SR69 REPORT ON SOCIAL ASSESSMENT & PROPOSED BIAS AVOIDANCE FRAMEWORK FOR DEVELOPMENT OF CURRICULUM AND TEACHING MATERIALS FOR VULNERABLE CHILDREN Hanoi - December 31, 2014 1 TABLES OF CONTENTS ABBREVIATIONS ...................................................................................................................... 5 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ............................................................................................................ 6 INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................................... 11 1. Research background ................................................................................................................ 11 2. Study Rationale ......................................................................................................................... 12 3. The Objective of the study ........................................................................................................ 13 4. The study methodology ............................................................................................................ 13 5. Contributions of the study ........................................................................................................ 14 Part I: VIEWS AND POLICIES OF THE STATE OF CURRICULUM AND PEGAGOGICAL MATERIAL DEVELOPMENT ................................................................................................... 16 1. Non-discrimination views and policies on curriculum and pedagogical material development for all children ................................................................................................................................... 16 1.1 Views on equal access to education for all children ......................................................... 16 1.2 Viewpoints on curriculum and teaching materials development for all children ............ 18 2. Views and policies on curriculum and teaching material development for vulnerable children groups (ethnic minority children, girl students, children with special needs). ................................ 21 2.1 Views and policies on curriculum development ............................................................... 21 2.2 The views and policies on developing textbooks / learning materials ............................. 23 3. Perspectives on the basic, comprehensive innovation in education and training towards learners’ capacity development ....................................................................................................... 25 Part II. SOME INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE ON CURRICULUM AND TEACHING MATERIALS DEVELOPMENT TO AVOID PREJUDICES TO VULNERABLE CHILDREN ..... 27 A. International experience .............................................................................................. 27 1. Washington model for assessing biased contents in pedagogical materials............................ 27 2. Accessing children’s book collections using anti-bias lens ....................................................... 29 3. The gender bias in the classroom today: Curriculum ............................................................... 30 2 4. The doctrine about curriculum and education in multicultural environment.......................... 32 5. Gender equality in the education system: curriculum framework materials ........................... 34 6. Approaches for education in a multicultural environment ...................................................... 36 7. Education equality for students with disabilities...................................................................... 39 B. Experiences in Vietnam ............................................................................................... 43 1. The transition from elementary to junior high schools of EM girls .......................................... 43 2. Research on perceptions of adults and children from ethnic minorities and experiences in Vietnam. Case Study: the H'Roi Cham .............................................................................................. 46 3. Some direction in using the primary school curriculum and textbooks after 2015 for ethnic minority students in disadvantaged areas ........................................................................................ 47 4. Reviewing textbooks under a gender perspective at the national level .................................. 51 5. Studies on curriculum and teaching materials for children with disabilities ............................ 53 6. The lessons learned................................................................................................................... 56 Part III. PROPOSED BIAS AVOIDANCE FRAMEWORK IN CURRICULUM AND TEACHING MATERIALS DEVELOPMENT FOR VULNERABLE CHILDREN ......................... 58 1. Proposed framework to avoid prejudices to vulnerable children in developing program and teaching material .............................................................................................................................. 58 2. Suggestions for stakeholders .................................................................................................... 63 2.1 Suggestions for the National Assembly and the Government .............................................. 63 2.2 Suggestions for the Ministry of Education and Training ....................................................... 63 3. Suggestions for the development of programs and teaching materials .................................. 64 4. Suggestions for administrative education managers and school teachers .............................. 65 5. Suggestions for other stakeholders .......................................................................................... 65 REFERENCES .......... 66 APPENDIX ............................................................................................................................... 68 Appendix 1: Glossary of terms and explanations ............................................................................ 68 3 Appendix 2: Simulation sample of “Proposed curriculum analysis framework to avoid biases to vulnerable childrenâ€?.......................................................................................................................... 70 Appendix 3: Sample textbook analysis framework to avoid biases to vulnerable children ............. 71 Appendix 4: Ethnic Minority Development Plan: Proposed curriculum analysis framework to avoid biases to ethnic minority children .................................................................................................... 72 Annex 5: Consultation questionnaire ............................................................................................... 73 4 ABBREVIATIONS MOET Ministry of Education and Training DOET Department of Education and Training EM Ethnic minority group VNIES Vietnam National Institute of Education Science WB World Bank 5 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1. The social assessment for renovation of general education curriculum and textbooks and the proposed guidance bias-avoidance framework for curriculum and pedagogical materials development were implemented by the MOET and the World Bank in October 2014, in the context MOET is preparing for the renovation of its general curriculum for a more competency-based approach for improving its education system’s quality. In order to materialize the Party’s and the Government’s viewpoints on comprehensive renovation in education, and in order to reform education curriculum and textbook comprehensively without stereotyping vulnerable children groups, in particularly ethnic minority student groups, the research team proposed a bias- avoidance framework on gender, prejudice and multicultural issues in curriculum and learning material development. The framework is developed based on existing governmental legal documents on curriculum and textbook development and on international and Vietnamese best practices so as to inform education policy makers, curriculum and textbook developers, researchers, teachers and other stakeholders in making quality education accessible to all children. 2. Vietnam’s legal documents clearly stated the Party’s and the Government’s viewpoints on ensuring an adequate legal framework for curriculum and textbook/learning material development for all children without discrimination. 3. International and national empirical studies show that it needs to take into account of potential impacts to all the children groups during curriculum and textbook/learning material development process. If the curriculum and textbooks/learning materials are relevantly developed for all the children without discriminations against races, ethnicities, cultures, religions, socio-economic status and personal identities, children development will be supported and encouraged as they find the materials relevant and familiar. 4. Bias free curriculum development to ensure equal learning opportunities for all vulnerable children groups needs to be grounded on an analytical framework (see annex 2). All bias-avoidance presumptions needs to be viewed in the curriculum framework, subject curricula, learning topics by both curriculum developers and development process. 6 5. Development of indicators for each criteria corresponding to presumed bias level in the analytical framework. Required indicators for ethnic minority criteria (Annex 4), indicators for gender criteria, indicators for children with disadvantaged background criteria. In addition, some common indicators for all four criteria are roles of families, professions, socio-economic status, costumes, social relations, community participation, age groups, etc. 6. A number of important proposals for textbooks and learning materials development ï‚· Learning materials impact students through their ideas and concepts. If learning materials are practical, relevant, representative and typical, students will receive positive impact; different students groups will feel encouraged and supported. Good learning materials will help students to recognize oneself, respecting differences and learn to live in harmony in community. ï‚· To ensure fairness and avoid stereotyping certain student groups in curriculum development, it is essential to follow a number of specific principles to ethnicity, gender, children rights, and people with special needs. 7. A number of language analytical areas that need to be paid attention to during text developments for textbooks and learning materials are frequencies for appearances, sequence of appearances, word categories, metaphors, conversations and story analysis, etc. 8. Recommendations for stakeholders of curriculum and pedagogical material developers to avoid prejudices against vulnerable children groups. 8.1. For the National Assembly and the Government ï‚· The system of policies, laws related to vulnerable children needs to be improved to institutionalized and specified for the contents that are not consistent or adequate. ï‚· Measures and resources for implementing equal learning opportunities needs to be strengthened related to education and social policies for vulnerable children groups. 8.2. For the MOET ï‚· The MOET needs to bring the bias avoidance and stereotyping issues to vulnerable children and inclusive education (in broad terms) for all children as one of important criteria in curriculum and pedagogical material development. 7 ï‚· Capacity building on inclusive education, equal learning opportunity, multicultural environment learning, and equal gender issues for curriculum developers, pedagogical material developers and experienced teachers as key human capitals. ï‚· Development of curriculum standards and criteria on bias avoidance to avoid discrimination, equal educational opportunities for all children groups. In order to develop such standards and criteria, experienced experts of education psychology, cultural, socials issues should be mobilized in curriculum development and reviews, and there should be wide public consultations. There should be experts of gender equality, ethnic minority education, and special education in the curriculum development groups. ï‚· There should be specific regulations on the ratio of contents in the elective parts for provinces and schools in the curriculum to be relevant to learners groups in provinces. Provincial and school curricula contents will supplement the topics that are more difficult to be introduced into the general national curriculum in order to ensure equality in curriculum contents and particularities of provincial cultural and social important issues. ï‚· The MOET needs to ensure that gender equality, ethnic education and special education relevant contents are considered in subject curricula and subject learning material development. ï‚· The MOET needs to provide a framework regulation for adjustable, complemented topics in the curriculum for the students who could not attend schools or the topics to be added to ensure students can develop the qualities and competencies as required by the curriculum. ï‚· The MOET needs to organize the development of adjusted guidance of certain curricular topics or learning materials to be relevant to student groups that are likely to have difficulties in implementing certain parts of the curriculum. ï‚· In addition to subject matter specialists, there should be participation of psychology specialists, cultural specialists, social specialists, gender specialists, ethnic education specialists and special education specialists into the subject curricula development. ï‚· There should be a diversity of categories of textbook developers in terms of genders, ethnicities, religions, and socio-economic status. The monitoring and evaluation of the development, updating and implementation of the new curriculum and pedagogical materials need to be carried out to ensure these materials are more relevant for participation and achievement of education goals of all students. ï‚· The MOET should communicate the curriculum to all the public through different communication channels. For the ethnic minority groups that do not have written letter, spoken books can be used. The outreach of the curriculum to students’ 8 parents, students’ family members and their communities will enable better coordination in education. 8.3. For curriculum and pedagogical material developers ï‚· These people should pay attention to avoid stereotypes, prejudices and harms to students of difficult backgrounds, girl students, ethnic minority students, students with special needs in the curriculum and pedagogical materials. ï‚· Priority should be given to developing competency-based curriculum for all children, including creative experiential activities, integration activities and cooperative activities for all children. ï‚· Carrying out researches on international and national best practices in developing curriculum and learning materials ensuring equal learning opportunities and opportunities for completion of universal education for all children. ï‚· Identification of children at risk when studying the curriculum or certain parts of the curriculum. ï‚· Making adjustments to the curriculum and learning materials if such adjustments do not impact the objectives of developing required qualities and competencies of students in the curriculum. Ensuring that students of different cultural identities, languages, religions and personal identities can participate and complete universal education and have equal learning opportunities in continuing education. ï‚· Providing instructions in the curriculum/pedagogical materials when there are topics of difficulties to certain groups of students which cannot be adjusted so that schools and teachers can provide complementary strategies and supports to overcome in the elective parts of the curriculum or in extracurricular activities. ï‚· Ensuring that topics related to gender equality, ethnic education, special education will be considered in subject curriculum and learning material development. ï‚· Paying attention to opinions of education specialists, subject specialists, of communities in different forms to ensure that the curriculum does not create barriers to different students groups but still meet the education objectives. ï‚· Diversifying categories of textbook developers in terms of genders, ethnicities, religions, and socio-economic status. 8.4. For school leaders and teachers ï‚· Uses of curriculum and pedagogical materials in an inclusive approach, not expressing prejudices in daily uses of languages, gestures, attitudes in educational activities; ï‚· Promoting inclusive education for all children at school. Development of friendly school and classroom environment. Mobilizing resources, ensuring required conditions for all students in education institutions to have equal participating opportunities; 9 ï‚· Studying carefully education objectives required for each grade and level of education and the national curriculum and provincial part of curriculum. ï‚· Determining educational needs in provinces and those of some groups of students in one’s schools/classes ï‚· Searching for materials on curriculum/pedagogical material development to meet the needs of such groups of students in one’s schools/classes ï‚· Providing feedback to curriculum/pedagogical material authors to mitigate and erase barriers to learning participation and completion of universal education of all students. 8.5. For other stakeholders ï‚· Education is responsibility of all people. Therefore, everyone in communities and societies need to participate to coordinate to implement the new curriculum ï‚· Stakeholders in education have rights and responsibilities in making contributions to develop curriculum and learning materials through different channels. ï‚· In education, results do not come overnight. Therefore, while waiting for responses to feedback from authorities, one should not provide concerning and disturbing information to students and communities. 10 INTRODUCTION 1. Research background The social assessment for the renovation of general education curriculum and textbooks, proposing a guidance framework for developing curriculum and teaching materials in general schools in order to avoid prejudices to vulnerable children groups by the Ministry of Education and Training of Vietnam (MOET) and the World Bank (WB) was carried out in October 2014, in the context when Vietnam MOET is preparing revision of general education competency-based curriculum and enhancement of education quality through assessment. By supporting the renovation of educational assessment system, the Renovation of General Education Project aims to improve the education quality and relevance, and to build capacity for the data collection and analysis to project future policy interventions. The project outcomes are also catering to the bigger goals of Vietnam’s socio-economy development. Reality shows that, after several years of implementation, the current general education curriculum from grade 1 to grade 12 has revealed a number of shortcomings. The current curriculum is segmented and lack of cohesion among different subjects and grade levels. Although the curriculum had developed a set of standards of knowledge and skills, these standards have not been fully integrated into the practice of teaching and assessment. The application of the standards later has proven to be difficult to use because the standards are content standards rather than performance standards. Many content standards have been criticized for being either too simple or too complicated, not well-balanced combination of theory and practice, or being not appropriate for most students, especially for students with disadvantaged backgrounds, and ethnic minority students. The structure of the current curriculum is not flexible enough for provinces to incorporate appropriate cultural content and/or adjust in accordance with their own socio-economic contexts. Moreover, the desired capacities currently discussed in education reform dialogues (including problem solving, collaboration and creativity) are not included in relevant textbooks. Currently Vietnam still have not had mechanism or criteria for revision of curriculum and textbook objectives. The teaching of most education managers and teachers is mainly based on textbooks not on curriculum. Moreover, current textbooks were developed only by the Education Publishing House which raises the question of its pedagogy (according to the curriculum evaluation by Vietnam Institute of Education Sciences). The proposed framework to avoid gender bias and prejudice has been developed to ensure that reformed curriculum and developed materials express novelty, do not describe or have or negative impact on any disadvantaged groups in Vietnam, especially students from ethnic minority groups. The 11 proposed bias avoidance framework is developed to ensure that the renovation of curriculum and pedagogical materials reflect renovation without stereotyping or negatively impacting to any groups of students including ethnic minority students, students of the other gender and students with special needs. The framework is built on a legal basis under the direction of the State’s legal documents on curriculum and teaching material development, and also based on the international and Vietnam empirical practices. The proposed framework is used as a general roadmap for education administrators at all levels of education, education planners for curriculum and teaching material development, researchers, teachers and other stakeholders in education in the implementation of quality and equity education for all children. 2. Study Rationale Vietnam was the first country in Asia and the second in the world to ratify the UN Convention on the children’s Rights on 20th February 1990. The State has issued the legal documents: Education Law 1 , Law on Universalizing Primary Education 2 etc. and several other policy documents to develop education as a top national policy. The State has tried to achieve social justice in education, creating favorable conditions for all children, irrespective of ethnicity, religion, creed, gender, family backgrounds, personal development identities etc. to have equal access to education. Disadvantaged children are concerned, offered priority assistance to reach primary education level. Vietnam has also signed international commitments "Dakar Action Framework, Education for everyone: Our commitment". The Government has approved the National Action Plan of Education for All 2003-2015 on July 2, 2003. The Plan presents five strategic purposes of education for all in Vietnam, with the shift of focus of "Moving from access to quality" and the target of "Quality and relevance", demonstrating educational rights and responsibilities of the national education system for all children. All children regardless of differences in health status, intellectual, socio-economic, mental conditions, languages or other conditions are entitled to inclusive education3 in schools. Inclusive education is a process to address and respond to the learning needs of all children in the use of child-friendly, flexible and efficient teaching methods. Inclusive education calls for school concerns to all children, including children with disabilities and talent, not marginalized and disadvantaged, street children and working children, children from remote areas or of nomadic residents, children from different regions of ethnic minority languages, ethnic groups and cultures. In 2010-2011, the Ministry of Education and Training together with UNESCO International Bureau of Education (UNESCO IBE) implemented the project on "Review and analysis of 1 st in effectiveness from January 1 , 2006 2 approved on 8/12/1991 by National Assembly of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam VIII, 9th session 3 See glossaries of terms in appendix 12 textbooks in terms of gender at the national level" and the main objective of the study was to provide information to curriculum and textbook reform process, focusing particularly on improving the quality of education from a gender perspective. Based on the evidence collected and synthesized, MOET technical team has made a proposal that the upcoming process of reviewing textbooks need pay attention to the need to resolve the gender issues existing in textbooks and promote gender equality more effectively.4 The team compiled, analyzed various data indicating the presence of multiple gender stereotypes either explicitly or implicitly in the articles, illustrations and learning activities in primary education textbooks currently in use in Vietnam. Most of the identified stereotypes can be categorized as stereotyping prejudices and invisible prejudices or imbalances between the sexes. There are also 'aesthetic’ prejudices in textbooks, that is, although there appear to be gender equality in the contents of the book but prejudice still existed in implicit forms. In addition, the study also pointed out many examples of positive activities in promoting gender equality in each element/component of the textbooks and they need to be promoted in the textbook development process later. Analyzed at a different angle, curriculum and textbooks are the only formal sources of materials for students. They are frequently exposed to textbooks and most of their time at school is spent on working with teachers and learning materials. Therefore, curriculum and textbooks have large impact on students. The language, images, conversations, etc. in the materials not only help them gain an understanding of sciences, but also affect their psychology, emotion, feelings, etc. Hence, if a curriculum and course materials are developed based not only on the scientific aspects but also considered from the social impact, they will have a deep significance in the development of a comprehensive curriculum, implementing the targets of fundamental, comprehensive reform in education. 