January 2010

Dear Readers,

In this issue of the Agency bulletin, we would like to provide you with an overview of the Agency’s work in 2010, as well as informing you on development in the Agency’s co-operative work with other organisations and the newest information resources available on the Agency’s website. 

We hope you find this information useful and are - as always - available for any questions you might have. You are welcome to contact us via secretariat@european-agency.org or to contact your country representatives, whose details you will find when you select your country from our interactive map or the list on http://www.european-agency.org/country-information

For regular updates on Agency news on publications, events and projects, we would like to invite you to sign up to our RSS Newsfeed. To sign up, please visit www.european-agency.org and select the link “subscribe to Agency news”.

Sincerely,
The Agency

Contents:

1. Outlook on 2010 Agency work
2. The Agency’s co-operative work
3. New project areas on the web 
4. Contacts and Disclaimer

1. Outlook on 2010 Agency work

Inclusive Education in Action project:

The IEA project is based on a unique collaboration between two key international organisations working in the field of inclusive education: UNESCO and the Agency. The project will draw upon the existing respective knowledge and expertise from the two organisations and their well-established international networks of policy makers and practitioners. 

The starting point for the project IS the UNESCO ‘Policy Guidelines on Inclusion in Education’ document, which considers in detail how the ‘policy cycle’ for inclusive education can be supported.

The main output for the project will be a dedicated web portal providing all of the project information. An on-line examples database will be a practical tool to accompany the UNESCO Policy Guidelines document in supporting the development of countries’ inclusive education policy cycles. 

More information about as well as outputs from the project will be provided via the Agency website as they become available.

Vocational Education and Training (2010-2012):

The starting point of the Vocational Education and Training project will be the main findings of two analyses dealing with the issue of how best to prepare students with SEN to enter the labour market, conducted within the framework of previous Agency work. The first one was Transition from School to Employment published in 2002; the second Individual Transition Plans: Supporting the Move from School to Employment published in 2006. Information to these previous projects can be accessed via the Transition web area.

The aim of the project will be to identify and investigate the relevant key aspects of vocational education and training (VET) programmes for students with SEN with a clear link to employment opportunities.

In order to avoid overlapping with European or International projects on the issue, the project will be conducted in co-operation with OECD and CEDEFOP.

Summarised country information on Vocational Education and Training, as well as a summary project report, presenting the framework, aims and objectives as well as the main findings of the project on the issue on “what works” and “why” for students with SEN in vocational education and training, will be published in all Agency languages and will be available on the Agency website.

Key Principles:

The first report in the Key Principles series was published by he Agency in 2003 and was based upon Agency work published until then. During 2009, this work has been updated and this latest edition draws upon Agency work from 2003 onwards. 

The latest issue of Key Principles focuses upon recommendations for promoting quality in inclusive education. The aim is to highlight recommendations regarding key aspects of educational policy that seem to be effective in supporting the inclusion of learners with a diverse range of needs within mainstream provision. As with the previous edition, this document has been prepared by educational policy makers in order to provide other policy makers across Europe with a synthesis of the main policy findings that have emerged from the Agency’s thematic work. 

The report will be made available in 21 languages from the publications section of the Agency website. In addition there will be a new web area presenting an overview of the work including a matrix linking the report recommendations to the original sources of information coming from Agency project work. 

Early Childhood Intervention:

The main objective of the Early Childhood Intervention project update is to provide an overview regarding the progress and main changes that have been made in the participating countries since 2005 in relation to some key elements - availability, proximity, affordability, interdisciplinary working and diversity – identified in the first Agency project. In total 28 national experts from 26 countries are involved in the project activities. 

Summarized country information on Early Childhood Intervention, as well as a summary project report, presenting the progress and main changes in the area of ECI in Europe, will be published in all Agency languages and will be available on the Agency website in 2010.

Information on the previous Early Childhood Intervention project can be accessed via the project web area.

Teacher Education for Inclusion:

The Agency is currently undertaking a major new project titled "Teacher Education for Inclusion". The project will involve over 60 experts from 26 European countries and last for three years. Activities have begun in 2009 and will run until the end of 2011. Representatives of key international organisations (UNESCO-IBE and European Commission DG-EAC) also working in this area will join project activities in different ways. 

The following key issues will be addressed in the project:

1. What kind of teachers do we need for an inclusive society in a 21st century school?
2. What are the essential teacher competences for inclusive education?

The essential question for consideration in the project is: how mainstream teachers are prepared via their initial training to be 'inclusive'.

In 2010 both the literature review and the web area will be available on the Agency website.

2. The Agency’s co-operative work

At both national and European level, the Agency has consolidated and strengthened its position in the field of special needs education through the involvement in an increasing number of workshops, conferences and key European activities linked to the Agency’s work programme. This includes close co-operation with EU Presidencies and other key European bodies and organisations such as the Council of Europe, the European Parliament’s Committees, the European Commission and its institutions – Eurydice, Cedefop and Eurostat as well as with other organisations such as the OECD and UNESCO.

Currently, the OECD and Cedefop are involved as participant observers in the Agency’s Vocational Education and Training project and similarly the European Commission and UNESCO-IBE are involved in the Agency’s Teacher Education for Inclusion project.  

The Agency's goals and mission are in clear alignment with the work of UNESCO towards ensuring Education for All. Inclusive Education is viewed as a key strategy in ensuring education for all children. This is reinforced in the 2010 Global Monitoring report.

3. New project areas on the web

Higher Education Accessibility Guide:

This January the Higher Education Accessibility Guide (HEAG) web area was launched. HEAG is a unique guide to disability support services in Higher Education Institutions across Europe. Project experts from 28 countries have collaborated to collect focused information, which can be accessed:

• via country pages, offering country specific information on Higher Education (support for students with disabilities, the national approach to higher education and disability, contact information of key people);
• via the HEAG database that allows users to search specialist services and accessibility support for students in higher education in each of the countries.

All information is available in English and the language of the respective country the information refers to. The Agency and all participating countries will continue to add and update the available information. If you would like to have more information on Higher Education in your country, please visit your country pages for the contact details of your HEAG representative via the HEAG home page. For more information on HEAG, you can also contact heag@european-agency.org. 

Multicultural Diversity and Special Needs Education web area:

This new web area presents the results of the Agency project focusing upon an analysis of Multicultural Diversity and Special Needs Education in 25 European countries. This analysis has been conducted in 2006-2008 at the request of member countries’ representatives on the topic of Special Needs Education and Immigration. Agency representatives asked to receive information from the different countries about the combined effects of this double issue. 

In this new web area you will find:

• Overview of the project and project participants;
• Aims and objectives;
• Project outcomes;
• as well as National and local reports.

All information on Multicultural Diversity and Special Needs Education can be accessed at: http://www.european-agency.org/agency-projects/multicultural-diversity-and-special-needs-education. 

4. Contacts and Disclaimer

For more information about the Agency in general or specific projects please contact:

European Agency for Development in Special Needs Education
Østre Stationsvej 33
DK-5000 Odense C
Denmark
Phone: +45 64 41 00 20
Fax: +45 64 41 23 03
E-mail: secretariat@european-agency.org
URL: www.european-agency.org

If you would like to send feedback regarding this bulletin please send an email to: bulletin@european-agency.org

Copyright Notice

The text contained in this bulletin is protected by the laws of the European Union and each member country, including copyright law.

The European Agency for Development in Special Needs Education is an independent and self-governing organisation, supported by Agency member countries and the European Institutions (Commission and Parliament). The production of this document has been made possible through support from the Agency member countries as well as the DG Education, Training and Culture of the European Commission.