The Missing Link - Teacher Learning for Diversity in an Area-based Initiative in Portugal

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by jay

Article investigates teacher learning for diversity within Portugal’s area-based initiative Territórios Educativos de Intervenção Prioritária, aimed at improving educational success in socio-economically disadvantaged contexts. Documentary analysis of 188 school documents from 95 school clusters addresses whether the programme promotes teacher learning, how it does so, and whether it engages diversity. Findings show learning opportunities through joint learning, supervision, reflection, and professional development courses, yet diversity is largely missing. Two diversity cornerstones—teachers’ critical reflection on inclusion/exclusion and learning with students, families, and communities—are absent, and most training is driven by students’ academic results, positioning teacher learning as instrumental rather than transformative.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages20

Reading Time50 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

TEIP, an area-based initiative in Portugal

Documentary analysis and research questions

Findings on teacher learning

Gaps regarding diversity and inclusion

doi: 10.26529/cepsj.513 The Missing Link: Teacher Learning for Diversity in an Area-based Initiative in Portugal Nikolett Szelei*1 and Ines Alves2 • As an attempt to promote educational success in socio-economically disadvantaged contexts, area-based initiatives are often launched in Europe, such as the programme Territórios Educativos de Intervenção Prioritária in Portugal. Given the importance of teaching quality to enhance student learning and considerable student diversity in the schools included in this initiative, this article explores opportunities for teacher learning for diversity within the programme. Documentary analysis was conducted on 188 school documents from 95 school clusters in the programme. The following research questions were asked: Does the programme promote teacher learning? In what ways is teacher learning promoted? Does teacher learning address diversity? The findings suggest that some interventions provide the possibility of teacher learning, such as the processes of learning together, pedagogical supervision, reflection, and attending professional development courses. However, diversity seemed to be largely missing from these initiatives. Furthermore, two cornerstones of teacher learning for diversity were absent: teachers’ critical reflection on students’ inclusion/exclusion; and learning from/with students, families, and communities. Additionally, most professional development opportunities were organised around and measured by students’ academic results, thus positioning teacher learning as instrumental in raising school success, rather than a core of transforming education for diversity. These results call for policies within the Territórios Educativos de Intervenção Prioritária programme to include teacher learning that engages with and fosters critical thinking around diversity and to involve communities’ and students’ voices in order to truly tackle social exclusion. The findings can contribute to the debate on the approach to diversity in area-based initiatives in Europe. Keywords: area-based initiatives, diversity, professional development, teacher learning 1 *Corresponding Author. Instituto de Educação da Universidade de Lisboa, Potrugal; [nszelei@ie.ulisboa.pt](nszelei@ie.ulisboa.pt). 2 University of Glasgow, Scotland. Manjkajoči člen: učenje učiteljev za raznolikost vpodročno zasnovani iniciativi na Portugalskem Nikolett Szelei in Ines Alves • Področno zasnovane iniciative, kot je na primer Territórios Educativos de Intervenção Prioritária na Portugalskem, so v Evropi pogosto izvedenez namenom spodbujanja edukacijskih uspehov v socialno-ekonomskodeprivilegiranih kontekstih. Glede na pomen kakovosti poučevanja zaizboljševanje učenja učencev ter glede na znatno raznolikost učencev inučenk v šolah, ki so bile vključene v omenjeno iniciativo, ta prispevek raziskuje priložnosti za učenje učiteljev za raznolikost znotraj omenjenega programa. Izvedena je bila analiza 188 šolskih dokumentov iz 95 šolskih skupin v programu. Postavljena so bila naslednja raziskovalnavprašanja: Ali program spodbuja učenje učiteljev? Na katere načinespodbuja učenje učiteljev? Ali učenje učiteljev naslavlja raznolikost? Ugotovitve kažejo, da nekatere intervencije nudijo možnosti za učenjeučiteljev, kot so na primer: procesi skupnega učenja, pedagoška supervizija, refleksija in obiskovanje kurzov za profesionalni razvoj. Kljubtemu pa se zdi, da raznolikost v tovrstnih iniciativah pogosto umanjka. Dva temelja učenja učiteljev za raznolikost sta bila namreč odsotna: kritična refleksija učiteljev o vključenosti/izključenosti učencev; učenje od učencev/z učenci, od družin/z družinami in od skupnosti/s skupnostmi. Ob tem je bila večina priložnosti za profesionalni razvoj organizirana in merjena s šolskim uspehom učencev, kar pomeni, da je učenjeučiteljev le instrument za izboljšanje šolskega uspeha učencev, ne pakot jedro spremembe izobraževanja za raznolikost. Ti izsledki kličejok politikam znotraj progr

FAQs

What initiative is analyzed in the study?

The study focuses on Territórios Educativos de Intervenção Prioritária (TEIP), an area-based initiative in Portugal.

How did the researchers examine teacher learning for diversity?

They conducted documentary analysis on 188 school documents from 95 school clusters in the TEIP programme.

What does the study find about whether TEIP promotes diversity-focused teacher learning?

Some interventions enable teacher learning through joint processes, supervision, reflection, and professional development courses; however, diversity is largely missing, and key components related to inclusion/exclusion and learning with students, families, and communities are absent.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by jay