Today's schools

Nowadays, children and adolescents live in an interconnected and rapidly evolving world, characterized by unprecedented global challenges: the persistence of armed conflicts, the growing gap between rich and poor, the pervasiveness of discriminatory situations, and the climate and environmental crisis (UN, 2015). These phenomena are intensifying migration processes, influencing the development of young generations worldwide, and increasing opportunities for social and intercultural exchange and interaction in everyday life (Greener, 2022).
In this context, some scholars have proposed the concept of "superdiversity" (Vertovec, 2019; Troyan & Auger, 2022), defined as the coexistence of linguistic and cultural differences in social contexts, leading to the emergence of new social positions, statuses, and stratifications. Vertovec (2019) uses this term to emphasize the considerable number of people connected to each other from different cultural, demographic, and socioeconomic perspectives. The high levels of heterogeneity observable in contemporary society are inevitably reflected in school contexts. This heterogeneity can be attributed to various factors: gender, ethnicity, migration status, sexual orientation, and presence of disabilities (Juvonen et al., 2019). While the social and academic benefits associated with the presence of heterogeneity in classrooms are numerous, the potential risks of social exclusion and marginalization are equally significant, particularly given the prevalence of discriminatory behaviors and attitudes toward students perceived as "different."
This entails a significant risk of social isolation, anxiety, depression, and other mental health problems, especially for children and adolescents with vulnerabilities (Bacioglu, 2022). Moreover, these circumstances represent a violation of the rights associated with social inclusion enshrined in the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC; UN, 1989).

The concept of inclusion

The contemporary concept of school inclusion emerged especially after the publication of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (UN, 2015), which, with its Goal 4, calls for promoting "inclusive and equitable quality education" and "lifelong learning opportunities for all," aiming to create "a just, equitable, tolerant, open, and socially inclusive world."
School inclusion entails ensuring the active participation of every student and creating an environment characterized by positive social relationships, recognizing differences among individuals, and taking care of their needs (Schwab et al., 2024). The most recent paradigm of inclusion challenges the simplistic identification of vulnerability based on a focus on difficulties, instead celebrating heterogeneity and differences as strengths (Slee, 2019).

The advantages of heterogeneous and inclusive school contexts

Several studies have demonstrated that the inclusion of students with disabilities and migration backgrounds in mainstream classes has a positive impact on both academic performance and social skills (Karatas et al., 2022; Kart & Kart, 2021; Kefallinou et al., 2020).

Benefits for students with disabilities. For students with disabilities, school inclusion facilitates greater academic success and provides opportunities for growth in inclusive contexts (Kefallinou et al., 2020). A study (Alshoutwi et al., 2020) highlighted that inclusive environments are associated with better academic performance and social interactions. From a behavioral perspective, inclusion allows students with disabilities to observe and learn socially acceptable behaviors from their peers, facilitating the improvement of their behavior.

Benefits for typically developing students. A longitudinal study (Szumski et al., 2022) revealed that the academic achievement of typically developing students remains stable, regardless of the presence of peers with disabilities in their classrooms. Regarding social effects, Roldan et al. (2021) highlight that students without disabilities benefit from interaction with peers with disabilities, learning respect, acceptance of differences, and developing new friendships. Moreover, they show a reduction in fear, prejudice, and discrimination, with an increase in tolerance and understanding (Kart & Kart, 2021).

Benefits of cultural diversity. The advantages of heterogeneous classrooms are also associated with cultural diversity. Rucinski et al. (2019) found a positive association between cultural diversity in classrooms and children's social competence. Furthermore, Aral et al. (2021) demonstrated that culturally diverse school contexts can facilitate the promotion of positive social relationships between local and refugee youth.
Regarding cognitive effects, Ordaz and Mosqueda (2021) demonstrated that inclusive environments enable students from diverse backgrounds to achieve better academic outcomes. Even for native students, inclusion can mitigate the negative effects of disadvantaged conditions such as low family socioeconomic status.

Barriers to school inclusion

Despite the advantages, students with stigmatized characteristics or minority identities are at greater risk of social exclusion, discrimination, bullying, and victimization (Juvonen et al., 2019).

One of the main barriers is the tendency to emphasize the difficulties of those with vulnerabilities. The focus on a specific vulnerability leads to the categorization of people, with emphasis on aspects considered inadequate. This phenomenon is called labeling and contributes to the formation of prejudices and stereotypes (Chatzitheochari et al., 2022).
Labeling operates through negative processes (Matos et al., 2023):

• Deindividualization: the act of placing emphasis on stereotypical attributes associated with a particular group, leading individuals to be judged based on their diagnostic label rather than their unique and positive characteristics.
• Stigmatization: the use of stigmatizing terms draws attention to negative aspects, affecting the quality of social interactions.
• Social distance: the tendency to view those who have been labeled as belonging to different groups, and often in opposition to everyone else.

These processes have significant consequences for the quality of social interactions. Studies indicate that children with disabilities are less frequently involved in play and recreational activities with their peers, and when they are included, they are often invited to participate in quieter activities (Woodgate et al., 2020). Similarly, students with migration status are more likely to play alone (Cavicchiolo et al., 2020).
The persistence of circumstances that generate discrimination and social exclusion increases the likelihood of negative mental health outcomes, including anxiety, depression, and behavioral problems (Bacioglu, 2022). Several studies have demonstrated that experiencing social exclusion can lead to increased mental and physical distress, with both short-term and long-term problems, especially during childhood and adolescence (Wesselmann et al., 2022).

Conclusions: toward an inclusive school for all

The differences and heterogeneity that students present in today's classrooms represent an opportunity to initiate interactions with peers from different cultures and with different characteristics. However, this also presents a challenge to building inclusive environments. It is therefore vital to foster the development of an inclusive school culture that prioritizes the well-being of all students.
To achieve this goal, it is essential to develop and implement effective intervention programs from early childhood.
Only through systematic and coordinated commitment at all levels of the education system will it be possible to build truly inclusive school contexts, capable of valuing every student and preparing new generations to live in increasingly diverse and interconnected societies, with full respect for the human rights of all.

References 

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