3. The Objective of the study A proposed bias avoidance framework to avoid stereotyping and bias against ethnic minority student, girl students, and students with special needs the development of curriculum and new textbooks after 2015. 4. The study methodology ï‚· Overview research of the materials including: The State’s perspectives and policies on curriculum development and teaching materials for all children without discrimination in general; and the views and policies on developing curriculum and teaching materials for vulnerable children groups (ethnic minority children, girls, children with special needs, 4 Report on review and analysis of textbook from gender perspective. 13 children with disabilities); the perspective of radical and comprehensive innovation in education and training towards development of learners’ capacity; and other relevant documents: Law on Education, Law on Universalizing Primary Education etc. ï‚· Review existing data and analyze resources of ethnic minority groups, disadvantaged groups in relation to education reform in Vietnam. Reviewing responsibilities of all levels of government, community and local organizations and provinces, emphasizing on their capacity to address gender issues, ethnic minority in the development of pedagogical curriculum and learning materials; and selecting data from key informants (curriculum planners, teachers, community leaders). ï‚· Research best practices from around the world related to curriculum and pedagogical material development; projects and studies related to developing pedagogical curriculum and materials suitable for all children in Vietnam. ï‚· Direct consultations with stakeholders, such as the Ethnic Education Department (MOET), the Centre for Ethnic Minority Education Research, the Center for Special Education Research (Vietnam National Institute of Education Sciences), The Institute for Nationalities (Committee for Ethnic Affairs), the Department of Special Education (Hanoi pedagogical University), the Vietnam Women's Union; and indirect consultations5 with children - the direct beneficiaries, especially ethnic minority girls, parents and ethnic minority communities, teachers and teaching administrators of all levels at Department and Bureau of Education and Training at local schools. ï‚· Recommend appropriate guidelines for the design of curriculum aiming at creating equality; identify and propose key points for the development of an unbiased curriculum and pedagogical materials. Proposed recommendations to the stakeholders, including: MOET, post 2015 curriculum and material developers, school managers and teachers to have a bias free curriculum to all student groups. 5. Contributions of the study The proposed framework to avoid bias in curriculum development and teaching materials will be of great value in terms of rigour and applicability. The proposed framework is developed based on a solid legal framework, including the Party’s directing guidelines and State’s policies on education equity for all children. Furthermore, the recommendations are also results of the study on international and Vietnam’s best practices. The direct contribution of the study includes: ï‚· The study has built a proposed framework including directions and clues to help compilers of the curriculum and teaching materials develop a comprehensive curriculum 5 Using the results of field studies, group discussions, thorough interviews with ethnic minority children, parents and communities of ethnic minorities. 14 and materials, reaching the education targets, avoiding unwanted effects due to defective curriculum on both students and teachers. ï‚· The study also provides recommendations for stakeholders, including the MOET, the curriculum and material developers, school managers and teachers who need to coordinate and carry out some work to develop scientific curriculum and teaching materials. ï‚· The materials in the study including summary of legal documents and policies, the lessons learned; the glossary of terms and explanations can be a source of references for educational researchers, curriculum and material developers, stakeholders or those who are interested to know. The indirect contributions of the study: ï‚· The results of the study have contributed to the implementation of the Party's Resolution on "comprehensive fundamental renovation in education", to perform the tasks set out in Resolution: "Renovation of the curriculum to develop the learners’ competencies and quality ... Renewing educational contents towards being streamlining, modern, practical, relevant to age levels". ï‚· The results of the study also aims to implement the national strategy on education for all, promote and provide opportunities for educational access and quality education for all children. Implementation of the laws that the State has issued: - Law on Protection, Taking care & Education "ensure equal opportunity to access to education of all children regardless of ethnicity, gender, creed, religion, social status" (Article 4) - Education Law 2005: "All citizens regardless of ethnicity, religion, creed, gender, family background, social status, economic circumstances have equal educational opportunities. The State executes social justice in education, creating conditions for everyone to access to learning. The State and communities support poor people to be able to learn. The State gives priorities, creates conditions for ethnic minority children, children in the socio-economically disadvantaged regions, the people entitled to preferential policies, the disabled and handicapped to have their rights and obligations to their learning." (Article 10) - Law on Gender Equality that regulates principles such as men and women are equal in all fields, are treated without discrimination of gender; regulates on responsibilities of agencies and every citizen in promoting and enforcing gender equality. Related to gender equality in education, the Law states: "Men and women are equal in the school age, training and professional development", "Men and women are equal in access to and benefiting from policies on education, training, professional development and further skill training "... 15 Part I: VIEWS AND POLICIES OF THE STATE OF CURRICULUM AND PEGAGOGICAL MATERIAL DEVELOPMENT 1. Non-discrimination views and policies on curriculum and pedagogical material development for all children 1.1 Views on equal access to education for all children Vietnam has regulations to ensure fairness, no discrimination in access to all social services, especially education of all children in Vietnam. Article 26 of the Constitution of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam stipulates: "Citizens of men and women are equal in all respects. The State has policies of guaranteeing rights and gender equality opportunities ... strictly prohibits gender discrimination. Article 37 of the Constitution states “Children are protected, taken care and provided education by the State, families and society; children have rights to participate in children's issues. Children abuses, torturing, maltreatment, neglecting, labor exploitation and other acts that violate children’s rights are strictly forbidden". Article 39 states: "Citizens have the right and obligation to learning." Article 61: "The State shall prioritize investments and attracting investments for education; cares for pre-school education; ensures that primary education is compulsory and the State shall not charge tuition fees; the state gradually provide universal secondary education. The State gives priorities to educational development in mountainous areas, island and regions of ethnic minorities and extremely difficult socio-economic conditions; prioritizes using and promoting talents; creates favorable conditions for people with disabilities and the poor to have chance to have general education and vocational trainingâ€?. Implementing provisions of the Constitution, the Party’s resolutions have also provided policies and directions for education with opportunities for all children in Vietnam. April 24th, 2009 the Communist Party Politburo of Vietnam issued a Notice of 7 missions and measures to develop education till 2020 in which the 5th measure stated "free tuition for pupils and students in preferential policy-benefitted families, poor households; tuition reduction for poor students and tuition assistance for children of low income households "and the 6th measures affirmed that" ensure social justice in education. The State focuses investments in disadvantaged areas and areas with lots of ethnic minorities, gradually reducing the gap in educational developments between the regions ...â€? To realize these Constitution provisions, Vietnam has promulgated and implemented a number of laws aimed at "ensuring equal opportunity for all children to participate in the education irrespective of ethnic, sex, creed, religion, social status "(Article 4, Law on Protecting, Taking care and Educating children) and" prohibits obstructing children’s learning "(Article 7 Law on Protecting, Taking care and Educating children). Vietnam has also regulated compulsory education "universal primary education for all children in the primary education age" and "Primary education and lower secondary education are universalized levels of education. State decides universalized education plans, ensuring the conditions for the implementation of compulsory education in the whole country. All Vietnamese citizens in the specified age are obliged to learn to reach primary education level" (Article 10 and Article 11 Law on 16 Education). Being aware of the unequal economic, cultural and social development and the diversity of 54 ethnic minority groups with about 87% of whom are Kinh ethnic and speak Vietnamese in different regions of the country, Education Law states: "Vietnamese is the official language used in schools and other education establishments... the State creates favorable conditions for ethnic minority people to learn to speak and write their ethnic languages in order to preserve and promote the cultural identity, to help students from ethnic minorities easily acquire knowledge when learning in schools and other educational establishments. The teaching and learning of spoken and written languages of ethnic minorities are carried out in accordance with the Government’s provisions". Law on Universalizing Primary Education clearly states: "Primary education shall be implemented in Vietnamese. Ethnic minority groups has the right to use their spoken and written languages along with Vietnamese to implement primary education (Article 4) and "The State shall guarantee the necessary conditions to implement universal primary education in ethnic minority regions, mountainous areas, remote areas, islands and disadvantaged areas; secure, from the beginning, necessary conditions to implement universal primary education while building new residential areas "(Article 6). In the "National Action Plan for education for all 2003-2015â€? has set a target: "Ensuring that by 2015 all children, particularly girls, children in difficult circumstances and children from ethnic minorities enroll and complete of compulsory and free primary education with good quality." Asserted to hold the above opinions and goals, Resolution 29 on the fundamental and comprehensive renovation for Vietnam education and training has set a target of "Improving the quality of universal education, the implementation of compulsory education in nine years after 2020. Strive for 80% of young people in the ages reaching high school education qualification or equivalent until 2020". Education Development Strategy 2011-2020 set the target: "By 2020, the enrollment rate in primary school at the right age is 99%, lower secondary school as 95% and 80% of young people to the level of upper secondary school education or the equivalent; 70% of disable children going to school". Thus, in the legal documents, Vietnam has secured the rights and obligations to provide education for all children and the State has to create favorable conditions for disadvantaged children, ethnic minority children to have equal access and to complete universal education and continue higher education levels. Currently, the percentage of girls going to school and completing secondary education is lower than boys; this situation is even exacerbated in mountainous areas with lots of ethnic minority people. The development of education has been uneven between regions. The number of schooling years of children in ethnic minority regions is lower than that in the city or delta regions. The number of disadvantaged children attending school and completing universal education is very limited. While Vietnam has completed universalizing primary and lower secondary education, meaning that nearly 100% of children had completed compulsory primary education, only about 40% of children with disabilities go to school and mostly go to primary schools. Very few children with disabilities completed lower secondary education and a very small proportion of children with disabilities graduate upper high education. Ethnic minority students in mountainous areas have fewer school years than the students in the plain areas and urban areas. In particular, female students in these areas often leave school early and have an average number of schooling years smaller than that of male students. The reasons varied, however the main reasons can be listed as: the backward notion of girls who do 17 not need to learn a lot, backward habits that girls had to leave school early to marry at the age of from 12-13, poverty which forces the children to leave school to support family, difficult geographical, natural and transport conditions which making it difficult for children’s going to school, the opinions that children with disabilities cannot learn; inappropriate and insufficient mechanisms and policies to ensure equal opportunities for disadvantaged children to participate in education, etc. 1.2 Viewpoints on curriculum and teaching materials development for all children Vietnam education aims to "train Vietnamese people comprehensively developed with ethics, intellect, well-being, aesthetics and employment, loyal to the ideals of national independence and socialism; forming and fostering personality, qualities and competencies of citizens, to meet the requirements of the national development and defense "(Article 2 of the Law on Education). To accomplish this goal, education in Vietnam should implement the guidelines and policies that ensure equal rights and obligations to participate in education for every child as stated above. The current general education curriculum was developed under the Resolution No. 40/2000/QH10, dated 12.09.2000 by the National Assembly of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam on the renovation of the general education curriculum. The current general education textbooks were compiled in accordance with the spirits of the Resolution 40 and have been used nationwide since the school years 2002-2003. According to current regulations, Vietnam is using one curriculum and one set of textbooks for the general education. Article 6 of the Law on Education states: "The education curriculum reflects educational goals; specifies standards of knowledge, skills, scope and structure of educational contents, methods and forms of organizing educational activities, ways to assess educational outcomes for subjects in each grade, each grade level or training level. Education curriculum has to ensure modern, stability, unity; progression between grade levels, training levels, and facilitates the streaming, pathway, transferring between training levels, training majors and forms of education in the national education system. Requirements on knowledge content and skills defined in the curriculum must be concretized into textbooks in general education ...â€? According to the Education Law, the Vietnam general education has 03 levels: "Primary, lower secondary education and upper secondary education" (Article 4). Primary education includes grades 1, 2, 3, 4, 5; lower secondary: 6, 7, 8, 9; upper secondary: 10, 11, 12. Therefore, the general education curriculum is designed for these three education levels and for twelves grades in general education. The curriculum is developed for common use nationwide. The current curriculum, especially for primary education, is developed with for class hours of 2 sessions/day. Under the current curriculum, all students are required to study and complete the following subjects: - The elementary education curriculum has 10 compulsory subjects: Vietnamese, Mathematics, Natural and Social Science, History and Geography, Music, Art, Gym, Craft, Techniques. 18 - Lower secondary education program consists of 13 compulsory subjects: Language, Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, History, Geography, Foreign Language, Education and citizenship, Music, Art, Gym, and Technology. - Upper secondary education curriculum consists of 12 compulsory subjects: Language, Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, History, Geography, Foreign Language, Civic education, Fitness, Technology, and Computer Science. The teaching methods according to educational curriculum year 2000 present many renovations, especially at the elementary level. Organization of group activities is strengthened. Some new methods such as “flour molding handâ€? and the project work have been implemented in many provinces. Educational assessment currently focuses mainly on textbook content testing. Students’ learning outcomes are often measured through periodic tests required in the curriculum. With regards to education management, the Education Law has also specified in Article 14: "The State manages the national education system in terms of objectives, curriculum, contents, educational planning, etc. assign and decentralize education management, strengthen the autonomy and accountability of education establishments ". It is stated in the Law of Education that education management levels must be responsible for ensuring proper implementation of objectives, programs, educational contents which have been generally unified nationwide for all children. Thus, Vietnam's education affirms ensuring that all children have equal opportunity to participate in a nation-wide unified curriculum. As textbooks, the major learning facilities, are the main learning materials that translate curriculum, textbooks are apparently compiled for all children according to regulation. Preliminary statistics of Vietnam National Institute of Education Sciences show that the authors of textbook compilation had expertise and experience in compiling textbooks. Of the 763 participating authors there were 171 women (mostly compiled in the subjects of social science group) and 592 men. The topics of women (67 items), minorities (33 items), disability (10 items) and disadvantaged persons (40 items) were also mentioned (mainly in Citizen Education, Vietnamese language and Literature) in the textbook. According to current regulations, Vietnam only has one set of general education textbooks to implement educational curriculum 2000. However, in the past year, for pilot implementation of some teaching materials, MOET allows to use some other materials in teaching, such as experimental teaching materials for first grades at the beginning of primary level, teaching materials of VNEN, bilingual teaching materials for minority students, special skill development materials for children with disabilities. These teaching materials are compiled differently from textbooks but still comply with the current curriculum. In short, curriculum, textbooks and learning materials in Vietnam were regulated to be unified for all children, irrespective of students’ gender, ethnicity, religion, backgrounds, economic conditions and personal development characteristics, etc. 19 Some comments on limitation of curriculum and textbooks 2000. The curriculum: On the limitations of education, the Education Development Strategy 2011-2010 reads: "The curriculum contents, teaching and learning methods, examination, testing and assessment are renovated slowly. The curriculum contents still focuses on theories, outdated teaching methods, incompatible with different characteristics of different educational establishments, regions and learners ". Overall general comments and public opinions believe that the current curriculum has placed too much focus on academic knowledge and little on application, little related to life, therefore does not stimulate students’ initiative, application and creativity. Compared with the provisions of existing legal documents, the current curriculum still has some restrictions which do not ensure equal participation of children from vulnerable groups. Specifically, the curriculum does not have specific regulations on the duration as well as contents which can be developed for regions, areas and schools. The curriculum was designed for 02 sessions/day learning for primary school children, meanwhile vulnerable student groups living in disadvantaged areas do not have access to qualified school conditions to attend 02 sessions/days schooling. In other words, for this group of students, the difficulties were duplicated. It is difficult to implement required teaching methods to be complying with the curriculum with the current inadequate infrastructure conditions and facilities at in satellite schools in mountainous areas. Besides, majority of ethnic minority students have to learn the general curriculum in Vietnamese without additional support (majorities of their teachers are of different ethnicity and students in class are from different ethnic groups), so they face more difficulties than the others. Due to limited school’s infrastructure, facilities, teaching aids and overcrowded classes in some cases, the organization of group class activities does not achieve the desired results. Inclusive education for students with disabilities, teachers and students without disabilities are not well prepared to work with students with disabilities so if there is a group activity organized, it is just formalities. Students with disabilities encounter a lot of difficulties in receiving information through senses and their constraints in cognitive skills and other physical constraints also make it difficult for them to follow the unified curriculum for all students. The textbooks: ï‚· Textbooks/teaching material contents still focus too much on academic knowledge, not on practical application. The integration of the same or nearly the same topics in textbooks of the subjects has not been the subject of attention, resulting in unnecessary duplications. The contents of textbooks/learning materials are considered overloaded to students in urban and rural areas and must be even more difficult for disadvantaged students and students of ethnic minority. ï‚· The topics on female gender, ethnic minorities, and disadvantaged people with strong learning determination are too few. This imbalance does not encourage or stimulate the participation in education of these students groups 20 ï‚· A large majority of textbook authors was men so it was natural that the presentation will be more masculine and will have certain impact on female students’ learning (this issue requires more in- depth studies). ï‚· The proportion between the image channel and print channel is not really reasonable, while the image channel is a mandatory part of the content, which makes it difficult for students with disabilities such as hearing-impaired or vision-impaired students. ï‚· Sizes of textbooks/instructional materials, font size, image sizes, colors of letters, images, etc. are not representative for all regions and areas and are not really attractive or stimulating students’ concentration and attention, not encouraging in reading and exploration of students. They are not relevant to some students with different learning characteristics and of different ethnicities. 2. Views and policies on curriculum and teaching material development for vulnerable children groups (ethnic minority children, girl students, children with special needs). 