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European School Education Platform
Practice article

School success for all: projects across Europe making a difference

Ensuring all learners can achieve their full potential, regardless of their socio-economic background or personal situation, is the backbone of inclusive education. The European Commission´s Pathways to school success initiative, under the European Education Area 2025, aims to address inequalities, improve educational outcomes for at-risk groups across Europe and increase attainment in secondary education. But what does ‘school success for all’ look like in practice? This article will explore some projects, approaches and tools that support equal participation in quality education for all.

Assessing the classroom climate and identifying the learners’ needs

Before schools and educators can begin implementing changes for school success, it is important to identify the learning needs of each pupil. The Formative Assessment Tool of the Classroom Climate consists of nine indicators assessing the classroom climate:

  • cultural responsiveness and inclusion,
  • sense of safety, including prevention and protection from bullying,
  • positive classroom management,
  • caring teacher-student relationship,
  • supportive peer relationships,
  • collaboration, including collaborative learning,
  • active student engagement in meaningful learning activities,
  • challenge and high expectations for all learners in the classroom,
  • student voice, including student participation in classroom decisions.

These indicators can be translated into a questionnaire and adapted to suit individual classrooms, allowing teachers to better assess the needs of their pupils.

Portugal began an assessment of its education system and displayed its findings in the 2017 document Students’ Profile by the End of Compulsory Schooling. The government then launched its Essential Core curriculum, to address curriculum overload and support deeper learning.

It also launched its Project for Autonomy and Curriculum Flexibility (PACF). PACF schools have voluntary autonomy over certain curricular and pedagogical areas, so they can design learning experiences in line with the aims of the pupil profile. This might mean, for instance, tailoring lessons and practices to non-native Portuguese speakers or pupils at risk of dropping out.

Tools promoting school success

The digital tool Lexplore offers ground-breaking technology, using AI to track pupils’ reading levels. The tool works by monitoring a pupil’s eye movements, analysing how their eyes follow words in sequential (or non-sequential) order, to identify patterns. This has allowed teachers access to real-time data and the ability to assess pupils’ reading levels and, in some cases, detect dyslexia. Launched in Sweden, the tool has also had success in the UK, Portugal, Brazil and Norway.

Similarly, iScoil is a non-profit online learning service addressing the problem of early school leaving and educational disadvantage in Ireland, so that young people can achieve their full potential. The programme offers online tutoring services where the tutors can review the pupils’ work, provide feedback on it, and adapt the next day’s learning plan as needed to re-engage the pupils in their learning experience.

School success across Europe

Many countries have adopted their own initiatives to help with their region’s unique educational needs. The four-year programme Scuola Viva, which began in 2016, aimed at improving the quality of schools in Italy’s Campania Region by opening schools after hours and offering a range of cultural, social, artistic and sports activities. The programme was carried out in 500 schools.

Sweden’s Berättarministeriet (The Storytelling Ministry) is a private initiative helping teachers and pupils in socio-economically challenged areas to develop language through storytelling. Berättarministeriet runs training centres in Husby and Hagsätra in Stockholm and in Gamlestaden in Gothenburg.

Primary schools in these areas are offered free school programmes that allow pupils, regardless of their level of knowledge, to enjoy learning through storytelling. The programmes are based on the curriculum and developed in cooperation with the teachers to meet their specific pedagogical conditions and challenges.

Additional information

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