A local (pre-)school with local community friends and peers, maintained/provided by the relevant educational authorities (municipality, local or regional authority, working with the ministry responsible for national education). 

Within mainstream (pre-)schools, there may be mainstream groups/classes, where a child/learner spends the majority (80% or more) of their time with their peers, or separate groups/classes, where the child/learner spends 20% or more of their time away from their peers (European Agency, 2021a, p. 9).

‘The process or result of making somebody feel as if they are not important and cannot influence decisions or events; the fact of putting somebody in a position in which they have no power’ (Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries).

Barely provided for or able to access services or participate in society. Generally understood as a social process by which vulnerable groups are moved out of the mainstream to a powerless position in society.

‘Of a group within a given culture, context or history: at risk of being excluded and discriminated against because of the interplay of differing personal characteristics or grounds’ (UNESCO, 2020a, p. 420).

Marginalised groups – include those experiencing poverty and social exclusion, bullying, mental health difficulties and/or special educational needs, students at risk of early school leaving, as well as some groups of migrants and minorities. Such groups need a distinct focus on processes and structures for their representation and participation (Downes, Nairz-Wirth and Rusinaitė, 2017).

Meaningful participation occurs when learners and their families have the opportunity to express their views, influence decision-making and achieve change in areas that affect their lives.

Their respective opinions must be sought, listened to, valued, promoted and shared in planning, in decision-making and in practice, to include shared opportunities for feedback and further input. Those who were previously unheard or overlooked must be engaged in interactive dialogue with others in more powerful positions than themselves. Such participatory approaches are fundamental to the development, implementation and sustainability of inclusive organisations and education systems (European Agency, 2022d, p. 13).

‘An official action that is done in order to achieve a particular aim’ (Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries).

Within education, measures may be policy- or practice-oriented.

‘The act or the process of finding the size, quantity or degree of something’ (Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries).

In education, assessment linked to some form of numerical quantifier (a score, mark or grade). Usually, measurement implies the possibility of comparing one learner’s score/mark with others.

‘A method or a system for achieving something’ (Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries).

Within education, mechanisms are often strategies linked to progress towards specified policy goals or objectives.

A channel through which information can be shared. Media usually contains different types of information simultaneously. Examples include electronic documents, online resources and online learning tools.

Mental health is influenced by many factors, including genetic predisposition, socio-economic background, adverse childhood experiences, chronic medical conditions or abuse of alcohol or drugs.

Therefore, mental health and well-being are interlinked issues that are affected by policies and actions in a range of sectors, including education, health, employment, social inclusion and efforts to tackle poverty.

This relationship is reciprocal: without adequate mental health prevention, support and treatment, the risks of poorer education or unemployment increase.

To be mentally healthy means being capable of self-realisation, being at ease when forming the relationships with other people, to contribute to the life in the community and being productive at work. A mentally healthy individual is also able to overcome normal tensions, sorrows and life setbacks (European Commission, no date).

Mental health is explicitly included in the Sustainable Development Goals, ‘providing an opportunity to enhance mental health and well-being across countries and professional disciplines’ (Dybdahl and Lien, 2017, p. 1).

(See also ‘Well-being’)

A digital label given to information. It is machine-readable and aids the search and categorisation of information, thereby improving searchability.

Mobiles enable ubiquitous access to information, social networks, tools for learning and productivity, and much more. Mobile devices continue to evolve, but it is the increased access to affordable and reliable networks that is driving this technology now. Mobiles are capable computing devices in their own right — and they are increasingly a user’s first choice for Internet access (Johnson, Smith, Willis, Levine & Haywood, 2011, p. 5).

‘Watching, checking something over a period of time to see how it develops, so that necessary changes can be made’ (Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries).

The process of systematically tracking aspects of education/school ‘implementation, with a view toward data collection, accountability and/or enhancing effectiveness and/or quality’ (OECD, 2015, p. 235).

A monitoring framework should be designed to monitor quality at different levels (country, region, schools) and for different groups (school authorities, teachers, learners). It should ‘draw on a number of different tools and components to collect and organize data needed to monitor a system’s performance’. This includes tools at the school level for data on learners and teachers, ‘national education management information systems (EMIS), human resource or teacher management information systems for teacher recruitment and deployment, inspection and appraisal systems, and financial management systems’. The framework may also include system-level learner evaluations.

Monitoring may include compliance monitoring, diagnostic monitoring and performance monitoring, which may all co-exist within the system (UNESCO International Institute for Educational Planning, 2021).

This refers to four main types of services that have traditionally supported learners with disabilities: the educational sector, the health sector, social services and voluntary bodies.

The top level of authority with responsibility for education in a given country, usually located at national (state) level. However, in Belgium, Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom, the ‘regions’ (Communautés, Länder, Comunidades Autónomas and devolved administrations, respectively) are responsible for all or most areas relating to education. They are therefore considered the top level of authority (European Commission/EACEA/Eurydice, 2014).

A process to discover gaps that exist between the current state of an individual (or organisation) and a desired one.

A needs analysis involves a study of the factors which cause the gap to find solutions and ways to overcome difficulties (often forming the basis of an individual education plan (IEP)).

Educational interventions developed based on needs assessment and analysis may target learners or teachers (e.g. to fill gaps in knowledge/teaching approaches) or other elements of the education system.