This booklet, prepared by Christine Inglis, is about how countries can manage education in an increasingly diverse cultural environment and yet foster nation building and integration. The author reviews the different policies and strategies implemented in different countries in terms of curriculum and the teaching of languages, as well as in terms of school organization and forms of education delivery. While doing so the author reviews the latest research on education and inequality, and the limited evidence on the learning achievements of migrant populations and ethnic minorities. She convincingly argues in favour of cultural diversity and notes the effectiveness of models which strengthen reading and writing skills in the language of instruction very early on. The effect of streaming and tracking, as well as of school choice, is not so clear. These are very complex issue and no evidence exists yet in favour of one model or another. The choice of model to favour (or not) cultural diversity, to emphasize (or not) social mixing, remains fundamentally a cultural and political choice. Successful integration in society depends on education, but also on employment opportunities and social inequalities.
