-migrationeducation.org/?portfolio=peer-review-report-in-zagreb
• The Immigrant Contribution: Profiles of grassroots organisations http://www.sirius-migrationeducation.org/the-immigrant-contribution-2/

• SIRIUS Website: http://www.sirius-migrationeducation.org/
• SIRIUS Newsletter: http://www.sirius-migrationeducation.org/newsletters/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/NetworkSIRIUS
• Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/siriuspolicynetwork?bookmark_t=page

In Partnership with:

To know more about the extensive network of SIRIUS national and collaborative partners, visit the SIRIUS website.