2.1 Views and policies on curriculum development The unified national curriculum is a curriculum that any student needs to achieve in order to be recognized as completing a particular level of education. However, under the provisions of the Education Law, Vietnamese language is the official language used in schools and other educational establishments. Therefore, for ethnic minority students, students with disabilities and disadvantaged students to follow the general curriculum in the right age, there are rules and guidance on supplementing and adjusting the national curriculum and textbooks for these students in legal education documents. The Education Law (Article 26) stipulates: "The Minister of Education and Training regulates the cases in which the students with early intellectual development can attend class before the right age; students learn at the later age in socio-economically disadvantaged areas; students from ethnic minorities, students with disabilities, students with intellectual and physical underdevelopment, helpless orphans, students from poor households prescribed by the State, students returning from overseas; the case of students exceeding grades, and repetitions; ethnic minority children’s learning Vietnamese language before starting the first grade. " In principle, Vietnamese students have to start educational curriculum at the right age. However, the student groups mentioned in Article 26 of the Education Law are permitted to go to school at a different age. Article 27 of Disabilities Law on Disabilities for people with disabilities states: "The State shall create favorable conditions for people with disabilities to go to school consistent with their needs and abilities. Persons with disabilities are allowed to enroll at a later age than the regulated age for general education; they are given priority in enrollment; they are exempted or waived for some subjects or educational contents and activities that their personal ability cannot meet ... " Under this policy, students with disabilities will be waived or exempted from some topics or subjects in the adjusted curriculum. The remaining course contents and subjects of the general education curriculum must still be satisfied. 21 Article 30 of the Disability Law regulates the responsibility of education establishments "Ensure teaching and learning conditions suitable for people with disabilities, (educational institutions are) not allowed to refuse enrolment of people with disabilities in contrary to the law; having to renovation and upgrading of teaching and learning infrastructure which are not accessible to people with disabilities". Thus, according to regulation, the students with disabilities are guaranteed the right to participate in the general education program and schools have to ensure the conditions necessary for students with disabilities to complete compulsory education. On adjusting education curriculum for students with disabilities, Article 31 of this Law states: "The centers supporting inclusive education development is the establishment providing curriculum contents, equipment’s, teaching and learning materials, counseling services, educational supports in accordance with the characteristics and circumstances of people with disabilities ". The contents regulated in this Article did not state foundation for which curriculum content can be individualized for students with disabilities. However, in principle, this curriculum must comply with Article 27 mentioned above and the centers supporting inclusive education development only specifies the reduced and exempted contents or subjects. For students who drop out early or do not have conditions to participate in general education, the Ministry of Education and Training issued a decision No. 13/2007/QD-BGDDT on "The literacy program and post literacy continuing education". This program is built on the basis of the nationally unified general education curriculum but it has been adjusted to reduce some of the curriculum contents or some of its subjects. The literacy program is for grades 1, 2, 3 and continuing education program for grades 4, 5. The implementation of the program is not mandatory in timeframe, but flexible depending on the learners’ characteristics and conditions. Every year, the Ministry of Education and Training issues guidance on the implementation of this program. For example: MOET issued instructions in school year resolutions in the school years 2014-2015 for continuing education (No. 4221/BGDDT-GDTX) as follows: "Continue to encourage illiterate people aged 15-60 to attend illiterate elimination class, special attention should be given to girls, women, ethnic minorities ..." . Educational programs for disadvantaged learners in lower and upper secondary education are also based on the unified educational program with some adjustments. However, if following this program learners cannot get a general education graduation diploma. In principle, students cannot continue to upper secondary education if they do not have a lower secondary education completion diploma, and they do not have higher education opportunities if they do not have an upper secondary education diploma. In other words, students with special needs who take this form of education do not have equal opportunity in access to higher education opportunities. With regard to education for children with disabilities, the Prime Minister issued Decision No. 07/2008/QD-TTg approving the "National Target Program on Education and Training 2010" which have the content of special education: "develop curriculum, compile guidelines for teaching children with disabilities in special education institutions ...". In 2010, the Ministry of Education and Training issued special education curriculum for students with hearing impairments, visual impairments, intellectual disabilities at primary school level (Decision No. 5715/QD-BGDDT 08/12/2010). Special education curriculum for children with disabilities is based on 22 the general education curriculum but it has been adjusted and supplemented with the specific skills in content and duration appropriate for the specific learners. According to special education programs, children with visual impairments and hearing impairment spend 6 years at primary school (grades 1a, 1b, 2, 3, 4, 5), students with intellectual disabilities spend 7 years (grades1a, 1b, 1c, 2, 3, 4, 5). The curriculum for grades 1a, 1b, 1c primarily focuses on developing specific skills and how to prepare students to be able to follow the nationally unified curriculum. In grades 2, 3, 4, 5, the reduction or exemption of the contents is considered because disable learners are not capable of completing them. The guidance number 4119 / BGDDT-PED on implementation of the tasks of the school years 2014- 2015 by MOET has the content: "Adjusting the content and requirements of subjects and educational activities in a flexible manner, ensuring that it is in accordance with learners’ health and ability, the actual duration and local learning conditions basing on standards of knowledge, skills and orientations to develop students’ capacity and in disadvantaged areas, regions with many ethnic minority students, the organization of teaching 2 sessions / day should consider to create favorable conditions for students to enhance their Vietnamese in various forms so that students have more opportunities to communicate in Vietnamese ". The guidance also provides suggestions on methods of teaching Vietnamese for children from ethnic minorities: "Create Vietnamese communication environment for students through Vietnamese teaching activities in subjects and educational activities; organize learning games, activities of cultural exchange, arts, making comics, the vocabulary tree; effective use of media to support listening, speaking, reading and writing skills; effective use of friendly library, mobile libraries; reading days, story-telling contest, exchanging "our Vietnamese language", ... ". For disadvantaged children, the guidance presents how to adjust the curriculum by reducing the content and adjusting learning outcomes evaluation: "Organization flexible classes for street children according to the teaching plan and timetable adapted to the learners and local conditions; the curriculum focuses on Vietnamese language subject, Mathematics to develop literacy and numeracy skills... Assessment and grading students with difficulties should be based on the level achieved in comparison with the adjusted contents and requirements under the provisions of Circular No. 39/2009/TT-BGDDT "(Guidelines on the implementation of the tasks of primary education for school years 2013-2014 by Department of Primary Education, No 5478 /BGDDT-GDTH). In summary, despite the uniformed implementation of the general curriculum, Vietnam still has regulation to allow adjustment (exemption, reduction and supplementation of a part of contents or whole subjects) to be suitable to the characteristics of personal development and the situation of students, including attention to factors such as gender, ethnicity, family economic status and personal development. 2.2 The views and policies on developing textbooks / learning materials Existing articles of related laws and regulations provide a common view that a set of textbooks for all students. Therefore, textbooks must be in accordance with the provisions on curriculum development for vulnerable children groups, MOET has compiled the textbook / learning materials suitable for different groups of students. 23 For students from ethnic minorities, there are now documents in Khmer, Hmong, Ja Rai for elementary level. This set of learning materials are compiled according to the national curriculum. The contents of the compiled materials are in accordance with cultural traits and customs of the peoples. However, as regulated, the main language used in Vietnam education is Vietnamese so along with these 3 language materials there should be materials in Vietnamese for students to learn Vietnamese. The contents of all the documents in two languages are designed as a unified whole, ensuring to match the general education curriculum when learning. After having completed 5th grade, students can study in Vietnamese language so they will use nationwide textbooks. The guidance of textbook usage in lower and upper secondary school is regulated in curriculum adjustment for students of ethnic minorities. Students with disabilities also have the learning materials developed in accordance with their development characteristics. Article 27 of the Law of the Disables states: "People with disabilities are provided learning support means and materials dedicated in case of need; disabled people in hearing and speaking learn in sign language; disabled people in vision learn Braille language in accordance with national standards.â€? Currently, students with disabilities in Vietnam are attending the three different teaching forms which are inclusion, integration and specialization. In inclusive education, the education tendency for Vietnam disable children, disable children learn with the ones without disabilities so they need to use same common textbooks with their classmates. However, textbooks are compiled to read with your eyes, so blind children can use them. To be able to participate in inclusive education, visually impaired students use textbooks in Braille or audio books. With the support of Objective Program 2, Project on Lower Secondary Development Phase 1 and Project on Lower Secondary Development Phase 2 by ICEVI and some other NGOs, Vietnam Institute of Education Science has transformed textbooks of major subjects in all grades from 1 to 12 into Braille books for visually impaired students. Some other organizations like Fair City Assembly Ho Chi Minh have prepared speaking textbooks for blind students. Due to changes in the communications channel (from visual to touching and audio), the contents of the textbook compiled in image channel has too many details and colors, which will be difficult to be converted and the textbooks for blind students will be lack of this content. Within the framework of the Objective Program 2 teaching materials for grades 1a, 1b in special schools for students with hearing and visual impairments, materials 1a, 1b, 1c for students with intellectual disabilities have been compiled. These materials are mainly composed in accordance with 5-year-old preschool curriculum and general curriculum for grade 1, added with the content of rehabilitation, developing specific skills for children with disabilities. Specifically: materials for deaf students focus on sign language, communication skills, self-service ... Materials for visually impaired students focused on Braille language, communication skills, direction motion for movement ... Materials for students with intellectual disabilities focus on teaching life skills (self-service skills, social skills, communication skills, ...) in the initial formation of school skills such as reading, writing and elementary math symbols ... In special schools, students with disabilities study one type of materials. In the inclusive and integrated schools students need both specialized teaching materials and textbooks. Some limitations of curriculum and textbooks / materials for vulnerable groups of children: 24 - When implementing the program, exempting or reducing some learning content also means reducing the students’ continuous study opportunity. - The curriculum added with some new contents will lead to overloads when the current program itself was considered heavy and overloaded with students. Students with difficulties who need to ensure the general curriculum and supplemented programs will be in difficulties to follow and be as far backward. - The learners are varied in capacities, with different characteristics, so if the guidance is not specific, it will be difficult to know how to adjust the curriculum, but if it provides too detailed instructions, there will be a lack of flexibility, hardly adaptable to all learners. - The content of the general education program and the program adjusted for different students is not accessible to the public, especially teachers, education managers mainly rely on textbooks / learning materials training so monitoring, evaluating students as well as attracting the participation of all resources in education are limited. Classroom assessments are based on textbooks, not based on curriculum requirements and often teacher subjective, therefore often lead to misconception of students’ abilities. In cases where teachers are achievement-prone, the real performance of students are lower than the curriculum requirement. As results, students may lose opportunities for higher learning. Reality shows that these students are mainly living in the mountainous or remote areas. - The materials are compiled in accordance with national cultural characteristics and traits of personal development will have a certain distance to the textbook / materials used in the whole country. - Compiled textbooks do not focus on the suitability for learners with disabilities so it is difficult to convey all essential content, ensuring that students can use in order to have the same information like their peers in class when converted. - Many concepts in the textbooks are highly abstract that are beyond the ability of perception of the students with sensory or intellectual impairment. If there are no support materials students of these groups cannot catch up with their non-disable peers. - Textbooks have few successful female characters. Women are normally portrayed as doing the jobs that do not require high skills which have certain impact on families’ and girls’ motivation for more efforts for higher education. 3. Perspectives on the basic, comprehensive innovation in education and training towards learners’ capacity development Aware of the limitations in education in general and general curriculum and textbooks in particular, Vietnam has a policy to implement basic and comprehensive reforms on education and training after 2015. The objective of general education in basic and comprehensive innovation in education and training is "focus on developing the intellectual, physical, forming civic qualities, capacity, discovering and fostering talents, and career-orientation. Improving comprehensive education quality, focused educating ideology, traditions, ethics, lifestyle, foreign language, information technology, capacity and practice skills, applying knowledge into practice. Develop creativity, self-learning and encourage lifelong learning. Complete the construction of the general education program after 2015. To ensure that students with lower secondary graduation (finish grade 9) have common knowledge background, 25 to meet the requirements of strong division after lower secondary school; in upper secondary school students have access to career and prepare for qualified post- general education. Improve the quality of education; implement compulsory education in nine after 2020. Try to achieve the percentage of 80% young people in the ages get upper secondary education qualifications or equivalent by 2020 ". (Resolution No. 29 - NQ / TW dated 11/04/2013). Resolution 29 also identified the need to "complete the development of the general education program after 2015". For orientations of the curriculum development, the Resolution set out the specific task: "Curriculum innovation is to develop learners’ capacity and quality... Renew educational contents in the direction of simplification; modern and practical, suitable for ages ... “ Teaching methods in the innovated curriculum were considered as an important mission: "Continue to greatly innovative methods of teaching and learning towards modernization; promote the positive, initiative, creative and students’ appealing knowledge and skills; overcoming the one -way imposed teaching, remembering. Focus on teaching how to learn, how to think, encourage self-learning and providing the basis for the self-renewal and updating knowledge, skills and capacity development. Shift from learning mainly in the classroom to organizing various forms of learning, paying attention to social activities, extracurricular activities and scientific research ". The document also indicates the need to diversify the textbook / learning materials: ' compiling textbooks and materials to support teaching and learning in accordance with each learning subject, pay attention to ethnic minority students and students with disabilities." According to this orientation, the learning materials are compiled for each specific student, i.e., materials needs to ensure that all students irrespective have the opportunity to obtain appropriate educational materials to complete the educational program. Implementing Resolution 29, the government issued Resolution No. 44 / NQ-CP promulgating the action plan implementing Resolution 29, the schemes to carry out the Action Program by the government include "Scheme of innovating general education curriculum and textbooks". The orientation for innovating curriculum and learning materials for all children was the focus in Education Strategy 2011-2020. One of the solutions to Vietnam educational development - Solution 3 on "Innovation content, teaching methods, exams, testing and evaluation of education quality" includes content: "implement the renewal of the curriculum and textbooks after 2015 toward learners’ capacity development, both to ensure consistency across the country and to match the characteristics of each locality ... “ Thus, the view of a unified curriculum and many textbooks / learning materials appropriate for each region and to each learning object has been specified in the legal documents in Vietnam. Perform the views on innovating curriculum and textbooks, to meet educational goals of basic and comprehensive reforms in Vietnam education; the MOET is actively preparing plans for submission to the National Assembly at the end of October 2014. 26 Part II. SOME INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE ON CURRICULUM AND TEACHING MATERIALS DEVELOPMENT TO AVOID PREJUDICES TO VULNERABLE CHILDREN Within the framework of the study, in this section we share international and Vietnam experiences with the focus on issues related to development of curriculum and materials and to vulnerable children, including children belonging to ethnic minority groups, girls and children with disabilities. With the content "International Experience", the documents are only available in English, the researchers only translated relevant contents in summary. Based on related experiences in the US and some European countries and Australia, the researcher groups proposed some international experiences as the basis for developing the bias and discrimination avoidance framework that is relevant to Vietnam. In addition, we use the educational approach in multi-cultural international environment as reference in matters of teaching in a classroom with students from different ethnic groups, from the different life circumstances, and children with disabilities. A. International experience 1. Washington model for assessing biased contents in pedagogical materials This model trusts that for all students to be successful at school it is important to recognize the impact of bias in classroom, in pedagogical materials and in teaching methods. Assessment of evidence of biases required our understanding of others, respect and appreciation of difference and similarities. The model suggests reviewing prejudices taking into account of these factors: Factors to consider in reviewing prejudices Gender Races Ethnicity Sexual orientation Religion SES Gender identity and expressions Physical Disabilities Age Family structure Native language Occupation Body size/shape Culture Geographical Setting In addition, the Washington model also points out the 10 quick ways to analyze children’s books for racism and sexism. 1. Check the illustrations. 2. Check the story 3. Look at the lifestyles. 4. Weigh the relationships between people. 5. Note the heroes. 6. Consider the effects on a child’s selfâ€?image. 27 7. Consider the author’s or illustrator’s background. 8. Check out the author’s perspective. 9. Watch for loaded words. 10. Look at the copyright date. The Washington Model also introduced some examples of biases and how to address them: STEREOTYPE EXAMPLES AND ALTERNATIVES6 EXAMPLES ALTERNATIVE RACE/ETHNICITY/RELIGION African Americans are depicted as employed All ethnic groups are portrayed as equally only independent/dependent, leaders/subordinates, as athletes, or as unemployed. Native Americans peaceable/ militant, open/secretive, are depicted as people of the past. Japanese thoughtful/impulsive etc. Religions are not Americans are depicted only as participants in presented as either right or wrong. World War II. Latinos are depicted only in the context of migrant farm work. Nonâ€?Christian religions are depicted as extreme. SEX /GENDER Boys are depicted as doing; girls as watching. Members of both sexes are depicted in Women are depicted only in relationship to men nontraditional as well as traditional roles in the (husbands, sons, and bosses); as timid, silly and family, at work, and in leisure activities. interested in trivial things. Men and boys must Members of both sexes are depicted as be fearless, confident, competitive, and independent/dependent, positive/fearful, controlling their emotions. active/passive, intelligent, emotional, gentle and caring for others. OTHER AREAS Gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people All identity groups are portrayed in different are settings and emotions – with different ranges of portrayed only as angry protestors; only in dress, activity and health. Mardiâ€? Gras type parade costumes; or only in the context of HIV/AIDS. Only nuclear family groups are portrayed, with Extended family models are depicted, where young, ableâ€?bodied, heterosexual parents – the emphasis is placed on roles and relationships father works outside the home, the mother rather works than physical proximity. 6 Sept. 2009 Washington Models for the Evaluation of Bias Content in Instructional Materials 28 inside the home, and there are two to four children. In addition to the traditional nuclear family model, family groups are depicted in which there are single parents, adopted and foster children, stepparents, sameâ€?sex parents, and/or relatives living with the family, including relatives as surrogate parents. All illustrations and photos are of young, Examples of all different ages and body types are ablebodied, thin, traditionallyâ€?attractive visible, including people of size, people with individuals. wheel chairs and people with birth marks and other physical “differencesâ€?. All identity groups are portrayed in different settings and emotions – with different ranges of health â€? sometimes as ablebodied, sometimes as healthy, sometimes as ill and sometimes with disabilities. OMISSION When nonâ€?majority and women’s contributions Nonâ€?majority and women’s contributions are to humankind are included, they are segregated interwoven with the rest of the text, as they are in special chapters, sections, units or bordered in boxes, and do not appear in context. life. The Washington models also introduce templates for evaluating instructional materials including common criteria for four main topics including gender/sex, culture diversity, personal disabilities and social economic status. 