A Friendly Educational Environment in the Context of Targeted Universalism: A Theoretical Model and Practical Relevance

Abstract

Abstract

This article presents a conceptual model of a friendly educational environment. The rationale for whether it is a necessity is based on two types of arguments. Firstly, based on the results of analyzing the transformation of the idea of inclusive education in its representation in the Russian public space, the limitations of targeted educational policy are demonstrated. Secondly, based on a brief review of academic publications, the internal inconsistency of a number of established approaches towards researching the phenomenon of friendly schools is explicated. The article demonstrates the potential to overcome the limitations of both universal and targeted approaches in the field of educational policy. Targeted universalism, embodied in the idea of a friendly educational environment, allows broad common goals shared by all participants of the educational process to be implemented in strategies that take into account the interests and needs of individuals and groups. The proposed model of a friendly educational environment is based on two dimensions, where the structural, substantive and relational aspects of the educational environment are considered at three levels: culture, policy and practices. Based on a series of expert interviews, a possible filling of the formed conceptual matrix with examples drawn from the experience of Russian schools is proposed. The presented model can serve as the basis for developing tools designed to solve research problems of both fundamental and applied orientation, including the use by schools for the purposes of self-study and adjustment of organizational policy directions. Some of the aspects embedded in the matrix relate to issues which in order to be resolved require educational organizations to build sustainable intra- and intersectoral partnerships. In this case the proposed matrix can be used to identify the points of development of a friendly culture and the dissemination of inclusive social practices through the development of local communities.