Spotlight on Pathways to School Success at the fifth European Education Summit

Under the title ‘Bright Young Minds’, the summit gave youth representatives the opportunity to contribute to high-level panel discussions. The main topics included inclusivity and well-being in education, improving the resilience of education systems, and providing young people with the skills necessary to achieve the digital and green transitions. Integrating displaced pupils and students from Ukraine into EU Member States’ education systems was also high on the agenda.

‘Pathways to School Success’, a European Education Area flagship initiative, was a focal point of the discussion. The initiative aims to promote better educational outcomes for all learners, irrespective of personal circumstances or family, socio-economic, and cultural backgrounds. Measures include reducing low academic achievement in basic skills and increasing secondary educational attainment.

The panel emphasised the importance of looking at education in a holistic way, combining engagement, achievement, and well-being at school, and the need for systemic approaches at all levels to increase learners’ chances of academic and professional success. The consensus was that whole-system and whole-school approaches to school success are necessary, with all relevant stakeholders (pupils, teachers, parents, schools, local communities, etc.) actively involved in the decision-making process. Quality initial teacher education and continuous professional development opportunities also need to be prioritised.

In the concluding remarks of the summit, Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education, and Youth, Mariya Gabriel, emphasised the importance of working together and sharing expertise to achieve common goals.

Rewatch the summit or read the full report on the event page.

You can also follow interesting discussions on this topic on Twitter via the hashtag #EduSummitEU.