2. Accessing children’s book collections using anti-bias lens Linda A. Santora (Anti –defamation League) listed criteria for collecting children’s book to select best books that have no biases impacting children. Checklist for assessing children’s books and book collections COLLECTION Does the collection as a whole: ï‚· contain equal representation of the diverse groups that make up the staff, children and families (“mirrorâ€? books)? ï‚· promote an understanding of all aspects of our diverse society (“windowâ€? books)? 29 ï‚· speak to all children? ï‚· contain stories that meet the following criteria? STORY Do the stories: ï‚· relate to the children’s interests? ï‚· provide various conflicts for children to explore? ï‚· provide age-appropriate content? ï‚· encourage discussions? CHARACTERS Do the characters: ï‚· represent people from a variety of cultural groups, age ranges and sizes, including some with disabilities? ï‚· depicted as "good" characters reflect a variety of backgrounds? ï‚· include females as well as males in leadership and/or non-traditional roles? THEMES Doe the themes: ï‚· offer children a variety of things to think about, question and consider? ï‚· explore, instead of preach, values? ï‚· include lessons from which children can learn? SETTINGS Do the stories: ï‚· reflect a variety of settings? ï‚· represent urban, suburban and rural settings realistically? ï‚· represent cultural settings realistically? ILLUSTRATIONS Do the story illustrations: ï‚· include representation of diverse populations? ï‚· contain diversity represented within cultural groups? ï‚· include characters depicted realistically and genuinely? ï‚· avoid reinforcing societal stereotypes? 3. The gender bias in the classroom today: Curriculum7 The issue of gender bias in the classroom today: the curriculum mentioned by David Sadker and Karen Zittleman (2010) in the book Education in a multicultural environment: problems and 7 Gender Bias in Today’s Classroom: The Curriculum. David Sadker and Karen Zittleman, Gender Bias: From Colonial America to Today’s Classroom (Multicutural education, chapter 6, p142 30 prospects have made suggestions for more effective teaching in a multicultural environment (in the classroom with many students of different language, culture, ethnicity, races). The authors believed: Beside the curriculum content, there are other controversial matters. Teachers, students, parents seem to intuitively recognize that school books give orientation for what the next generation acquire and the behavior of this generation. In this case, doing research has the effect of supporting schools. Students spend 80% to 95% of the time in class to use textbooks, and teachers make most teaching decisions basing on the contents of these documents. When children read the contents of those with nontraditional gender roles, they are less likely to limit themselves in the model. When students read the content of those women and minorities in history, children are more likely to believe that these groups have made important contributions to the country. A sixth grader told us that "I like to read biographies of the women. When I learn about what they have done, I feel like a door is opened. If they can do great things, then maybe I'll be able to do it." Historical research is a journey through time, but just the journey for a few women. Social studies in elementary schools and upper secondary schools when it comes to national history often refer to as male characters more often than female characters 5 times. Beyond the invisible prejudices about women, these optional adjectives create the permanent stereotypes in language. 19th-century diplomat Klemens von Metternich described in history books popular in upper secondary school called World history: interaction pattern is that one man with "charm" suits "the elegant ladies "- wording and reality present unclear historical significance. These insights about gender and language are not often clearly explained in writing. Invisibility: what you cannot see forms long-lasting impression When groups or events are not taught in school, they will become an ineffective part of the curriculum. Textbooks published before 1960 often ignored African Americans, the Hispanic-Portuguese, and Asian Americans. Many of today's textbooks continue the little treatment for female, leading to the fact that students do not have access to the information about half of the national population. When we asked students to name 10 famous women in American history, most of them failed (Sadker and Zittleman, 2009). Similar cases of invisibility can be seen with people who have disabilities, gays and lesbians, the men raising children and playing other non-traditional roles for their gender. Stereotyping When the rigid roles or traits are assigned to all members of a group, the stereotypes often refuse contributions and individual differences at birth. For example, describe all African-American as athletes, Mexican Americans as laborers and women as doing household chores. Imbalance and selectivity Curriculum sometimes just expresses a way out of a problem, a situation or a group of people, simplifies and distorts the complex problems by ignoring the different views. The description of the woman fighting for women’s election right ignores this, sacrifice and physical abuse that women have to suffer in order to win the right to vote. Ideality 31 The curriculum materials usually paint rosy pictures of the whole nation. The historical texts often ignore the differences in social class, lack of basic health care for 10 million people, gender discrimination is taking place. For example, when describing the nuclear family including parents and children, students are told the romantic story / novel story, ideality has removed the information that students need to confront and solve the challenges in the real society. Fragmentation and isolation Have you ever read a textbook with separate sections discussing about women? For example, many current documents include a special inserted content emphasizing certain gender topics, such as "If he had two mothers, what would happen?" Or "ten women with achievements in science." Such separated contents of express women's and gender issues and are considered as interesting deviations but they also show women’s contributions which are not in the main stream of history, literature or science. Preconceptions about language Language can be a means to convey the strength of the stereotype either clearly or not clearly. The use of separate terms and masculine pronouns, words like "father", "humanity" and "entrepreneurs" turned into popular personal pronoun, "he" has denied the involvement and full assessment of women. The other examples which are not easily found include word order and choice of words putt men on the first place, as "men and their wives." Aesthetic prejudices Aesthetic prejudices give "the illusion of equality". Beyond appealing pictures, photos, posters expressing a striking diverse, the prejudice still exists. For example, the science textbook can present a clear picture of female scientists or image of scientists from different races but provide little description about the valuable contribution in the scientific field of women and people of different skin colors. Until publishers and authors eliminate gender stereotypes, this will depend on the creativity and commitment of teachers and parents to fill in the blank pages. Students like books which are interesting, great language, well written, and these books can include the characters of different races, ethnic minorities, religions, different social classes and from both genders. But the materials with equality are not enough to create an environmental education without gender bias, attention should be paid to the instruction for exploiting, using materials and teacher’s language when instructing how to use the materials in order to remove the bias in the teaching process. 4. The doctrine about curriculum and education in multicultural environment8 In 1979, Geneva Gay (University of Washington) published a document on doctrine and education curriculum in a multicultural environment (Curriculum theory and multicultural education). Gay has launched the model "Skills Basic Multicultural Integration" (integrative multicultural basic skills - 8 Curriculum theory and multicultural education. Geneva Gay, University of Wasington seattle 32 IMBS) to demonstrate the interaction between general education and planning multicultural curriculum. Particularly important issue is the principle for growth development, planning ordinary curriculum and systemic change, the implications in dissemination of the multiculturalism in the core academic skills and educational activities. IMBS model consists of 3 concentric circles with a mutual relationship with each other. The first circle represents the core curriculum - these are the basic skills typically taught in common schools, such as reading, writing, critical thinking, problem solving and specific course content and engineering. The next circle includes the activities that the educators consider essential for the curriculum development process. These activities include identifying the needs of students, the choice of content and teaching and learning materials, determining learners’ activities and teaching behavior, and selection of assessment tools and techniques. The 3rd circle is multicultural resources, this ring wraps the first two circles. This image suggests that multicultural resources (contributions, perspectives, experiences, history, culturally culture) to provide ecological context and the reference points for all operational decisions made for curriculum design. If IMBS model is used to design and implement teaching and learning curriculum, multicultural education is unavoidable for students if they succeed in basic academic study skills, as the factors mentioned earlier are considered as the context and theme for the acceptance of later factors. Banks (1991) constructed three important models of multicultural education. A model displays the organization center or the core of multicultural curriculum such as concepts, themes, topics, events and experiences common to all ethnic groups but is understood from the viewpoint of the majority group. He added an international dimension to this basic structure by demonstrating how "the education analysis" can be integrated into research on key issues affecting all ethnic groups. For example, with a multi-ethnic model studying suppression, the students analyze this issue from the perspective of different groups of ethnics in the US, such as African Americans, Chinese Americans, who American Jews. National – ethnic model focuses on ways to suppress the similar ethnic groups implemented in other countries (such as Germany, the UK, Canada and Australia). These models demonstrate the differences between these approaches depending on the mainstream, plus ethnic, multi-ethnic and national-ethnic elements to multicultural education, relating to the organization heart or core. Banks (1991) also designed the visual model to illustrate research on cultural and comparable ethnic perspectives on the major social issues and using approaches of intersubject concepts for multicultural education. These are developed basing on the opinions of three other general radical ideas in the theory of multicultural education: (a) the interdependence of the ethnic and cultural groups in the US; (b) the contribution and influence of different ethnic groups, cultures, societies in the United States in particular and to humanity in general); and (c) the demand for content of intersubject concepts and techniques to achieve the highest efficiency in teaching multicultural education. Multicultural Education Model 3 was constructed by Banks (1991) demonstrates the relationship between national culture and local culture in America. These relationships are described separately in nature, overlap, interact and collaborate together at the same time. The models indicate a member of an ethnic group with a number of cultural traits which cannot be shared with other groups, some traits that can be shared with some others but cannot share with the remaining groups; and some American 33 citizens’ and human beings’ advantageous characteristics which can be shared with all ethnic groups. These models also illustrate the idea proposed by most multicultural theorists that students need to become multicultural and develop social communication abilities culture so that they are able to operate comfortably in their own culture and others’ as well as the national culture. 5. Gender equality in the education system: curriculum framework materials9 In the global monitoring report on education for everyone, the typical case of education reform of the Republic of Slovenia was introduced, including the discussions of Slovenia government's policies as the principles and basic theory of the new education system and primary education curriculum includes mandatory and non-mandatory topics. The discussion on government policy (White Paper) published by the Ministry of Education and Sports in 1996 is described as: "A basic document on modernizing the education system in Slovenia. The presentation has established not only a goal but also the entire philosophy, foundation values for innovation and leading to the establishment of a legal framework for the change" The "introduction" of discussion presents the principles which decide general theoretical framework for the renewal of the education system before college: human rights and the concept of legimate state. Specifically: "a good education system" bases on a foundation of the profession, values and ideology accepted by all. Therefore, a public education system should be based on extensive consensus on the good models for preschools and optimization schools, while private kindergartens and private schools to meet specific requirements of parents who wish to educate their children in accordance with beliefs in ethics and their religion. Within the framework of gender equality and theoretical perspectives on tasks at school, the following principles are revealed: - Textbooks: described as a means of knowledge creating process - "official knowledge". Therefore, in the teaching process, attention should be paid to how the production, distribution and use of textbooks; to the process of creating textbooks, publishing reason, whose knowledge included in the textbook, how to implement the creation of "official knowledge", etc. - Pay attention to the diversity of culture and knowledge. Parallel learning of the foreign and national culture plays an important role in: (i) Form and popularize national culture; (ii) Understand the process of integration, immigration, political changes, etc. - A significant part is the supplements in the content of anthropology and ethnography, these subjects create a big difference in your life, satisfaction of basic needs, dressing, socializing, competition, sexual behavior, and so on. The comparison between such cultures helps expand spirit and create relationships and reduce ethnocentric (including European ethnocentric) ... " ï‚· Create equal opportunities and non-discrimination of gender, society and culture, religion, ethnicity, physical condition and morale, etc ... Girls’ rights are mentioned in the context of children's rights, emphasizing the need to move from the formalistic rights to real rights. 9 34 ï‚· The hidden curriculum (also identified as firm ideology, its present and non-presence have been mentioned): The typical subtle power mechanisms at school is like an institution in modern times, for example, campus life, teaching, communication, etc. are presented themselves - "... When discussing children’s rights, we should also talk about girls ‘rights and contradictions in the ideology of equal opportunity in unequal education system, in which members of the gender still have privileges in one way or another. With the implementation of the school with both boys and girls learning together, the discrimination presenting itself externally at the school system level has been eliminated, but the more subtle power mechanisms typical at school which are like an institution of the contemporary period (such as school life, teaching style and practice, communication between students and teachers, etc.) are teaching girls "how to loseâ€?, are still maintained in the form of "hidden curriculum". Some recommendations through case studies in Slovenia as follows: Starting with the assumption that formal curriculum have an impact on the hidden curriculum and the formation of the principles will shape the selection of curriculum content, at the same time, the curriculum theoretical framework is built. For a more balanced curriculum, the first thing is to build a diagram of cross-subject curriculum (cross-curricular) pointing out "the problem spots." Next, it is necessary to develop strategies including gender equality perspectives into all curricula rather than a separate content on gender equality, but it should be integrated into the contents. On that basis, specific recommendations can be made for hidden curriculum and strategies to encourage the participation of both sexes in learning academic subjects which are traditionally associated with gender roles. Although the curriculum is intended to refer to the differences in the family, equal participation in parliament, the types of different sexual behaviors, HIV, democracy, etc .. but majority of the curriculum is based on the idea that knowledge is "neutral", is the result of random or on-purpose selection. In this context the curricula of History, Civic Education and Ethics reveals some bright spots when they mention the issue of epistemology. The curricula include the topics which help in eliminating the concept that knowledge is neutral, but these topics do not raise this issue in details. History curriculum differentiate historical elements from individual’s perspectives / or views, but does not analyze carefully the issue of history as "always willing to settle" (how to make people recognize that the absence of women in history textbooks is confusing in terms of epistemology). Civic education and ethics subjects refer to the arrangement between the types of personal self-learning knowledge and knowledge learned from the school, but it is not reflected clearly in the curriculum. The topics listed above, along with issues of gender equality, should not be referred in isolation, as a separate topic in a subject, as Civic education, History, Social subjects. These topics should be "essential part" of all the themes, subjects, and in daily communication as if this problem exists for the longest time in ideology and in hidden curriculum which is being implemented. This explains why the general recommendations for education of tolerance, respect for differences, gender equality, etc. - 35 although this is an important step - can be found in the introduction of the most curricula and became a slogan in reform and in the academic debate widely spread in Slovenia, are not enough and need to spread further. These criticisms on the curriculum content will be accurate when it comes to sensitize educational ideology in ideological reality -hidden problems are not easily recognized and, therefore, have persistent existence. Learning materials are an important source of knowledge about the social world and orient students socially, and although the significance and interpretation are never imposed, strategies could be developed to help to clarify the "official knowledge". The fact that there are no guidelines for textbook authors will become a sensitive issue if they create a difference in gender and there are no instruction for them on how to balance gender in textbooks and teaching materials, etc. and to help them create more balance in the structure of the curriculum. 6. Approaches for education in a multicultural environment10 Carl A. Grant and Christine E. Sleeter, 2010 in the document Education in a multicultural environment: issues and prospects (Multicultural Education - issues and respective) stated: Children are different in educational opportunities they receive and the benefits they gained from time in school. The significance in education of gender, race, caste, religion, ethnicity, and language diversity does not only affect children in responding to curriculum and teaching instruction, but also influences the structure and design of the education system in general. While the diversity of social class, race, culture and language differences is increasingly featured in American class, each class is characterized by diversity skills among students. Some children quickly acquire new knowledge and skills they have learned in the relevant circumstances. Some others need repeated practice to learn a simple task and then the next day may still have difficulty in successfully implementing the same tasks. Some children start lessons with a large volume of relevant experience and background knowledge base; others learn the same lesson with a little or no knowledge or skill appropriate, relating to the lesson. Some children are sociable and join with many friends. Some are ostracized because they did not know how to be friendly. The difference in the skills among most children is relatively small, allowing them to benefit from the general education program offered by their schools. When children’s academic skills and social psychology are different but the curriculum or teaching methods do not effectively and suitably reach them, the issues of equality and benefit from the educational programs are being threatened. The authors proposed 5 approaches to multicultural education, including: a) Teachings of the Exceptional and the Culturally Different. This approach considers that the primary responsibility for teaching is teaching appropriate to all students to help them gain achievements in school and in society. This approach emphasizes the classification of students, such as students from the different colored race, special education students, or minority language students 10 Chap 3 – Race, class, gender and disability in classroom. Approaches to multicultural education. Carl A. Grant and Christine E. Sleeter. Page 62 Multicultural Education – issues and respective – James A. Bank, Cherry A McGee Banks, 2010 36 in the fields behind the main topic of traditional curriculum. The objective of this approach is to equip students with cognitive skills, concepts, information, language, and traditional values at the request of American society and so that ultimately they can organize work and the organizational and culture function of the society. Teachers using this approach usually begin with defining students’ achievement levels, comparing their performance to the level of class, of education level and then help those left behind catch up with those norms. b) Human Relations Approach This approach considers that the main purpose of schools is to help students learn to live in harmony in the world; education and social justice will lead to the fact that students learn to respect others regardless of race, class, gender, or disability, then this approach may have a particular interest to you. The objective of this approach is to promote compromise, tolerance, and acceptance among people: "" I'm okay and you're okay. The approach to human relations generates positive feelings among diverse learner groups, promote preservation of identity and pride for students of different skin colors, try to reduce prejudice, and eliminate prejudice, bias. For example, the teacher of a class with 4 cultures, gender integrated class, spends the first two weeks of every year, and some time later, doing activities to promote better human relations in the classroom. Earlier this year, he used a social program to learn the model of students’ friendship and to ensure that every child has a friend. He also used this activity to explore the negative and positive aspects in the relations between male and female. He uses sentence-completion activities to discover how students feel about themselves and their family members. He uses the collected information to integrate into his curriculum the concepts of human society and human for everyone, reduce and remove stereotype, the information helps students feel good about themselves and their people. In addition, he regularly has his presenters representing the diversity in society in order to transmit the message to all students that they can also succeed. The curriculum applying the approach to human relations solves individuals’ differences and similarities. This curriculum also includes providing student groups with more accurate information on ethnicity, race, disability, gender, or social studies to avoid stereotyping, prejudice. This guidance process includes best practices on collaborative learning, role play, case studies or practical experience to help students develop appreciation for others. Proponents of this approach suggest that curriculum applying the approach to human relations should be fully integrated into a number of fields, teaching themes and in the whole school. For example, a school is trying to promote gender equality, but the language of art lessons unintentionally make students realize gender stereotypes through the fact that girls are not expected to do it as well as boys. These activities are simple practices reaffirming gender stereotypes. While teaching method focuses on educational approach in a multicultural environment, and especially to help students acquire the cognitive skills and knowledge in the traditional curriculum, the approach to human relationships focused on students’ attitudes and feelings about themselves and others. 