2. Εκπαιδευτικοί

The project partners designed and implemented a new anti-bullying programme in schools in five EU countries. It drew on the experiences of existing programmes and practices originated by the project partners working in different cultural contexts.  It provided further evidence of effective approaches to the reduction of bullying in schools that will inform the development of improved child centred, whole school strategies for adoption at European level.

Η οργάνωση ATD quart monde είναι μια γαλλική ΜΚΟ που αφορά άτομα που βιώνουν ή έχουν βιώσει φτώχεια. Μεταξύ άλλων πρωτοβουλιών, συνεργάζεται με τα «λαϊκά πανεπιστήμια» (universités populaires) στη Γαλλία, με σκοπό να δημιουργήσει και να συγκεντρώσει ειδικές γνώσεις από τα μέλη-συμμετέχοντες για διάφορα ζητήματα, μεταξύ άλλων την ανατροφή των παιδιών και την αντίληψη του σχολείου.

To improve the school climate, a group of schools from the Learning Communities project decided to create the Brave’s Club. It is based on a “dialogical model of conflict prevention”. Since the Club started in 2014, it has made progress in eradicating school violence in both primary and secondary schools. This strategy is making it easier to bring together effective evidence-informed practices on preventing violence in classrooms in general, and more specifically, gender violence.

UNICEF Serbia and the civil society organisation Centre for Education Policy with the support of the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development Republic of Serbia  implemented the project “Combating Early School Leaving in Serbia”.

This project aimed to contribute to decreasing drop-out and early school leaving of children and adolescents through development, establishment, and implementation of the school-based model for early identification of children at risk of dropping out and intervention in situations where dropping-out is taking place.

Combating drop-out and ESL in Serbia has been recognised as a policy priority area.  The Strategy for Education Development in Serbia 2020 (SEDS 2020) calls for the provision of high-quality education for all, an increase of students’ coverage and attainment at all levels of education by maintaining the relevance of education and increasing efficiency. The Strategy implementation is primarily focused on the development of human capital in Serbia, thus underlines importance of the inclusion of pupils from vulnerable and marginalised groups (Roma and children from poor families, children with disabilities and from rural areas etc.).

The guidance report on “working with parents to support children´s learning“ is funded by the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) and focuses mostly on activities that aim to improve children’s learning directly. Thus, it reviews the best available research to offer schools and teachers four recommendations to support parental engagement in children’s learning. When it talks about ‘parental engagement’, ‘schools working with parents to improve children’s academic outcomes’ is meant. It is not a new study in itself, but rather is intended as an accessible overview of existing research with clear, actionable guidance. The guidance also draws on a wider body of evidence and expert input.

Inclusive electronic games in 3 languages that can also be played by blind children. Based on lots of end-user research and using special auditory interfaces (binaural sound), players can play using headphones. The games have helped teachers introduce pupils/students to the computer in a friendly way, connect them to non-blind students through play, and connect with their peers in numerous ways. The games have been downloaded more than 7,000 times from users around the world.

Το πρόγραμμα ENhancing Teacher REsilience in Europe (Ενίσχυση της Προσαρμοστικότητας των Εκπαιδευτικών στην Ευρώπη, ENTREE) έχει ως στόχο να προσφέρει τη δυνατότητα στους νεαρούς Ευρωπαίους εκπαιδευτικούς να βελτιώσουν την προσαρμοστικότητά τους ενόψει των αυξανόμενων απαιτήσεων του ταχέως μεταβαλλόμενου σχολικού περιβάλλοντος. Ξεκίνησε το 2014 και παρέχει διάφορες ευκαιρίες μάθησης και εργαλεία για εκπαιδευτικούς, τόσο στο διαδίκτυο όσο και πρόσωπο με πρόσωπο· υποστηρίζεται από μια ομάδα διεθνών εμπειρογνωμόνων από πέντε ευρωπαϊκές χώρες (CZ, DE, IRL, MT, PT) και από την Αυστραλία. Το έργο ENTREE αναφέρεται στην ανθεκτικότητα των εκπαιδευτικών ως «τη διαδικασία, την ικανότητα ή το αποτέλεσμα της θετικής προσαρμογής και της διαρκούς επαγγελματικής δέσμευσης και ανάπτυξης ενόψει απαιτητικών περιστάσεων». Παρέχεται συνδρομή στους εκπαιδευτικούς να αντλήσουν προσωπικούς, επαγγελματικούς και κοινωνικούς πόρους, να ανακάμψουν και να εξελιχθούν επαγγελματικά και προσωπικά και να αισθάνονται ικανοποίηση από την εργασία τους, αυτοπεποίθηση, προσωπική ευεξία και συνεχή επαγγελματική δέσμευση.

The project goal is to provide a comprehensive analysis of best practices for preventing ESL in partner countries in the areas: of ESL monitoring systems; and, methods of counteracting ESL and reintegrating students.

Project partners were from Poland, the UK and Italy. Outputs include a report on ESL monitoring systems, a report on prevention and reintegration methods, and a training pack.

Essunga, a Swedish municipality, transformed the ranking of its schools from the bottom to the top of the national school league tables between 2007 to the top in 2010. Essunga has three elementary schools and one lower secondary school (grades 6-9). With 5,500 citizens, it is one of the smallest municipalities in the country. The increase in levels of achievement is attributed to a research-based approach of inclusive education. For years, the three elementary schools in Essunga had consistently experienced low educational levels. An increasing number of students were refugees or in “family placements”. In 2007, only 76% of students were eligible for upper secondary school and 20% of these were placed in special education classes. These results compelled political and school leaders and school staff to identify targeted measures to address these challenges. The municipality focused on interventions at school and in the local community to prevent school absence and increase attendance.