Agency eBulletin May 2021

This eBulletin shares new European Agency Statistics on Inclusive Education publications and recent multimedia outputs related to the Changing Role of Specialist Provision in Supporting Inclusive Education (CROSP) project. It also includes updates on work with the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Structural Reform Support.

There is information about Agency participation in recent events around Europe. Additionally, there is an update on the regional Global Education Monitoring report on inclusion and education, which launched in February.

In news from Europe, there are details of the new EU Strategy on the Rights of the Child and the Commission’s Compendium of Inspiring Practices on Inclusive and Citizenship Education. You can find out about the recent Council of the EU resolution on education and a series of new Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) publications from the ET 2020 Working Group on ECEC.

Finally, there are details of a new report from Sweden on achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, and information about a new set of tools to support inclusive education in Italy.

New Agency publications

Out-of-School and Out-of-Data?

A conceptual working paper related to the European Agency Statistics on Inclusive Education (EASIE) is now available on the Agency website.

The EASIE data collection exercises examine a range of equity issues for education. This includes access to mainstream and inclusive education, with a focus on data on learners who are officially recognised as having special educational needs.

The data collection exercises have shown the difficulties countries face in identifying learners who are out of school and not in any form of education. The EASIE team highlighted three main questions that required further exploration with member countries:

• What does the concept of ‘out-of-school’ mean?
• Who are out-of-school learners and what situations are they in?
• What data on out-of-school learners is being collected and could be collected? 

The resulting ‘Out-of-School and Out-of-Data?’ conceptual paper is a guide to ensure that the EASIE work takes all children/learners into account. The work will offer a more comprehensive and cohesive database for policy-makers and other stakeholders.

A Background Information Report and country-specific information considering these key issues have also been published. The three outputs are available on the Agency website.

Publications Order Form 2021

The 2021 Order Form lists the Agency’s most recent publications. These include thematic project reports, literature and policy reviews, practical tools and country statistical data. Click the links in the form to access the publications, which are available in up to 26 languages and are free to download from the website.

Some publications are also available in print, as listed on the Order Form. Print copies are free of charge. Please contact the Agency Secretariat to request them.

New animation video and infographic: The Changing Role of Specialist Provision in Supporting Inclusive Education

The Agency has released a new animation video and infographic as part of the Changing Role of Specialist Provision in Supporting Inclusive Education (CROSP) project.

The video and infographic convey key messages from the CROSP project. They explain what specialist provision is, why its shifting role to support inclusive education is important and how policy can aid in this shift. They illustrate that specialist provision is not always inclusive, as it can separate learners from their peers. Finally, they outline some of the many benefits of changing the role of specialist provision to support inclusion in mainstream classrooms. These benefits extend to teachers, learners and families.

Subtitles for the video are available in 25 languages. Watch the animation video and download the infographic on the Agency website. You can use the Agency hashtag, #EASNIE, when sharing the outputs on social media.

Collaboration with the European Commission’s DG REFORM

The Agency continues to work with the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Structural Reform Support (DG REFORM) and education ministries to promote and improve inclusive education systems in Cyprus, Czech Republic, Greece, Poland and Portugal.

An online stakeholder data collection has taken place as part of the ‘Addressing Regional Disparities in the Czech Education System’ action in the Czech Republic. The action aims to promote more inclusive and equitable learning opportunities for all learners in the Czech Republic. Between December 2020 and early February 2021, the Agency conducted a series of online data collection interviews and focus groups to explore stakeholders’ perspectives on overall goals for learners in the Czech Republic. Find out more about the data collection.

As part of the on-going work in Greece, the Agency had planned a study visit for Greek Ministry of Education and Religious Affairs (MERA) representatives to meet with policy experts in Scotland in early 2020. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the visit was postponed and replaced with a virtual, online ‘study visit’ on 18 March. The ‘study visit’ aimed to facilitate information exchange on inclusive policies and practices. It also provided an opportunity for in-depth discussions on the challenges of implementing inclusive policies. Read more about the ‘study visit’ on the Agency news page.

Conference on Inclusion and Equity in Education: Challenges and Perspectives

The Agency has taken part in a conference on Inclusion and Equity in Education, organised by the Portuguese Presidency of the Council of the EU. During the conference, Agency representative Victoria Soriano outlined the Agency’s work with the Portuguese Ministry and DG REFORM. Representatives from the ministries of education of all the countries currently collaborating with the Agency and DG REFORM also presented their perspectives on the process. Read more about the conference.

GEM Regional Report for Central and Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia

The 2021 Global Education Monitoring (GEM) regional report for Central and Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia launched online on Friday 12 February. The report, which continues the theme of the main 2020 GEM Report on Inclusion and education: All means all, is the result of a collaboration between UNESCO’s GEM Report team, the Network of Education Policy Centres (NEPC) and the Agency.

A special edition of this eBulletin, sent in April, contains further information about the report and the Agency’s role in it.