37 c) Single-group Approach Use the phrase Single-Group research to refer to research on a particular group, for example, studies of people with disabilities or Native American studies. Single – group approach tries to improve the social status of the target groups by helping young people check how one oppressed group in the history rises and reach achievement. Unlike the two previous approaches, this curriculum considers school knowledge political other than neutral and presenting the curriculum with men’s dominant. This approach focuses on a specific group at a moment of history, perspectives, and worldviews so that the group can develop more coherently. It also examines the group’s current social status and act in history for the group’s attention in the future. Single-group study is orientation for political and liberal action. Proponents of this approach hope that students will develop a greater respect and understanding for groups understand and are committed to work to improve groups’ situation in society. d) Multicultural Education Approach Multicultural education became the most common term used by educators to describe pluralism education. This approach synthesizes ideas from three previous approaches. Its goal is to reduce prejudice and discrimination of oppressed groups, acting towards equal opportunities and social justice for all groups, and create a fair distribution of power among the members of different cultural groups. These objectives are reflected in the attempt to reform the whole process of learning for all children, regardless of whether the school is a suburban school for white children or a multi-ethnic urban school. Schools are being reformed with the principles of equality and multiculturalism, and then will contribute to greater social reform. This approach starts by assuming that students are capable of learning complex material and performing skills at a high level. Each student has a unique individual learning style that teachers need to explore and build it while teaching. Teachers need elicit and use systems of concepts (thinking, knowledge of the world) students possess before going to school. Cooperative learning is promoted, and both men and women are treated equally in irrespective way. A diversified staff can be hired and assigned tasks without any prejudice. Ideally, more than one language is taught, enabling all students to become bilingual. Method of multicultural education is supported in order to be performed to meet the diversity at school. It is also supported for the attention to equality for different cultural groups, regardless of the group with unpopular number of students at school. e) Multicultural Social Justice Education Social Justice Education in a multicultural environment refers directly to issues of oppression and social inequality in race, social class, gender and disability. The purpose of this approach is to prepare future citizens to take action to serve the society better for the interests of all groups of people, especially people of color skin, poor people, women female, or with disabilities. This method is derived from restructuring social construction, seeking for a more equitable society for all races, social class, gender and disability. This approach also sets ethical issues and power relationships in the new global economy. It is based on George Bernard Shaw’s penetrating vision 38 (1921/2004), who exclaimed, '' You see things and you say, 'Why?' But I dream things that I never have, and I said, 'Why not?' '' 7. Education equality for students with disabilities1112 Sara C. Bicard, William L. Heward (2010) in the book Multicultural Education has introduced the Education Law for Individuals with Disabilities adopted by the US Congress (The Individuals with disabilities Act: A Legislative mandate for Educational Equality for Students with disabilities - pg 335). In 1975 Congress passed the Education Law for Individuals with Disabilities (PL 94-142). Since then, Congress has re-authorized and amended it five times. The most recent amendment is in 2004. In 1990, the Act was renamed Individuals with Disabilities Education Act make out with Disabilities individuals referred to as IDEA. IDEA is an important law marking the turning point that changes American education. IDEA has affected all schools across the country and has changed the role of the regular educators and specially school leaders, parents, and others participating in the educational process. It marks the culmination of a great effort in educators’ work, parents and lawmakers involved in the education of childr en with disabilities. This act reflects social concerns, confirming those with disabilities are citizens with full rights and privileges as all other citizens. The purpose of IDEA is to ensure the rights of students with disabilities to enjoy a free appropriate public education, including early intervention services; also to provide necessary support to monitor the state, counties, districts, schools, and educators to improve educational outcomes for students with disabilities. Six key principles of the Disabilities Education Act. These rules remained virtually unchanged from 1970 to present (Smith, 2005; Turnbull et al., 2007). a) Non-refusal Principles Schools must meet the education for all children with disabilities. This principle applies regardless of children disable at low or severe levels; no children with disabilities are excluded from a public education. This requirement by law is based on the proposal that all children with disabilities should learn and benefit from an appropriate education. Therefore, school does not have the right to refuse to offer to all children equal educational opportunities. In each state, education agency is responsible for identifying and evaluating all children with disabilities or suspected disabilities between the ages of 0- to 21 years old, residing in the state. The requirement is called the Child Find system (PL 108-466, Sec. 303.321). b) Determination of non-discrimination and evaluation IDEA requires students with disabilities to be assessed fairly. Schools or parents may request a child be assessed for special education. If schools initiate assessment, parents must be notified and agree with it. Special education must be completed within 60 days after receiving parents’ consent. The 11 Educational Equality for Students with Disabilities (Multicutural education, chap 13, tr 315). Sara C. Bicard, William L. Heward 39 assessment is not discriminated. This requirement is particularly important because of the number of children with disabilities coming from different cultures, white children, color children, children who speak English as their native language, and the other groups do not, whereas they often perform standardized intelligence tests. Tests for students with learning difficulties are often developed basing on the performance of students with average learning level in class. The test at Anglo center is generally considered unfair with prejudice against children from diverse cultural groups, these children have very few opportunities to learn the knowledge in the component of the test (Venn, 2007). In addition, in order to evaluate without discrimination, the assessment form needs to contain more various factors, including a number of assessments and observation technique to determine fairly and reasonably a child’s strengths and weaknesses. The assessment which is only a single test cannot be used as standard for a special education program. c) Relevant and free public education All children with disabilities, regardless of the degree of disability will receive free and appropriate public education. Parents of disabled children will not have to pay for this education. "An Individualized program" (IEP) should be developed and implemented for each child with a disability (PL 108-466, Sec. 614 [d] [1] [A]). Each IEP is developed by an IEP team, including (without limitation) the following components: a parent or patrons, the child’s regular education teacher, special education teacher, a representative of the state where the schools are capable of providing and supporting the design of special instructions on general curriculum and education in general ... Some of the IEP teams includes experts from other fields as psychological, physical, medical etc. d) The least restrictive environment Tasks specified in IDEA that students with disabilities are educated in the least restrictive environment. The law says that a maximum of disabled children will be educated in public schools or private institutions or other care for children with disabilities. Children with disabilities only enroll in the separate school / classes when normal classes are not suitable for children with disabilities. The relative value of providing special education services to students with disabilities outside the regular classroom, especially in classrooms, separate schools is a problem that has been hotly debated in years. However, supporting students with disabilities, including amendments in the curriculum and guiding them move toward IEP goals (Kochhar-Bryant, 2008; Schwartz, 2005; Vaughn) e) The process of self-protection. IDEA recognizes that students with disabilities have important legal rights. Law has clearly stated the school has no right to ignore special students. School are not able to make decisions about the education of children with disabilities unilaterally or arbitrarily. Due process is a legal concept implemented through a series of steps designed to ensure procedural fairness in treatment between the school system, parents and students. The key elements of due process related to special education are the following right of parents: 40 • Be informed in writing before any action cases that could alter their program (assessment, innovation, change location) • Allow or deny the assessment of special education services, reassessment or change seat in classroom or other programs. • Review all records of their children's learning There is a hearing before a third party (intermediary) (not an employee of the school) to resolve the dispute with the school system • Get a written decision after the hearing • Appeal the results of a hearing to the state department of education (School districts can appeal) g) Parents and students participate and share decision making IDEA recognizes the benefits of active involvement of parents and students. Parents not only have a right to be involved in their children's education, but also can help professionals choose appropriate goals and guidelines, provide information to help teachers work more effectively together with their children. As mentioned above, the parents are also a full member of the IEP team; their input and desire should be considered in determining IEP goals and decide on the location, and needs for related services (eg, sign language, interpretation, special transportation ). Of course, parents can not be forced to do so and may waive their right to participate. In some other countries, the issue of ensuring equal rights to participate in the education of students is also mentioned and specified. In the UK, there is a national education program for primary education for all children, even if they are attending a special school or classroom. National policies are adjusted towards increasing integration of special education into general education. UK schools are allowed to convert the national curriculum and the local education authority, depending on the special educational needs of specific students. A local council will decide whether the student has special educational needs or not and to what extent. Then the profile of the needs of the students will be created. The profile will mention the necessary methods to meet the needs of students. In Sweden, most disabled children participate in the general education system. In addition, there are some special schools primarily intended for children with social problems - serious affection. Schools will be provided with extra support to educate disabled children if they need. In the educational plan of the school, the educational goals for disabled children must be mentioned. There are no general regulations of the government of the curriculum for disabled children. When necessary, the school must adjust national education general education and daily durations according to the special needs of children. Denmark has decentralized education system strongly so there are many different types of integration, from inclusive education with teachers to special schools for students with disabilities. Students with disabilities are encouraged to participate in normal social life to the maximum. Students with 41 problems in development study in the normal school. All forms of primary education is put under the same law and common goals. Teachers have the freedom of placing the planning and organization of education. They are responsible for the educational goals they have set for children with disabilities. Parents are also involved closely in education. Parents can choose a school they think best suits their children. At each local authority there is a educationally psychological department to decide whether a child needs special assistance or not and if so to what extent. Thus, based on the decisions of educationally psychological department, schools, teachers agreed with parents to decide the programs and learning materials to fulfill educational goals. In Norway, education policy is to integrate students with disabilities into the regular educational environment. Consequently, there are few special schools in Norway. Disabled students here are not classified as disabled children. Each local government must organize education in such a way that students can participate in the educational process regardless of the skills or the type and degree of disability of the student. On a smaller level, special education institutions may be allowed in or out of school, but, if possible, at the local level. Each student with a disability is seen as a child with special needs and therefore has the right to access to an education towards personalized individual needs. National education plan based on the principles of integration, cooperation and decentralization has defined the school to make adjustments according to the needs and abilities of individual students. Thus, in Norway, the students with special needs follow curriculum and teaching materials prescribed for general education adjusted to suit the individual student. Germany tends to integrate special education into general education. However, special schools are still considered inoperable. As a high school proves that it is not capable of providing appropriate educational services the child will be transferred to a special school after an inspection. Still, legally disabled children have the right to participate in general education. In Germany, parents decide that their children attend school and the government is ready to support additional costs. For many parents, integration classes are attractive because students may be eligible for assistance and materials, additional teaching aids from the government. How to set up education plans in different regions are not the same. Schools are free to choose the method of education through local authorities. In some localities, schools are free to adjust the educational goals for students with specific disabilities. To determine what is important for each student will need to study the daily tasks carefully, anticipate the needs of their future. Studying the subject of school functions and self-help skills will helps students become independent and self-reliant at home and at school, at work, in the community. The fact that there are four approaches to teaching life skills to children: - Education programs generally follow the national standards (with or without changes). Students with disabilities are required to achieve the same outcomes as students without disabilities, although the pace will be slower to achieve. - Additional educational programs including skills, anonymous functions are generalized to apply to the daily tasks of life. These expectations are set out as a student will be able to learn some skills like reading through the identification and recognition of numbers and can use these skills in different activities at home, at school and other activities in the community. 42 - Additional educational programs include school skills to serve some specific everyday tasks in life. The goal for students is to be able to learn some school skills as part of specific daily tasks. For example, teaching a child to use the money (skills) to go shopping (daily tasks) or to teach students to use the work timetable / schedule (skills) in order to organize the work of the day (daily tasks). Being different from approaches using functional skills, in this approach the student may not have the ability to generalize the skills learned and use them in other activities that only could use some specific skills to cater to a specific daily tasks. - Additional educational programs include alternative skills to help students avoid the school skills. Students will learn how to use these skills to replace, so will not have to study the skills of school. For example, using the cash envelope (instead of using money skills); using signals to preset alarm clock (instead of using the clock skills); using color codes, etc ... In summary, in Germany, students with disabilities who learn general education program can adjust the length longer. In addition, students will have additional educational programs to develop specific skills, for living and working in daily life in the family and in society. Thus, different regulations in many countries have something in common as the following: - Ensure equal rights to participate in the education of all children. Children who have special educational needs will be supported to participate in education. - Educational programs, teaching materials for children with special educational need to base on general education program but are adjusted to suit the needs and abilities of a particular student. The decision to adjust should be made by a professional department in coordination with the school, teachers and parents. - There are more programs to develop specific skills for students to attend, participate in activities and social life. B. Experiences in Vietnam 1. The transition from elementary to junior high schools of EM girls With the purpose of improving capacity, gender mainstreaming and improving the quality of education for all, in the period 2005 -2006, MOET, UNICEF and UNESCO have partnered to conduct a study on the transition of ethnic minority girls from primary to junior high school (secondary school). The specific objective of this study is to explore the transition rate, enrollment in secondary four ethnic groups of MongJ'rai, Bahnar and Khmer in Vietnam. It also proposes solution within the framework of national policies to address barriers to the transition from elementary to secondary school effectively. 43 To achieve the objective, the researchers conducted field-visits and in-depth interviews with girls and boys who dropped out of school, organized focuses group discussions with children and young girls at school; holding group discussions with their parents and discussions with community groups and agencies in the four communes in ethnic minority groups mentioned above. Action research is also combined with qualitative research to help children, young ethnic girls, ethnic minority communities to identify barriers and come up with solutions to overcome barriers to help ethnic minority children access to education. The study results show 5 groups of main barriers that impact on the transition to secondary school of girls in 4 minority groups. In 5 barriers,3 are more influential, including: (i) Economic, financial barriers - poverty and its impact are greatest barriers to girls, the most prominent barriers for the four ethnic groups studied. Poverty affects girls under many aspects, and each ethnic group, even a different district with the different expressions. A Khmer girl says they go to school late because they often have to wait until noon when the mother brings the rice (after harvest for someone else) to cook. She says "The teacher asked me why I went late and I replied that because my family had no rice to cook earlier, so I was late for school." She feels ashamed and then drops out of school. Poverty makes their demands unable to be met, therefore they drop out of school. J'rai, Khmer, and Hmong girls, say they often do not have clean and appropriate clothes to wear to school, especially the girl students at the secondary level, so they often at home, not in school anymore. A Hmong father comments: "They don’t want to go to school with bad clothes. No nice clothing makes them embarrassed and do not want to go to school. "In the eyes of students, family economic status is often assessed through student’s clothing. "I do not want to play with other students.... I just sit alone, because their family are very rich. My family is poor, "(a J'rai girl says); (ii) Child labor is the second serious barrier, after financial- economic barrier and closely related to this barrier. A Bahnar little girl said: "I love my parents, and I dropped out of school to help my parents at home." One other Bahnar little girl said, "Dad told me to go to school, but I do not want because no one is home, my mother passed away." (iii) “ The low quality of teaching and learning is the third significant barrier to the girls of the four ethnic groups, especially Bahnar children. The school girls said that Vietnamese language was difficult to understand and to use. A Bahnar girl said, "I love reading but it is difficult. I cannot read fast, I have to read slowly. Even when I read slowly I still cannot understandâ€?. Observing a Secondary School in Gia Lai showed that in a class, most students did not raise their voice during school hours. There were 2 girls in the class but they were not called to speak or answer questions. Teacher invited students to express an opinion 26 times, but only invited four team leaders and another student, and all the students were boys (Grade 7). The relationship between teachers and students did not create a friendly learning environment. Hmong girls were very sensitive to criticism. A Hmong girl said "I'm late for school and I cannot read fluently and I am criticized by the teacher . I do not like going to school. "Another Hmong girl said, "When the teacher scolds, I feel sad and I do not want to go to school." Classroom observations also showed that teachers encouraged more criticism than praise. 44 Among these barriers, the stakeholders interviewed also mention several barriers relating to the program and teaching materials. The demand for textbooks with images and the presence of both boys and girls (women and men) of different ethnic groups pose a problem related to the curriculum that had an impact to boys and girls of all ethnic groups. In particular, in the program, the girls do not get the necessary information about sex education. This is important not only for their learning but also for the girls going to school or not. A number of girls were out of school all week during their period as they were afraid of others knowing. According to officials of a province/district: "They do not dare to ask the parents and the parents do not feel comfortable to teach or tell them about this problem, so, the girls have grown up and developed in a natural way without any guidance or help from adults.