Breaking the Spiral: A Roma Education Initiative

This paper describes Roma children as trapped in a downward spiral of disempowerment and disadvantage. Its analysis lays a major part of the blame for this state of affairs at the door of present educational policies and practices within the countries of the region. The paper proposes a program of action—focusing on educational intervention and on literacy—designed to correct this situation. This program is organized into three fields of activity: policy development, programs targeted directly at the components of the problem, and support activity. The paper also considers a range of practical problems associated with the process of implementation.