The Dean of Education at the UC strengthens ties with Catalan universities and learns about the experiences of the Barcelona school system.

During an academic internship at the GEPS Center at the Autonomous University of Barcelona, ​​Dean Alejandro Carrasco held meetings with university authorities and visited a school with a high migrant diversity.

With the aim of understanding the reality of the Catalan educational system and reflecting on the challenges it poses to teacher training at a global level, the dean of the UC Faculty of Education, Alejandro Carrasco held meetings between May and June with authorities from the faculties of education of the two most important universities in Catalonia: the University of Barcelona (UB) and the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB). 

These instances of dialogue and exchange were carried out within the framework of a Academic internship developed by Dean Carrasco, in his capacity as principal investigator of the Center for Educational Justice (CJE) in the city of Barcelona, ​​Spain, specifically at the Globalization, Education and Social Policies (GEPS) Research Center of the Autonomous University of Barcelona. 

Meetings with leading universities in Catalonia

As part of his activities, Dean Carrasco met with Silvia Burset, Dean of the Faculty of Education of the UB and Marta Bertrán, dean of the Faculty of Educational Sciences of the UAB. Both meetings addressed key issues facing education faculties around the world today, such as:

• Curricular reforms in initial teacher training, and in the case of Spain, the processes of adaptation to European standards.
• The practical training of future teachers, its organizational methods and training axes, including the modalities of connection with schools, the role of mentors, and criteria for assigning schools.
• The demand for studying pedagogy, with special attention to the Catalan case, where there is an additional mandatory entrance exam for education careers: the Personal Aptitude Test (PAP), which assesses communication skills, critical reasoning and logical-mathematical skills. 

He also exchanged experiences on the faculties' academic staff, priority research areas, department-based organizational models, and their challenges, advantages, and limitations. "The activities and meetings allowed us to put into a broad and comparative perspective the common challenges we face in a global world, those of us who train future teachers and conduct advanced educational research. We evaluated what is feasible and not feasible to transform, the successes of ongoing changes, and the contextual or cultural adaptations in innovation processes," the Dean of Education at UC stated.

School visit with students of migrant origin

As part of his approach to the Catalan school system, the dean visited the Vedruna Angels School, a charter school in the Fundació Escola Cristiana de Catalunya, a network that brings together 395 schools, serves 250 students and employs nearly 20 teachers. 

The Vedruna Àngels school community is predominantly made up of students of migrant origin from countries such as Syria, Morocco, the Philippines, and Pakistan, many of whom are socioeconomically disadvantaged. Catalan, the official language of instruction, is often the fourth language for these students.

During the visit, Carrasco met with the principal, toured primary and secondary classrooms, and spoke with teachers, educational psychologists, and students. Regarding the teaching of reading and writing in the early years, she had the opportunity to speak with teachers who have successfully taught Catalan in the lower primary level.

She also examined strategies for serving students with special educational needs, the role of student teachers in the school, and the institutional support they receive as part of their training. 

Finally, he also met with Meritxell Ruiz, General Secretary of the Foundation Christian School of Catalonia, all with To learn about the Foundation's challenges regarding the regulations and conditions of funding, admission, and operation of state-funded schools in Spain, and particularly in Catalonia, which actively participated in the Pact Against School Segregation. In this regard, Alejandro Carrasco noted that "it is noteworthy that the coeducational provision of the Catalan school system has a highly mature dialogue and collective commitment that has allowed for a broader understanding and meaning of public education."