â€? The study also proposes a number of measures relating to the program and teaching materials as follows: (i) Apply the appropriate program and teaching materials; (ii) Implementation of bilingual education and teaching focusing on cultural sensitivity; (iii) To provide knowledge on sex education and skills; These stakeholders also propose some suggestions to improve the learning of the children including editing the program and teaching materials to suit the learning needs of girls. To supplement the suitable curriculum with equipment for students from ethnic and language that need to learn and need a thorough understanding of teaching skills and cultural awareness related to each ethnic group. Necessary pedagogical skills focus on the sensitivity of the culture, customs and traditions of people. The use of visual aids, songs or games to illustrate the course content should combine with the consolidation of the language and concepts in an active and creative way. The teachers find they need to be "better equipped with the knowledge on gender, sexuality education, reproductive health education to educate children (girls), because the students in secondary school have grown up, are in an evolution of the mind, physiology and they need guidance on this knowledge "(teachers in the communes of Bac Ha district). Bac Ha District officials say a special concern should be for boarding school girls by increasing the lessons of gender and sex education, guidance activities on personal hygiene and body sanitation including practical help such as providing sanitary pads for girls. Bahnar community representatives suggest: "Sex education should focus on the interaction and relationships between boys and girls; education in the classroom should not separate boys and girls, education for younger students does not tease the girls and cause disunity.â€? The teacher then says: "Classroom management and curriculum in schools should pay attention to living skill education; communication skills for girls, help girls understand gender equality and know how to protect their rights". Overall, further research has given answers to two questions: (i) What is the reason for the lower transition rate from primary to secondary school for girls in 4 ethnic groups (H'mong, J'rai, Bahnar, and Khmer)? (ii) What short-term and long-term strategies or measures can help facilitate the girls of ethnic minority groups who complete primary school and transit from primary to secondary school? The recommendations are given in the report based on practical research survey and discuss directly with ethnic minority girls and stakeholders under the lens of gender, are key considerations chosen by the researchers and stakeholders. The results of the study have a great significance in implementing the educational interventions for ethnic minority children, contributing to the Action Plan for Education for Vietnamese people. 45 2. Research on perceptions of adults and children from ethnic minorities and experiences in Vietnam. Case Study: the H'Roi Cham In “Growing Up in Poverty. Findings from Young Livesâ€? (Palgrave, 2014), Vu Thi Thanh Huong (2013) conducted a case study on Cham H’roi ethnic minority children in Van Lam resident of Phu Yen province. This study focused on a group of Cham H’roi people (of the Cham ethnic) in Vietnam and the arguments of Wong and Rowley (2001) indicated that "research designed for a single group will limit the difference in ethnicity and social status ... and thus can be far more information than comparative studies, including different ethnic groups. " By detailed analysis of factors related to perceptions of H'Roi Cham ethnic minority children and adults, awareness of the value of education and their experience of learning, results of the study are the material fact to the development of appropriate educational programs to promote better quality education for ethnic minority children and the future of the children and the community. The study results showed that: the problem of accessing and accessing to quality education of ethnic minority children continue to be improved. Using data from two surveys of household living standards in Vietnam (VHLSS98 and VHLSS06), Baulch et al. (2011) shows that although there is an increase in the gross enrollment rate for all ethnic minority children, large numbers of ethnic minority children Highlands, Khmer and Cham are the late enrollment (p.114) especially enrollment in middle school. The difference in the enrollment rate becomes most evident at high school level, with 20 percent of children from the Northern Mountains and Central Highlands attended high school compared to 60 percent of Kinh children and Chinese. A large number of children in these areas, especially girls, dropping out of school are found between layers 2 and 3, when they need to move from the village classroom to the primary school, usually located in administrative center of the commune (p. 115). The study also argues that, while the role of economic factors cannot be ignored, the only financial support for ethnic minority children does not resolve the issue of accessing to education of the children. We need to consider the reasons carefully why children stay in school or drop out of school, a comprehensive review of the factors that have an impact on learning outcomes of ethnic minority children. Through in-depth analysis of cognition and learning experiences of children and adults, the study emphasizes that the factors: poverty, teaching and learning in environmental deprivation, social stigma and the cultural values were combined in complex ways as barriers to ethnic minority children in accessing to education. An understanding of children's learning experience has revealed what attracts children to school and the children’s fear of school. H'Roi children like singing and dancing. Their impression about school is playing, singing and dancing with friends. The children love gentle, kind and caring teacher. And they are particularly interested in learning then they can understand and do exercises. However, they have a few happy occasions like that, they often find learning is hard to understand. They learn an unfamiliar language and teaching methods are not appropriate to their learning. Research has launched a typical case of Y Mich - one pupil and the whole family is proud of him because he was in grade 10. However, he's decided to leave school after only two weeks of admission. The main reason is found through a Mich Y’s friend's words that it is because he is the 46 only H'Roi student in his new class. He wants to move to a class with his friends, but he is rejected. Later, school also agrees with the students’ wishes, but it is too late because he decides not to go back to school. It can be seen: the number of different factors to determine the impact on H'Roi Cham children's learning, poverty is clearly the most common barrier to them. However, research results have shown clearly that the resolution of economic problems will not solve the problem of children dropping out of school. We need to take measures to strengthen the participation of parents in the learning and motivating children learning. Schools need to innovate the content, forms and methods of teaching to improve learning outcomes of children, to help minority students overcome the language barrier, create a friendly environment, reduce discrimination, distance to make them feel happy and familiar when going to school. Thus, in contrast to the approach of transition research (mentioned above) focusing on four different ethnic groups, this study only focuses on one ethnic group. However, the findings of the study again confirm the barriers in accessing to education of children / girls of ethnic minorities and the practical solutions to overcome these barriers. Results of the study are to contribute to the policy dialogue and practices, to promote equal educational access and quality for ethnic minority children in the country. 3. Some direction in using the primary school curriculum and textbooks after 2015 for ethnic minority students in disadvantaged areas The summary of results of the institute level research tasks 2013 of the Vietnam Institute of Educational Sciences about applying some orientation curriculum, textbooks, and popular primary schools after 2015 for minority students in disadvantaged areas shows: Applying national curriculum flexibly, consistently with the view in Resolution No. 29-NQ / TW on innovating the curriculum, common textbooks after 2015. Applying is consistent with economic-educational program development experience of countries in the region and the world to build the program towards opening research as well as practical, deploy program, general school level textbooks in the minority in last decades. The regions and school base on national program to plan school education consistent with the circumstances, conditions and still achieve their objectives and standards of the program. The study also gives some hints on the application of general school program after 2015 for minority students in disadvantaged areas are shown as follows: (i) Program Target: The goal of general school program is general requirements for students nationwide. For minority students in disadvantaged areas, the goal is applied flexibly to suit the characteristics of each region and Vietnamese language skills of students, ensure achieving the overall objectives of the country. Applying flexibly when determining the objectives to be achieved in each class, setting specific stages according to disadvantaged areas but guaranteed after the end of grade school, students must achieve the common goal of educational levels; (ii) Content: In addition to general compulsory content for students nationwide, national programme consists of the section for local and educational institutions to select. Local authorities, schools use national program flexibly to plan school education consistent with the circumstances, conditions and 47 still achieve their objectives and standards of the program. Teaching content shows in the local spirit of minority students which should focus on a central issue as follows: (a) Content with local, ethnic factors Ethic minority region is rich in cultural identity of the region which should be exploited to serve the goals of education in respecting the particular nature. The content should include practical, close knowledge and taking advantage of the high association with local experience with minority students. In addition to local knowledge, manufacturing experience, use knowledge of national culture for students to practice, apply in everyday life, cultural education content, local history in particular: Some historical characteristics of ethnic minorities residing in the locality: The fight, building and protecting ethnic homeland; The main events of local history; the historical figures, cultural figures of the local. Some natural & social characteristics: Topography, geography; climatic characteristics; some landmarks or typical landscapes; population characteristics, status of residence; modes of production and cultivation of ethic minority; crops, livestock and local produce; transport and special vehicles; typical changes in the landscape and the production. Some traits of national culture: Culture of Ethic Minority is expressed in Architecture houses, temples, shrines ...; some traditional crafts, customs residents, cuisine, dress, customs, communication behavior; Traditional festivals, traditional festival of nations; literature and art, traditional dance, folk games of ethnic typical local residents. (b) Creative experiential activities The contents of creative experiential activities are attached to life, local, community, country and easy to apply in practice, integrate multiple fields of education, discipline and designs into themes of open nature and relatively independent for students and school to select and implement effectively. Based on the reality of the characteristics of the ethnic and minority student groups, creative activities regardless of the following fundamental issues: First, strengthen the activities related to the language of communication: Toward the development of general capacity and individual capacity for minority students, especially the ability to use Vietnamese language (TV) of minority students . Designing appropriate topics such as education act of cultural communication; practice the cultural norms of classroom behavior; create situations for students to communicate. Second, focus on the education of ethnic cultural values: The contents of moral education, civic education, physical education and aesthetic education in the direction associated with national cultural content. Handling these cases the general behavior standards has shortcomings with the customs and practices of local, national cultural characteristics of the students. 48 Providing local knowledge through creative activities: how to deal with people; how to deal with flood and natural disasters; how to protect the natural environment; tillage, husbandry; organization of the festival; how to maintain the customs and traditions; healing with folk remedies, ... Third, focus on essential life skill education for minority students: In addition to the integration of life skill education which is appropriate to the content of some subjects through activities such as role play, games, storytelling, teamwork, experience, ...). Life skill education for children through educational activities; specialized activities; experience; interactive games; visits to historical sites; plant trees; hygiene school... (c) Strengthening Vietnamese for ethnic minority students - Enhancing Vietnamese is an important element in the process of applying general school program in ethnic minority areas. Enhancing Vietnamese for minority students should be conducted in two phases: Prepare in class 1 (kindergarten age 5) and early stage (grades 1,2,3). o At kindergarten age 5: minority students in disadvantaged areas, particularly ethnic minority group, we need to spend a lot of time for students to talk Vietnamese with activities with the Vietnamese operation. o In the first grade level, especially in grade 1, spending as much time as possible for students to talk Vietnamese (based on local reality, the ability of speaking Vietnamese of students, ..). - Enhancing Vietnamese in subjects in the program and other educational activities; enhance Vietnamese by creating an environment for student to speak Vietnamese (in school, community and family, ...). - In the process of strengthening Vietnamese, we can complement national culture, local knowledge, manufacturing experience, ... (4) Spending time learning ethnic languages and foreign language for minority students - With the subject of ethnic languages, Decree No. 82/2010 / ND-CP of teaching and learning spoken and written languages in the basis of ethnic general school program: ethnic languages in elementary school as a subject for discourse literate language that is being taught in schools, contributing to the maintenance, preservation and development of minority languages; preserve and promote the cultural identity of minorities. As a discipline, ethnic languages are likely to support ethic minority students to learn Vietnamese better. The Joint Circular guiding the implementation of Articles 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 of Decree No. 82/2010 / ND-CP of July 15, 2010 of the Government mentions teaching and learning spoken and written ethnic languages in the basis of ethnic general school program. The local initiative plan to teach in accordance with their deployment capabilities (planning teaching ethnic languages placed in general education level for local program, professional textbooks for ethnic languages 49 In the draft of education program after 2015, ethnic language is an elective course, not a compulsory one which can be started or finished learning from any grade from grades 3 through grade 9, to encourage minority students to choose these hours as required for teaching and learning ethnic languages. Thus, in the minority, these languages have been issued, with the program, textbooks; the local needs organize teaching ethnic languages as subjects for minority students. - For foreign language courses, the draft of education program after 2015, Foreign Language as a compulsory subject from grade 3. In applying middle-school program after 2015 in ethnic minority areas, we should care about this subject, especially with HS DT RIN group (group most ethnic minority students). With minority students, Vietnamese language is truly a second language or a foreign language which is unfamiliar. In the context students must learn two languages (Vietnamese and another language), the application of the program should also be flexible to local or even individual schools (especially local school groups of minority). Teaching foreign languages should take psychological characteristics, physiology of minority students into account; the transference and integration from the mother tongue of the students and Vietnamese at the elementary level. We should enhance teaching facilities and meet other conditions to make minority students qualified in senior subjects. (iii) Methods of teaching: Continue to innovate teaching methods towards modernization; apply the methods and techniques of teaching in a flexible manner, consistent with the content, objects and specific conditions of local schools: The peculiar method for students (taught Vietnamese as the second language; teaching the courses in a second language, multi-grade teaching methods); focus teaching and learning and the ability to self-study, overcome the one-way traditional teaching. Appreciate the creative activities, life skills education, application of information technology and communication in teaching and learning. (iv) Teaching language in schools: Vietnamese is the official language used in schools. Therefore, students must be fully prepared before entering the Vietnamese classroom which can be flexibly in Grade 1. Using the minority language the teaching process as a tool to help students understand the lesson content. (v) Education Plan: Duration a 35-week school year, 5 days per week to study, study 2 sessions per day, not more than 4 periods in the morning, not more than 3 periods in the afternoon. 40 minutes each . The total duration of the primary level of education is not more than 6125 periods. In ethnic minority areas, we can flexibly adjust educational plan to suit the characteristics of each region (the Vietnamese ability of students before entering Grade 1, the weather, the crops, culture, festivals,. ..). Staffing needs extended school year (especially for 1st grade students to enhance and develop Vietnamese skill for students). (vi) Assessment: The program performs test and evaluation at the request of capacity development,the use of knowledge, know the methods and creativity. In addition to the general provisions of the National Program, we should take the specific characteristics of ethnic minority students in disadvantaged areas into account when providing test and evaluation. 50 Thus, although new research is limited to primary level, but the research proposal is important to refer to program development and suitable teaching materials for minority students, to help them reduce difficulties in accessing educational materials of the programs. They will feel confident when they see the presence of their people in the document, on the basis that they will develop the full potential of themselves, just to maintain the nation's cultural identity and inclusive learning environments in general. 4. Reviewing textbooks under a gender perspective at the national level In 2010, MOET and UNESCO conducted a study: review of primary education in terms of gender at the national level. Through research and other studies around the world have confirmed the very important position textbooks in the provision of education and quality learning. The textbook is the "visible" in the curriculum. Consequently, designing, compiling and using a textbook effectively and in accordance with the criteria of teaching materials. The study gives an example of a list of criteria for comparing in the table below: Figure 1: List of quality criteria for compiling and implementing textbooks Aspects associated with the Criteria for quality development and use of textbooks Content • Selective and organized • Relevant • Meaningful to the learner to help students understand the requirements, context and general knowledge • Ease of access • Interesting and encourage learners • Supporting capacity development, such as the skills to apply higher mind (eg skills with critical thinking, problem solving skills, assessment and self-assessment; ready to absorb the new ones); social skills and emotional awareness; communication skills, and so on. ) • No Prejudice Reflecting pedagogy • Approach learner-centered center • Linking practice and theory • Methodology based on surveys and raise issues • Encourage formative assessment or evaluation progress Language and style • Suitable for age students and school context • Easy to understand presentation • Interesting and encourage learners 51 • No Prejudice Illustrations and the shaping • Consistent with the age range of students and academic context factors • Easy to understand presentation • Interesting and encourage learners • No Prejudice Convey the values and send a •High-value content, such as tolerance and to respect; inclusive; message social justice; management, constructive management of diversity and conflict; gender sensitivity and gender equality • Positive and proactive towards the future The document also provides: Analysis Framework of Gender Biases in Textbooks (24) (Bloomberg research model (2007, p. 52-54) Classification of gender stereotypes Definition Example The Invisible Prejudice …………….. ……………….. Unbalanced and selective Prejudice Preconceived stereotypes Non- practical Prejudice Fragmentary and isolated prejudices a Aesthetic prejudices The analysis of primary school textbooks towards determining the gender stereotypes in the book should look into these aspects and the different elements of the textbook, including: - Authors of textbooks - it is important that the learner needs to know both women and men can be the writer of textbooks. The one gender dominates over the other gender (or completely covered) in many different situations that can lead to thinking that sex is only matched by various specialized fields. Also, if only men are authors of textbooks, the voices and experiences of women will be eliminated. - Lessons learned in textbooks (the account) - raise the personality traits of men and women; give specific examples (eg consider whether the quotations in the book have given examples of both sexes when it comes to the thinkers, politicians, celebrities or not, etc.) . - Suggestions for activities for students - consider whether the activity is a balance between boys and girls; if both sexes are assigned to the task of leading and organizing capacity in these activities the same or not. - Principles of learning reflected in the methods of teaching and learning - the learning materials have been introduced differently or not; whether teaching and learning methods suggested through textbooks promote gender equally or not. 52 - The evaluation step - whether the assessment takes gender issues into account or not (eg, whether students of both genders can be equally confident they are assigned complex tasks instead suggesting they should be done differently - different ways of learning should not be suggested by gender of students but follow individual capacity). - The illustrations and design - how men and women are recognized over images in textbooks; whether these pictures always bring sex balance; graphic data elements have avoided expressing different objects (especially women) in situations deemed to be poor or marginalized or not; whether such images offend nature of women or not Based on the factors mentioned above, give the indicators: - The presence of different kinds of prejudice when presenting learning content and the title of the lesson; - The presence of different kinds of prejudice in suggesting methods of teaching and learning; - The presence of different types of biases in assessing the situation; - The presence of different kinds of prejudice in presenting illustrations and graphic design; - The presence of different kinds of stereotypes about who write textbooks. In addition to the detection of the presence of gender stereotypes in textbooks, these indices should be developed such as: - The index compares the presence of different kinds of prejudices in the subject and in every grade of primary education (research question is: what subjects in what areas and grade levels are often affected by these gender stereotypes most?); - The index compares the presence of different kinds of prejudice through a perspective of time /history if possible. 