Videoconference on the European Strategy for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities 2021–2030

The Agency participated in a high-level videoconference on the European Strategy for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities 2021–2030 which launched earlier this year. The Strategy aims to improve the lives of people with disabilities across the EU and beyond by presenting solutions to the barriers they still face.

The videoconference took place on 19 and 20 April 2021 and was organised by the Portuguese Presidency of the Council of the EU. Agency representative Eloy Rebollo Píriz explained how the Agency can contribute to the Strategy’s implementation.

Erasmus+ teacher education webinar

Agency Director, Cor J.W. Meijer, and Assistant Director, Amanda Watkins, took part in a webinar organised by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Education, Youth Sport and Culture (DG EAC) on the role of teachers, on 18 March.

Participants examined the role of teachers within three recent European documents:

• The Commission’s ‘Communication on achieving the European Education Area by 2025’, and its planned Teacher Academies
• The ‘Council Resolution on a strategic framework for European cooperation in education and training towards the European Education Area and beyond (2021–2030)’
• The ‘Council conclusions on European teachers and trainers for the future’ that were adopted last year during the Croatian Presidency.

Mr Meijer also delivered a keynote speech on 22 March as part of the Portuguese Presidency’s meeting of the Directors-General for Schools. The meeting focused on the challenges and issues surrounding equity and inclusion in education.

Find out more about both events.

Rethinking education in the 21st century

The Agency took part in a recent online conference entitled ‘Rethinking Education in the 21st Century’, held by the Italian Ministry of Education.

The conference, which aims to reflect on actions in education, is taking place in three sessions covering different themes in education. In December 2020, the first session of the conference explored pedagogy and didactics in Italy, and over 11,000 teachers and school leaders took part. Later this year, session three will look at the future of education.

For more information and to watch the conference recordings, visit the Agency news page.

Accessible Europe: ICT 4 All forum

The third ‘Accessible Europe: ICT 4 All’ forum took place virtually on 23–25 March. The forum was organised by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the European Commission as part of the Portuguese Presidency of the Council of the EU. The event welcomed over 35 speakers from institutions across Europe, including government ministries and telecommunications, disability and accessibility organisations and representatives from the Agency.

For more information, visit the news page.

New European Union Strategy on the Rights of the Child

The European Commission has adopted a Strategy on the Rights of the Child to help tackle poverty and social exclusion. The strategy, which was adopted on 24 March, aims to protect and promote the rights of children and build the best possible life for them both in the EU and across the world.

The strategy outlines six thematic areas, with proposed actions to achieve each area. One of the thematic areas is enabling children to realise their full potential, no matter their social background. To work towards this, the Commission also released a Proposal for a Council Recommendation establishing a European Child Guarantee. The Child Guarantee aims to promote equal opportunities for the large proportion of European children living at risk of poverty and social exclusion.

Read more about the Strategy.

European Commission Compendium of Inspiring Practices on Inclusive and Citizenship Education

The Education and Training 2020 Working Group on Promoting Common Values and Inclusive Education, of which the Agency was a member, has compiled a series of examples of inspiring practice in inclusive education. This ‘Compendium of Inspiring Practices on Inclusive and Citizenship Education’ aims to provide policy-makers and other stakeholders with ideas to help them improve their education systems’ inclusiveness. It presents 131 examples of good practice from a range of sources across Europe.

Read more about the Compendium.

Council of the European Union resolution on education

A Council of the EU ‘resolution on a strategic framework for European cooperation in education and training towards the European Education Area and beyond (2021–2030)’ was approved on 18 February 2021. It includes five strategic priorities to improve education systems, including ‘Improving quality, equity, inclusion and success for all in education and training’ and ‘Making lifelong learning and mobility a reality for all’. The resolution also includes actions and targets to help attain these priorities.

Find out more about the resolution.

Early Childhood Education and Care publications

The European Commission held an online event entitled ‘Early Childhood Education and Care in Europe: a focus on inclusion and staff professionalisation’ on 3 March 2021. The event presented the final outputs from the Education and Training (ET) 2020 Working Group on Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC). These include a toolkit for inclusive early childhood education and care, which includes practical solutions to help decision-makers move towards more inclusive ECEC systems, and a report on how to recruit, train and motivate well-qualified ECEC staff. A final report on the Working Group’s findings is also available.

Find out more and watch a recording of the event via the Agency website.

Leaving no one behind: a new report on achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in Sweden

A new report highlights the gaps that remain on the road to achieving the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in Sweden. Entitled ‘Leaving no one behind: Statistical review of the implementation of the 2030 Agenda in Sweden’, the new report focuses particularly on identifying groups in which the Sustainable Development Goals are not being reached. Among these groups, a higher proportion of individuals are not receiving their human rights.

Find out more about the report on the Agency website.

New tools to support inclusive education in Italy

New individual education plan templates have been launched in Italy as part of a decree defining support measures for learners with special educational needs. The templates aim to help educational professionals create learning environments that include all learners.

For more information about the templates and associated documents, visit the Agency website.