ΔΕΥΤΕΡΟΒΑΘΜΙΑ - Multicultural education for the muslim minority in Thrace

ASSOCIATES

Scientific Coordinator:
Haralambos Sakonidis, professor of Mathematics education at Democritus Univ. of Thrace.

Alternate Scientific Coordinator:
Achilleas Dramalidis, assistant professor of Mathematics at Democritus Univ. of Thrace.

Associates:
Nikólaos Antaboúfis, secondary education teacher.
Akis Margaritis, secondary education teacher.
Vangelis Fakoudis, secondary education teacher.

2005-2007

After-Hours (Extended Hours) Classes Program

The after-hours classes program basically means adding class hours to the regular secondary school program, for Minority pupils. It was designed with the intention to enhance the language skills and knowledge level of Minority pupils in basic courses (Greek Language, Math, Natural Sciences), and to contribute to the improvement of their performance and to a decrease in their drop-out rate.

The courses in the after-hours program were taught with the textbooks and other educational material produced by PEM. The teachers who gave these extra classes at a particular school were usually the ones who regularly worked at that school. In cases where the teaching needs of a course could not be met by the regular teachers of that school, outside teachers were employed. All the teachers who participated in the after-hours programs had to go through a training course organized by the very persons who produced the educational material for the courses included in this program. A teacher in each secondary (middle) school, usually the principal, assumed the coordination of, and the responsibility for, that school's after-hours program.

The after-hours program began to be implemented in 2002, in the second phase of the “Project for the Education of Muslim Children” and, as the number of pupils who participated in it indicates, was met with great response and interest.

2002-2003: In total, 5,800 additional hours of classes were conducted at 17 secondary schools in the Xanthi and Rhodope prefectures (counties).The total number of pupils who attended these classes (from the 7th and 8th grades) was 835, and the number of teachers who taught the classes was 109.

2003-2004: In total, 14,500 additional hours of classes were conducted at 19 secondary schools in the same two prefectures. The classes were attended by 931 pupils (from the 7th, 8th, and 9th grades), and the number of teachers who taught them was 127.

The teachers who worked in the after-hours program in the 2002-04 phase also took part in the pilot application of the teaching materials (for the Greek Language, Literature, Mathematics and Natural sciences classes), which they also evaluated. They suggested adjustments and corrections, which were later incorporated into the new textbooks and other educational items.

During the 2005-2006 school year, additional classes were conducted (for four weeks, in April and May) at 22 secondary schools of the Xanthi and Rhodope prefectures. The total number of additional hours of classes was 2,325, which were attended by 1,226 pupils and were taught by 110 teachers.

In the 2006-2007 school year, 14,391 additional hours of classes were conducted in 20 secondary schools in the Xanthi, Rhodope and Evros prefectures. The total number of pupils who attended these classes was 888, and the number of teachers who taught the classes was 128.

Compensatory Teaching in Secondary Education

Compensatory Teaching in Secondary Education

The Project organizes compensatory classes for Minority children at secondary and high schools in the three prefectures of Thrace. These are additional hours of teaching, and they include classes in the subjects of Greek Language, Literature, Mathematics and Natural Sciences. The basic goals of these classes are:

to enhance Minority pupils’ Greek language skills and cognitive substructure, and
to improve these pupils’ comprehension level of the content of the aforementioned subjects and, consequently, of their school performance.

More specifically, on the basis of experience that was acquired in the previous phases of the Project, the compensatory teaching interventions aim:

(a) for the secondary school:

at monitoring continuously the progress of the pupils, with the objective to support effectively their learning efforts;
at combining themselves clearly and explicitly with the current regular schedule of the school;
at utilizing the educational materials of the Project.

(b) for the high school:

at supporting the pupils in their preparation for the entrance exams for universities and technological educational institutes (TEIs) .

The classes offered within the compensatory teaching (CT) framework are taught either by appointed teachers who serve at the schools that participate in this program or by unappointed teachers who have been selected from among those who responded to a public invitation notice and were evaluated based on specific criteria. Teachers of both of the above categories participate in a training program that takes place during the school year and focuses on general educational issues, mainly concerning vulnerable pupil populations, and, in addition, on the topics pertaining to the subjects taught in compensatory classes. The materials they use in these classes are the ones produced by the Project.

To facilitate communication and cooperation among the teachers who participate in the Compensatory Teaching program (CT) the Project has set up a web site.

• Compensatory classes 2013-2014

In the current school year 2013-2014 the compensatory classes for the students of secondary education started on March 2014 at 11 schools (6 secondary and 7 high schools). The pupils who have been registered are 596.

Summer Compensatory Classes 2014
From August 18 to September 10, 2014 the Program organized compensatory classes at schools of Rodopi prefecture for the students of secondary and high school education that would take part in the exams on September. The classes took place at three secondary and one high school.
In the classes the 148 registered students (134 out of which attended regularly) had the chance to prepare themselves in order to move on to the next school grade. The professors used teaching materials and methods adjusted to the difficulties and needs of the students. The success rate at the September exams was extremely high (90%)

• Compensatory Classes 2012-13

In the current school year (2012-13), there are 26 secondary and 7 high schools that are participating in the Compensatory Teaching program. As of November 2012, the pupils who had registered were 1,934.

• Compensatory Classes 2011-12
In the 2011-12 school year, CT classes took place at 25 secondary and 7 high schools in Thrace. The classes were attended systematically by 1,246 pupils.

Summer Compensatory Classes 2012

In the second half of August and the first half of September of 2012 the Project organized preparatory classes for re-sit pupils (ones who had to re-sit for exams to pass their grade) at 4 secondary and 2 high schools in the Rhodope, Xanthi, and Evros prefectures, which were attended by 259 pupils.

• Compensatory Classes of the School Year 2010-11
In that school year, compensatory classes were organized at 26 secondary and 6 high schools in the Xanthi, Rhodope, and Evros prefectures, which were attended by 1,535 pupils.
An evaluation of the compensatory classes at secondary and high schools in the 2010-11 school year

• Summer Compensatory Classes at Secondary and High Schools (2011)
In the second half of August and the first half of September of 2011, the Project organized classes of Greek language (Ancient and Modern Greek), of Mathematics, and of Natural Sciences, intended for re-sit pupils. There were 273 pupils who took part in these classes, and their success rate in the re-sit exams of September exceeded, on average, 70%.

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