5. Studies on curriculum and teaching materials for children with disabilities After many years of educating disabilities in the direction of special education, the number of students with disabilities attends schools, specialized center in 1991 less than 1% of the total number of children with disabilities (compared to about 7,000 children compared to 1 million children with disabilities). In the school / special education center, students enrolled under the program dedicated to subjects with various types of disabilities. The program is basically based on the popular program, but was built under the direction of reducing the subject or that section disabilities find difficult to learn. Teaching materials in special schools were also based on the view to reduce the content of general education. In fact, in these years, Vietnam education is to implement the teaching process and evaluate the results of didactic education rather than educational programs. Besides, special schools have developed educational programs with specific skills for students with disabilities. These skills are primarily focused communication skills, social skills, self-service skills. Recognizing the limitations of special education that cannot meet the learning needs of all students with disabilities and special educational programs impede learning after graduation of students with 53 disabilities. In 1991, the Vietnam Institute of Educational Sciences tested the methods of integrating students with disabilities. Trials were conducted in Tien Giang and later at Tu Liem, Hanoi, Thuong Tin (Ha Tay) and some other provinces in the country (in Ninh Binh, Quang Ninh, Hoa Binh ...). Experimental studies have demonstrated the majority of students with disabilities can learn to integrate if getting the support they need. With the results obtained, Vietnam MOET has decided to intergrate education oriented general students with disabilities in Vietnam. Through inclusive education, the number of students with disabilities are attending school more. According to the Vietnam Institute of Educational Sciences , the year 2005 had 22.43% and the 2013-2014 school year there were about 40% of all children with disabilities participated in education. For more specific guidelines for the implementation of inclusive education of people with disabilities, Ministry of Education and Training has specified 23/2006 / QD-BGDDT, dated 22/5/2006 on inclusive education for disabled / handicapped. Article 10 of receiving students states: "At the preschool and secondary level, when a students with learning disability integrate, the class sizes are reduced by 5 people, based on the average number of students of the school, but not more than 24 students in the class. "Article 12 on "Building an individualized education plan for people with disabilities" stipulates: "Every person with a disability are set personal educational records, including information about: capabilities, needs ; personal characteristics; annual goals and objectives of the semester; execution time; content, performance measures; the implementation; evaluations and adjustments for learner assessment. Individual education plans for disabled people are built on the basis of education, teaching general plans and needs, the ability of people with disabilities under the guidance of the Ministry ". Article 19. Rights of persons with disabilities integrate learning rules: "Age of persons with disabilities in school age may be higher than the other students as prescribed by the Ministry of Education and Training and are interested in helping to ... Reduce some subjects exemption cannot be met due to disability caused, depending on the specific case Rector and director of education and training decide to reduce for people with disabilities to enhance learning in the subjects that students have the ability to meet and considered for transfering grade to higher education on the subject ... people with disabilities have needs special supports, arrange individual lessons outside the classroom activities to integrate common students with people with disabilities ". Textbooks / teaching materials are specified in Article 21 of the library and textbooks: "There are books and documents in accordance with the learning needs of people with disabilities. There are textbooks and curricula in accordance with special learning requirements of people with disabilities. Encourage educational institutions and individuals to compile a resource book for people with disabilities ". Thus, under this provision, inclusive education of students with disabilities in Vietnam will use the general education program and adapted to the characteristics of personal development, needs and abilities of the individual student could. The adjustment not only reduce the subject, some of the course content, but also introduces the special program requested by students with disabilities. Regarding textbooks / teaching materials, in addition to using the textbook, students with disabilities may be provided additional textbook / learning materials according to individual needs. 54 Despite the relatively specific rules but for some reasons and under different conditions in the national or local level, to the early years of the twenty-first century, the implementation of programs and textbooks for students with disabilities still have many shortcomings. Many localities do not have the center to support inclusive education and there is no expert on special education, therefore, the identification of needs and capabilities of students with disabilities cannot be performed. In other words, we cannot adjust the program and determine the educational programs to develop specific skills for students with disabilities. Regulations on the number of students in the class (no more than 24 students) to implement inclusive education program also becomes impossible for populated areas, especially in big cities. Many technical problems cannot be solved in order to provide textbooks / instructional materials for students with disabilities. For example, Vietnamese Braille system for the blind language is not in the national unity; differences in body language, gestures of deaf people in the local ... To solve these difficulties, the Vietnam Institute of educational science conducted a series of studies to guide the implementation of inclusive education of students with disabilities. The literature on inclusive education of students with disabilities at all levels is compiled, move from the schools to the locality. Some reference books, reference materials, such as education of children with disabilities - some theoretical issues and practical questions and answers about inclusive education of children with disabilities, inclusive education for blind children, inclusive education children enter slow intellectual development ... has been published. In this document, the guidelines on adjustment programs, develop rehabilitation programs, develop specific skills and education plans for students with the types and severity of various disabilities been mentioned. To meet education need for students who cannot participate in inclusive education, MOET has assigned the Vietnam Institute of Educational Science to develop special research programs for students with learning disabilities in the school / center of education and specialized education. Special education program was implemented under Decision No. 5715 / QD-BGDDT 08/12/2010 outlined in Section 2.1. Before compiling the books for the school / specialized center according to Decision No. 5715 / QD- BGDDT, the Vietnam Institute of Educational Sciences has studied the unified system of Braille symbols of Vietnamese language, converse textbooks into Braille books for visually impaired students and researchers collect system gestures language of deaf people in Vietnam. The results of this study have been delivered and braille textbooks are for grade 1 to grade 12 for students with visual impairments and documentation of a language of symbols gestures by region , 1600 notation gestures language of deaf people ... (not yet widely available). Difficulties with regard to textbooks / teaching materials for students with disabilities will arise when there is a decision on one single curriculum and several sets of textbooks in Vietnam. The curriculum does not have a big impact because under the current texts, the adjustment to suit each object is still possible. However, textbooks will be provided by provinces or school or teachers to follow the curriculum. Thus, when taking inclusion classes, students with disabilities will have to learn the same kind of textbooks/learning materials for the class. The Vietnam's localities are currently unable to 55 convert and adjust the textbooks to Braille books and the construction of additional materials concept for deaf students, students with intellectual disabilities ... In other words, the risk of no textbook for students with learning disabilities is very big. This very important issue requires the attention of policy makers, strategic education planner for education of students with disabilities in the years after 2015. 6. The lessons learned Through research, national and international analysis and practical experiences showed that: 1. The curriculum and pedagogical material development should pay attention to the enormous social impact of the curriculum to children groups. If the curriculum and materials are practical and suitable for all children whether they come from cultural groups, ethnic groups and different societies, with different voices, the students will see the content and positive images and feel supported and encouraged. Moreover, good curriculum and learning resources will further encourage students to know and appreciate the difference between themselves and others, respect themselves and others around, proactively participating in education and holding no prejudices to peers. 2. In fact, children in any classroom, at any school are very different. The initial difference that may be seen immediately are the diversity of shapes, skin color, hair color, clothes, height, weight ... If looking carefully at learning activities of the students closer, we will see the way each child interact with the curriculum and learning materials is very different. Particularly when the children come from minority ethnic groups and languages of different cultures, boys and girls, children in difficult circumstances, particularly disadvantaged. It can be seen that if children in advantaged areas can bring with them to class their rich understanding thanks to accessing to multiple sources of information-rich media, the Vietnamese of ethnic minority children (especially ethnic minority children in primary ) is still poor, understanding is limited because many children prior to school is not far from his village. Therefore, the development of the curriculum and materials should take into account the diverse characteristics of students who use the curriculum and materials. 3. Due to characteristics of Vietnam's ethnic multi-ethnic country, including 54 different ethnic groups, of which the majority of ethnic minority groups often reside in the highlands and mountainous, complex terrain, socio-economic difficulties and social services is limited, so part of children, especially girls are lack of accessing to education, especially secondary or higher education. Ethnic minority children, especially girls still face many barriers in accessing to education. One of the barriers is related to curriculum and teaching materials. So developing the program materials to reach educational goals must be considered in order to avoid damage to the disadvantaged groups, especially children, ethnic minority girls. 4. When building the program, teaching materials need to pay attention to the contents of local factors, ethnicity, such as: historical events, historical figures, celebrities, local culture; Some natural & social characteristics: Topography, geography; climatic characteristics; some landmarks or typical landscapes; population characteristics, status of residence; modes of 56 production and cultivation of Ethic Minority; crops, livestock and local produce; transport and special vehicles; Typical changes of scenery, the production .; Some traits of national culture: Culture of ethnic minority is expressed in Architecture houses, temples, shrines ...; some traditional crafts, customs residents, cuisine, dress, customs, communication behavior; Traditional festivals, traditional festival of nations; literature and art, traditional dance, folk, typical games of ethnic local residents. 5. Inclusive education is selected by MOET as primarily for the education of students with disabilities in Vietnam. Through inclusive education, the number of students with disabilities attending school increased markedly. Inclusive education of students with disabilities in Vietnam will use the general education program which is adapted to suit the characteristics of personal development, needs and abilities of each individual student. The adjustment not only reduces the number of subjects, some of the course contents, but also add new programs according to special demands of students with disabilities. Textbooks / teaching materials also specify that beside using the textbook to learn content, students with disabilities may be provided additional textbook / learning materials according to individual needs. 6. Some principles of avoiding biases for vulnerable children in developing curriculums and course materials can be referenced as follows: - Frame analysis can identify the independent variables such as topics, level, publishers ... .; and the major dependent variables (gender, age, disability, ethnicity, parents ..; and a series of further dependent variables. Frame analysis should also identify patterns in one or more fields mentioned in a positive or passive way. - The study of analyzing language: how to use language to avoid stereotypes. Needing to check the words, phrases, clauses, dialogue and narration. Language can be used metaphorically. Using symbolic language can reflect attitudes and beliefs mold, additional linguistic analysis for content analysis. Analysis of language is very important, it not only provides quantitative information about the characteristics of the character mentioned, but also allows speculation about the relationship between the characters (who does what to one) and the relationships between the characters and the material objects (including people relationships with others). Linguistic analysis focuses on the contextual meaning of each individual, that is, the environment in which the grammar of the language special happened. In summary, the analysis of the language allows the exploration of stereotype problem as it is expressed through the choice of language or structuralism. - Clarifying elements forming stereotypes and prejudices. Which represents the analytical methods: qualitative content (text analysis) (Mayring, 1996); - - Analysis of the image (Kress & Leeuwen, 1996) and critical analysis of speech (Fairclough, 1995) - Clarifying the elements that make up the cultural and national identity, local, regional diversity creates. 57 Part III. PROPOSED BIAS AVOIDANCE FRAMEWORK IN CURRICULUM AND TEACHING MATERIALS DEVELOPMENT FOR VULNERABLE CHILDREN 1. Proposed framework to avoid prejudices to vulnerable children in developing program and teaching material 1. Develop programs to avoid bias, prejudice to the vulnerable groups of children should be based on an analytical framework, including: (i) Assumptions prejudice field, such as: the learning topics; Prejudice by level of education; Prejudice by editors; Prejudice by way of implementation (ii) The criteria for analysis to avoid bias, focusing on: ethnic groups, gender, disability, age. Four basic criteria analysis in the past were considered: content analysis (text analysis, essays, messages), through image analysis and words analysis (word saying, the examples, speakers). (iii) Construction of indicators corresponding to each of the above criteria, consistent content in rows (i) and the content of the post (ii) * Note: the analysis should also consult the users of curriculum, textbooks, beneficiaries, ethnic minority education specialists, gender specialists, special education specialists and other stakeholders 2. Developing the index for the criteria corresponding to assumed bias levels The index for each criterion should be considered through the content (text, essays, messages), through images and verbal language (speeches, examples, speakers ). 2.1. Indexes for ethnic minority’s criteria: There should be an equality and balance in the appearance of the elements related to different ethnic groups in the contents, main characters and illustration images. In particular: - The equal and fair appearance of the characters belonging to different ethnic groups: Kinh, other ethnic minorities in texts, stories and illustrations. - EM characters are presented in diversity of life styles and in leading roles, in decision making roles and participation roles in social activities. - The topics of biography or history needs to include EM characters and their social contributions. - All ethnic groups are featured fairly in all aspects addressing leaders or ordinary people; in intellectual works or manual works; in success and failure, etc. - Individuals of minorities and majorities are featured as working together in workplace, communication, in community activities, in school or office. 58 - Presentation of diversity of different provinces in Vietnam, ethnic groups in Vietnam: historical events, historical figures, celebrities, local cultures. - Presentation of natural and social characteristics: topography, geography, climate, some places/landscapes, typical residential characteristics, mode of production and the cultivation of ethnic crops and livestock, local produce, transport and special vehicles, landscapes, scenes of production and daily life; - Presentation of typical traits of national culture: architecture houses, temples, shrines ..., craft traditions and habits reside, cuisine, dress, customs, communication behavior; Traditional festivals, traditional festival of nations; literature and art, traditional dance, folk games of ethnic local residents. Three main groups of criteria need focusing in “EM criteriaâ€? are specified in Annex 4. 2.2. Indicators for Gender criteria The topics, grades, editors, learning ways need to take into consideration the balanced appearance of female and male characters in the content, images. Avoiding unplanned frequencies of appearance of male and female characters, leading to bias. In particular: - Avoiding the featuring of females as the ones staying outside of important things; and males as the ones in charge of social affairs. Both men and women need to be featured as equal and fair in participating in home and social activities. - Both men and women are featured with qualities as leading, smart, brave and caring. - Both genders are featured in traditional and non-traditional roles at home, at work and in social activities. - biographical and historical Topics need to include characters of both genders and their contributions to social development. - Both genders are featured fairly as the central characters in stories, dialogues and in illustrations. - Usages of neutral words, avoiding stereotyping languages; using words like pilots, military person, police person or nurses etc., instead of pilot men, military men, policeman, miss nurses, etc. 2.3. Indicators for criteria for students with disabilities13 - Individuals with disabilities should be appear as equal to other individuals in the content, images, language, through the topics at different grades - There are no words focusing on the shortcomings and weaknesses of the people with special needs 13 Children with special needs including orphans; homeless orphans; dropped children; children with disabilities; children victims of orange toxics; HIV/AIDs infected children; children workers living away from home; children working in hazard conditions; nomad children; abused children; drug addicted children; children delinquencies. (Article 40- Law of children protecting and caring and education) 59 - Emphasizing on the words indicating responsibilities, efforts and strong wills to overcome difficulties and affirm oneself of people with special needs. - Featuring these people in different situations: healthy/sick, ordinary/disable, tall/short, etc. - There should not be focusing on traditional families but there should be description of families where there are only a single parent; adopted parent; gay parent and/or living with relatives. - Good qualities of characters such as leadership, intelligence, creativeness, diligence are featured fairly to all groups of people including people with special needs. - All individual including those with special needs are featured at work and communication equally. In addition to the indicators corresponding to each of the criteria mentioned above, a number of indicators that are common for all four criteria should be considered are as follows: The role of the family: The content, images, words reflect the relationship of the members of the family, the division of labor, position, role, duties and responsibilities of the members of the family are considered to avoid prejudice. For example: mothers and sisters cooking, grandparents and fathers sitting and drinking, reading newspapers, etc. Occupation: The frequency of appearance of the characters in the text, images, etc related to the social profession in considerations to the criteria of ethnic minorities, gender, disability and age. For example: there should be images of ethnic minority people especially women as leaders, scientists instead of just pictures of ethnic people doing farming work. Economic status: The appearance frequency of the character of business people should be related to ethnic minorities, gender, disability and age. There should be a balanced and neutral featuring of people in the curriculum and course materials, not too focused on a certain ethnicity or gender. Dressing: The appearance frequency of the characters in costumes in relation to ethnic minority groups, gender, age and disability should be paid attention. The topic of learning, the level of education, methods of presentation and criteria minority, gender, disability and youth issues outfit should be considered in neutral relation. Social relations There should be attention to the equal and fair relation without discriminating social status of individuals in relation to ethnic, gender, disability and age differences in participation in the curriculum. Community participation 60 There should be attention to the equal participation of different ethnicities, genders, disability and ages in community and community representatives. Ages Young and old people of different ages should be featured in a planned way. Avoiding stereotyping such as the elder people are always sick and weak, their children having to taking care; children must be fed, etc. 3. Suggestions for textbook/learning material development Course materials affect students through ideas and concepts in the document. If the document is real, relevant, representative and typical, students will receive a positive impact; various groups of students feel encouraged and supported. Good learning materials will help students recognize themselves, respect the differences between people and learn how to live in harmony in the community. Course materials need to meet the following principles to ensure equality and non-biases to different groups of students: a) Cultural, ethnic and social groups - Showed the respect to the activities, beliefs and customs - are featured in corresponding numbers and sizes of ethnic groups - are featured in living activities, occupations and professions of the group - are recognized for their contributions to the community. - Are Introduced their names and typical characteristics in daily life activities b) Male and female - Are featured with respect and equality; - Are Illustrated in similar number and importance - Are Illustrated fully in different jobs and activities, not stereotyping; - Are featured equally in contributions to the community; - Are featured equally in various aspect of spirits/ mobility, creativity, problem solving, success, failure; - Are featured the same in all human emotions; showing equal roles and responsibilities of parents and grandparents. c) Children - Groups of children rights are featured through text contents or illustration pictures; - Children are featured in different roles: making decisions, participation and solving problems; - Children are Encouraged to ask questions related to stereotypes and prejudices; - children learn and assess social and personal subjects and contents. d) People with Disabilities - having opportunities to express personal capacities; 61 - are showed with respect in activities and professions - are featured making contributions to the community - are shown participating in the same type of activities with people without disabilities. See Annex 3. 