Agency eBulletin September 2023

The latest edition of the eBulletin includes information on new Agency publications and materials, such as an online toolkit and a video on including the voices of learners and families in educational decision-making. There is also new data from the European Agency Statistics on Inclusive Education, and reports on Building Resilience through Inclusive Education Systems and Legislative Definitions.

It provides an update on the Technical Support Instrument activities in Greece and the Agency’s participation in the European Conference on Educational Research.

There is also news of a vacancy for an Activity Officer in the Agency. Read more about the vacancy and how to apply below.

Finally, the eBulletin presents the latest UNESCO Global Education Monitoring Report on technology in education and information on the Global Week to Act for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Voices into Action

The Agency has launched an online toolkit to promote the inclusion of learner and family voices in educational decision-making. An output of the Agency’s Voices into Action (VIA) activity, the VIA Toolkit features practical case studies and resources from across Agency countries. It aims to support diverse stakeholders across all levels of education systems to become agents of change in their schools, communities, regions and countries.

Find out more in the VIA Toolkit news item.

The Agency has also developed a new video to accompany the VIA activity. The video introduces the VIA Toolkit and features learners and their families discussing the impact that participating in educational decision-making has had on them.

Read more about the video on the news pages. You can watch the video on the Agency’s YouTube channel. The video is available with subtitles in all Agency member country languages.

The final summary report outlines the methodology and the main outcomes and findings from VIA. It presents key messages for policy-makers – and for all education stakeholders – to enable meaningful participation of learners and families.

Voices into Action: Including the voices of learners and families in educational decision-making video

European Agency Statistics on Inclusive Education

European Agency Statistics on Inclusive Education (EASIE) data informs country-level work on learners’ rights issues connected to equity and participation in inclusive education. The data tables and country background information for the 2020/2021 school year are now available on the Agency website. Individual country reports, which include an agreed set of indicators on enrolment and identification rates calculated from the data tables, are also available. Find out more in the EASIE data news item.

In addition, the Cross-Country Report for the EASIE 2019/2020 school year dataset has been published. The Cross-Country Report collates individual country data on inclusive education into a single document. The EASIE Cross-Country Report news item provides more information on the report.

Building Resilience through Inclusive Education Systems

The Agency has published a mid-term report as part of the Building Resilience through Inclusive Education Systems (BRIES) activity. The report focuses on the methodology, processes and results of the peer-learning activities that took place between May 2022 and February 2023.

Legislative Definitions around Learners Vulnerable to Exclusion

As part of the Legislative Definitions activity, the Agency team collected evidence of legal definitions related to learners vulnerable to exclusion within Agency member countries’ legislation and policy. The Legislative Definitions country reports present this evidence, which enabled the team to identify trends within and across countries.

Regional working groups focus on inclusive transitions in Greece

A series of working group meetings have taken place in the second phase of work to support the Greek Ministry of Education and Religious Affairs in promoting inclusive education in Greece. Funded by the European Union’s Technical Support Instrument (TSI), the Agency is working in co-operation with the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Structural Reform Support (DG REFORM) as a technical provider in the project.

Find out more about the project in the TSI Greece news item.

European Conference on Educational Research

The 2023 European Conference on Educational Research (ECER) aims to promote high-quality educational research across Europe. The 2023 theme was ‘The Value of Diversity in Education and Educational Research in the 21st Century’. Agency representatives presented the Voices into Action (VIA) and Building Resilience through Inclusive Education Systems (BRIES) activities.

Read more about the conference.

2023 Global Education Monitoring Report on technology in education

UNESCO launched the 2023 Global Education Monitoring (GEM) Report at the end of July. GEM Reports monitor progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 4 on quality education.

Following the launch event in Montevideo, Uruguay, in July, the report was published on the UNESCO website. It examines many of the positive impacts that technology has on education, such as improving access to teaching and learning resources, particularly in rural areas and for learners with disabilities. However, it also highlights that, while technology can bring education to some, it can also exclude others, particularly those from poorer backgrounds.

For more information on the report, read the GEM Report news item.

Act for SDGs

The Global Week to Act for SDGs (#Act4SDGs) takes place from 15–25 September. People across the world are invited to take part and share how they unite to act for the SDGs in their communities. Visit the #Act4SDGs website, search #Act4SDGs on social media, or read our news item to find out more.