4. Some areas of linguistic analysis to consider when developing educational materials a) Frequency of occurrence in the text There should be attention to the frequency of appearance of children / individuals of all ethnic groups in Vietnam, disabled children, boys and girls in the texts. b) Arrange the order of appearance in writing We need to pay attention to the sequence of presentation in relation to ethnicity, gender, disability in writing to avoid prejudices. For example, the sequence shown in gender stereotypes: he- she; brother - sister; father- mother; men - women ... male gender often appear first. c) Parts of speech in documents There should be attention to using words related to gender, such as: police person / policeman; soldier/ military man; nurse / female nurse .. d) Metaphors There should be attention to using the words / sentences in the texts revealing metaphors of the personal relationships with other individuals and individuals with society. For example: women refer to something weak, fragile, soft; men are shown as a strong, active; women do housework, men are the explorers, astronauts ... e) Conversations During the conversations, There should be attention to the interactions involving ethnic minority issues, gender and disability showing participation, voices, and visions ... of ethnic minority children, boys / girls and children with disabilities. g. Story Analysis There should be attention directed to analyze the stories to be included in the texts: the appearance of characters, traits of characters, words, actions of characters ... in the relation of ethnic minority children, children with special needs, girls and boys. 62 2. Suggestions for stakeholders 2.1 Suggestions for the National Assembly and the Government ï‚· Continuing improving the system of legislation and policies, institutionalization, specification of inconsistent and inadequate contents in relation to vulnerable children groups. ï‚· Enhancing measures and conditions for executing equal learning opportunities and social policies in education and training to vulnerable children groups. 2.2 Suggestions for the Ministry of Education and Training ï‚· Avoiding prejudice, bias for groups of vulnerable children, inclusive education (broadly defined) for all children is one of the important criteria in the development of programs and materials teaching. ï‚· Development the capacity for people who develop curriculum, materials, faculty training and retraining of teachers on issues of inclusive learning for all children, teaching in the diverse environment culture, gender / gender equality. ï‚· Development of a set of standards and criteria for educational curriculum to prevent discrimination and vulnerability to ensure equal education access to all groups of children. For a set of standards and criteria that meet this requirement there should be mobilization of participation in the formulation and evaluation of experts with experience of the special education, psychology, culture, society and opinion widely from society, from the local level. The general curriculum development team should have the involvement of experts on gender equality, experts on ethnic education and special education experts. ï‚· There should be specified requirements on the percentage (elective part) for provinces and school in the curriculum to develop by themselves to suit local conditions and subjects who enrolled in educational institutions. In the local curriculum, there will be contents that are difficult to be included in the general curriculum for all to ensure typical characteristics of culture, local people and locally important issues. ï‚· Integrating the content on gender equality, EM education, special education will be considered to be developed in the curriculum and learning materials in all subjects. ï‚· Regulations for the content frame can be adjusted and supplemented in the curriculum for the pupils who do not have the ability to learn or need additional content to develop the qualities and capabilities as required in the curriculum. ï‚· Organizing compiling guidance documents to adjust the contents of the curriculum andlearning materials suitable for a group/groups of students who may have difficulty to implement certain parts of the curriculum. 63 ï‚· Subject curriculum/learning materials that are built by subject specialist also need the contribution of experts in psychology, culture, society, experts on gender education, EM education and special education.. ï‚· The number of authors of textbooks and instructional materials should be diverse in terms of gender, ethnicity, religions and SES. Monitoring and evaluation of the execution to develop the curriculum and learning materials relevant to student participation and objective achievement. ï‚· Monitoring and evaluating the implementation and updating, modifying curriculum development / learning materials which are more suitable for the participation and completion of educational goals for all students. ï‚· The Ministry of Education and Training transmit educational curriculum through various communication channels to the entire population. For ethnic minority areas where there are more illiterate adults audio books can be used. Curriculum reached to parents, students and community will make collaboration in education better. 3. Suggestions for the development of programs and teaching materials ï‚· Avoiding stereotypes, bias, damage to the rod of children in difficult circumstances, girls, ethnic minority children, children with disabilities in programs and teaching materials ï‚· Prioritizing the development of competency-based curriculum for all children and activities based on creative experience for all objects, the ability to integrate and cooperate for all children. ï‚· Researching the experience of developing curriculum, from the specialist / learning materials in domestic and overseas curriculum development to ensure equal educational opportunities to participate in and complete education of every child. ï‚· Identifying the subjects students may face certain difficulties in the curriculum / learning materials or any portion of the program / course materials. ï‚· Adjusting curriculum / learning materials to suit better if the adjustment does not affect the formation of the target material, the capacity of students to the extent specified in the program. ï‚· Providing necessary instructions when the curriculum/learning materials contain the difficult object for certain students but cannot adjust to the school, teachers have additional options, support to overcome the software program or the educational activities in the class time. ï‚· Integrating education on gender equality education, ethnic education, special education on the appropriate content of the curriculum/course materials. ï‚· Paying attention to the opinions of education experts, subject specialists, input from the community through various forms to ensure program / learning materials do not cause barriers to different learner groups while ensuring educational objectives. ï‚· Ensuring diversity in textbook authors in terms of gender balance, ethnicity, religion and SES. 64 4. Suggestions for administrative education managers and school teachers ï‚· Using the curriculum and teaching materials towards inclusive education for all children, not shown prejudice through daily language, gestures, attitudes when organizing educational activities and teaching ï‚· Promoting inclusive education for every child in the school. Building the friendly school environment, positive classroom. ï‚· Studying carefully specified educational objectives for each education grade level; Research national educational curriculum and share local educational curriculum; ï‚· Identifying and assessing the educational needs of local students and some objects/groups of students in the school/classrooms. ï‚· Finding resources for developing curriculum/ learning materials to meet the needs of students / groups of students in the school / classroom. ï‚· Giving feedback to author of curriculum / learning materials to reduce and eliminate barriers to participation in learning and completion of educational goals for all students. 5. Suggestions for other stakeholders ï‚· Education is the responsibility of the entire population. Therefore, everyone in the community and society must join together to implement the curriculum of general education. ï‚· The solidarity in education has the right and responsibility to contribute to the development curriculum/ learning materials. Feedback can be through a variety of ways. ï‚· In education, the results may not come immediately. So when providing feedbacks while waiting for responses from those who have authority one should not provide disturbing information that cause anxiety, uncertainty for students and the community. 65 REFERENCES 1. Ä?ào Thị Bình - Ä?ào Nam SÆ¡n, (2012), Local knowledge with Educating EM students and representation in textbook of research program, Educational Science Journal, No. 80. 2. Ministry of Education and Training, UNESCO (2009). Report of inclusive education in primary teacher education. 3. Ministry of Education and Training, UNICEF and UNESCO (2006). Report research transition from elementary to junior high school girls from ethnic minorities 4. Ministry of Education and Training, UNESCO (2010). Guide to review and analyze Textbooks in gender perspective. 5. Ministry of Education and Training, UNESCO (2010). Report on the findings of the review and analysis of textbooks in terms of gender. 6. MOET, Regulation number 23/QÄ?-BGDÄ?T, dated 22 May 2006 on inclusive education for the disable people. 7. MOET, Circular number 4119 /BGDÄ?T-GDTH, dated 06 August 2014 on implementation of upper secondary education tasks for school year 2014-2015. 8. MOET, Circular number 5466/BGDÄ?T-GDTrH, dated 07 August 2013 on implementation of upper secondary education tasks for school year 2013-2014. 9. MOET, Charters of Primary School (issued together with Circular number 41/2010/TT-BGDÄ?T, dated 30 December 2010 of Minister of Education and training). 10. MOET, Circular number 12/2011/TT-BGDÄ?T, dated 28 tháng 3 năm 2011 on issuing Charters of Lower Secondary Schools, Upper Secondary School and Multi-grade secondary school. 11. Ministry of Education and Training, Educational Program. . Education Publishing House, Hà Ná»™i, 2006. 12. Ministry of Education and Training (2013), Comprehensive and Fundamental Renovation In Education and Training, Education Publishing House, Việt Nam. 13. Ministry of Education and Training (2014), Draft Scheme of the program Innovation, general education textbooks, (Draft T8/2014). 14. MoLISA, circular number 292/BVCSTE-BVTE, dated 29 June 2012 on guiding the implementation and development of projects and models of National Programs of children protection for 2011 – 2015. 15. Nguyá»…n Anh DÅ©ng (2005), Ssolutions to deploy the program and new textbooks in mountainous areas, ethnic minority, Ministry Projects, Code: B2003-49-40. 16. Ä?á»— Ä?ình Hoan (2011), Some lessons from 4 times changing the educational program Magazine of Educational Sciences, no 71, 72. 17. Draft Renovation projects for the program, textbook after 2015 (Draft 8/2014) . 66 18. Nguyá»…n Thị Thanh HÆ°Æ¡ng , 2013, Factors impacting droppout of North West children. PhD Thesis 19. Resolution No. 40/2000/QH10, Innovation program of general education. 20. Resolution No. 29-NQ/TW on the basic of innovation, comprehensive education and training, to meet the requirements and modernization in conditions of market economy and socialist-oriented international integration. 21. Nguyá»…n Thị Kim Oanh (2013), Research and evaluate the implementation of Primary Education program in the EM phase 2000 – 2010 , NV DA2. 22. SRV National Assembly, Law of the Disability. 23. Mông Ký Slay (editor) and the authors (2001), Contents, Methods and organizing forms of teaching in ethic minority, National University Publishing House, H. 24. GSO, Report on Survey of assessing objectives of children and women 2011. December 2011. 25. The Vietnam Institute of Educational Sciences. Some orientation in using primary textbooks after 2015 for ethnic minority students in disadvantaged areas.. Code: MS V2013-05NV 26. Carl A. Grant and Christine E. Sleeter. Chap 3 – Race, class, gender and disability in classroom. Approaches to multicultural education. Tr 62. 27. David Sadker and Karen Zittleman, Gender Bias in Today’s Classroom: The Curriculum, Gender Bias: From Colonial America to Today’s Classroom (Multicutural education, chapter 6, tr 142). 28. Geneva Gay. Curriculum theory and multicultural education. 29. Han Van, Materials of training course for lecturers and professionals in special education of intellectually disabled children. Training and Development Center for Special education, Hanoi Pedagogic University. 2001. 30. Human_rights_education_in_asian_schools. Stereotypes-in-textbooks-and- teaching-materials-in-hong-kong. 1999. 31. James A. Bank, Cherry A McGee Banks, 2010. Multicultural Education – issues and respective – 32. Sara C. Bicard, William L. Heward. Educational Equality for Students with Disabilities (Multicutural education, chap 13, tr 315). 33. Valerija Vendramin 2003. Gender equality in education systems: curricula framework documents 34. Linda A. Santora, ADL Staff, Assessing Children’s Book Collections Using an Anti-Bias Lens. Anti-Defamation League. 2013. (www.adl.org/education/miller.) 1. Washington Models for the Evaluation of Bias Content in Instructional Materials - Guidelines for Identifying Bias. Sept. 2009 67 APPENDIX Appendix 1: Glossary of terms and explanations Integration: Integration including children with disabilities, such as children have difficulty hearing, seeing, walking, absorbing all .... But "Integration" is meant to include all children are at risk marginalized and excluded from school (UNESCO, ILFE Toolkit) Inclusive Education: One approach to expand educational opportunities to access formal education, in the classroom, to all children, especially children tends not to formal schooling. These children include children, physically disabled, children do not have the academic ability and / or inability to intellectual capital and children tend to drop out of school enrollment or are many reasons, including economic hardship, cultural, gender inequity and ethnic origin children have limited understanding of the language of instruction (National Action Plan for EFA 2003-2015) Inclusive Education: Education to meet the learning needs of all children, youth and adults, which has focused on the subject at risk of being marginalized and excluded; In other words, it is a process that indicate the different needs of learners by reducing barriers, and in the learning environment (EFA Focus, Getting in the New Education, UNESCO Bangkok, p.94). The object of the IE: including all children, not have the same native language as Vietnamese, children at risk of dropping out of school due to illness or other reasons (to go to work to help the family, economic disadvantaged families, children have less opportunity to participate in learning activities in the classroom, not required to express their opinions, and no one efforts help to learn ... that might be the early pregnant girls, children infected with HIV / AIDS ... the role of the teacher is "a responsibility to seek all the possible support (from the school management bodies, communities, families, children, the organization educational organization that provides health services, community leaders, etc.) to identify and facilitate EVERY child is learning "(UNESCO, ILFE Toolkit) Gender refers to the roles and responsibilities of men and women divided every family, society and every culture. The concept of gender also includes the expectations of the characteristics, trends and appropriate behavior of both men and women. (UNESCO, 2004, Towards Gender Equality in Education - Guide to Implementation, Monitoring and Evaluation Plan of Education for people with orientation About) Gender mainstreaming is a strategy to integrate the experiences and concerns of women and men in a framework of integrity of building up the policy agenda. This strategy requires project design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation to end gender inequality. The ultimate aim is to achieve gender equality. 68 Gender equality means that women and men have equal opportunities to fully realize their human rights and to contribute to and benefit from the development of economic, cultural, social and political treatment. "Sex" and "Gender": The term "gender" is different from the concept of "gender" as "sex" is a concept that refers to "biological differences between females and males", whereas "gender" related to cultural discrimination and social success 'masculinity' and 'femininity' ... [otherwise] ... in terms of quality, preferences, trends, roles and responsibilities dominated by men and women in a society. "(Brugeilles & Cromer, 2009, p. 27). "The gender bias' The bias is usually identified assessments made by various factors, including the tendency to move to hastily conclude based on these data, opinions, incomplete or irrelevant beliefs. Usually people can distort the image and their understanding of other people, objects, processes and phenomena. Broad expression of prejudice is prejudice (eg, a person's personality, or of a situation, an idea, and so distorted and unfair) and biased impression molds (ie imposed, distorting the character of a group of individuals in an unfair way). In general, textbooks should avoid any prejudice DECAP, such as the following comments by Blumberg has pointed out (according to Blumberg, 2007, p. 52- 54): • Invisibility (the complete or relative exclusion of a group); • Stereotyping (assign features an unfair way for a group, create symbolic individual and make a difference); • Lack of balance and selectivity (expressed interpretation of a one-dimensional problem, a situation or a group of persons); • The unreality (ignore the unexplained aspects for the benefit of someone); • The discrete and isolation (instance of the group is not represented as members in society); • Aesthetic prejudices (just what seems to have been "edited" / "improved" in the book, but prejudice still exists in many different ways, the aesthetic is reflected in the changes outside, such as a textbook case regarding to the participation of women and their contribution to society, by attaching them to a minor supporting role. 69 Appendix 2: Simulation sample of “Proposed curriculum analysis framework to avoid biases to vulnerable childrenâ€? Ethnic Gender Age People with Notes minority Disabilities groups Stereotyping by The balance of The topic should The elderly, People with topic the characters take the children, the disabilities should belonging to appearance of the aged should be be evenly matched different ethnic gender into predicted to in all subjects, groups should be account, in the appear in the topics appearing in the content, the subject theme image, avoid the topics, not predict the balance and harmony resulting gender bias Stereotyping by grade Stereotyping by the authors Stereotyping by the methods 70 Appendix 3: Sample textbook analysis framework to avoid biases to vulnerable children Factors Textbook Title, the Contents Language (the Illustrations, Activity Activity Participation Asse forming authors title of the language of the graphic of of of student in ssme molds book / text, design student teacher learning nt books communication process language in school: Teacher- Student, Student- Student) Boys …….. …………. …… …… …… Prec are once strong, ived girls stere are otyp weak es - 71 Appendix 4: Ethnic Minority Development Plan: Proposed curriculum analysis framework to avoid biases to ethnic minority children Ensuring EM groups Avoiding potential negative impacts to the EM Minimizing and mitigating potential receiving relevant economic community negative impacts and social and culture benefits - Equality in appearance of - Equal and fair appearance of characters of - Including three objectives in the EM historical characteristics of different ethnic groups: Kinh, EM, very small Development Plan as the important Ems: the process of EM in texts, illustrations and stories. criteria in curriculum and textbook fightingfor development and - EM characters are featured in diversity: in development. protection of homeland of lifestyle; in leading roles; in decision making - Ensuring relevant contents to EM ethnic groups; key historical roles and in participation in social activities. education to be considered in events of EM communities; - EM people and their social contributions are curriculum and textbook development historical and characters of featured equally in biographical or historical at different grade levels. fame of EMs. topics. - There should be specific regulations - Ethnic groups are featured equally in all in the curriculum (elective parts) for - Equality in the featuring of aspects addressing leaders or ordinary people; in provinces and schools to develop by natural and social intellectual or manual work; in success and themselves to be relevant to local charactersitics of EM failure. conditions and students in local community: geographical, - Individuals of EM groups and MM groups are education institutions. These local climate; geotographical featured in working, communicating and curriculum will supplement the characteristics; characteristics participating in social community, schools and contents that are difficult to be included of residents and recidencies; in the general education curriculum for different activities of society. modes of production and national use to ensure equality in - Individuals of EM groups are featured equally farming; crops and castles; curriculum contents in terms of typical in different trades and SES; the ratio (big impact) traffics and typical means of characteristics of culture and people of in social relations. transport; landscaping and each province. - Avoiding “taste stereotypesâ€? in featuring EM daily life production and - There are suitable ratio of related issues. living. - The appearance frequencies and sequences are intellectuals of EM at different level - Equality in featuring typical featured equally in texts and in dialogues, in story (management, teachers, community) characterstics of EM cultures: characters and avoiding speech types that express participating in curriculum and housing architecture; temple comparison and metaphors. textbook development . and pagoda architecture; - Avoiding using sensitive languages to language - Paying attention to hidden biases that traditional trades; habits of and cultures of ethnicities. may impact negatively to EM living; cuisines; costumes; community. customs and traditional festival; art and cultures; folk songs and music, folk games 72 Annex 5: Consultation questionnaire Research proposed the framework to develop the program and teaching materials to avoid prejudice to the group of vulnerable children (children of ethnic minorities, girls, children with disabilities and children of the group special needs) by the Ministry of Education and Training of Vietnam and the World Bank launched in October 2014, in the context of the Ministry of Education and Training of Vietnam (MOET), Vietnam is preparing to edit modified general education program based on the capacity and improve the quality of education through evaluation. We would like to send to Mr. / Ms….. draft of the report and look forward to your valuable comments. Please mark X in the box â–¡ and write into the dots (....) to express your opinions. Thanks and best regards! 1. The legal documents of Vietnam to ensure that all children, irrespective of ethnicity, religion, gender, family composition and characteristics of individual developers have an equal opportunity to participate and complete education and study has been adequately addressed in the report or not : â–¡ Enough; â–¡ Insufficient Others: ………………………………………………..….:…………………..…………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……… 2. The lessons of international experience in Vietnam and relevant topic of the study was adequately addressed in the report or not: â–¡ Enough; â–¡ Insufficient Others : ………………………………………………..….:…………………..………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 3. The propose in the framework of guiding developing the program and teaching materials to avoid prejudice to the group of vulnerable children mentioned in the research report are: â–¡ Enough; â–¡ Insufficient 73 Others………………………………………………..….:…………………..……………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………… 4. Proposals for stakeholders in the implementation of development programs and teaching materials to avoid prejudice to the group of vulnerable children mentioned in the research report are: â–¡ Enough; â–¡ Insufficient Others………………………………………………..….:…………………..……………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………… 5. Your other comments (if any) of completing the research report: ………………………………………………..….:…………………..…………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………… Interviewee’s Information : Full name:……………………………………………………………………….. Position: …………………………………………………………………… Working Place: ……………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………… 74