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Agency eBulletin January 2023
This eBulletin brings news of new Agency publications, including a framework for inclusive teacher professional learning and a report about inclusive education during the COVID-19 pandemic. There is new data from the European Agency Statistics on Inclusive Education, a new report and infographic from the Voices into Action activity, and a report on legislative definitions used in education in Agency member countries. There is also information on an update to the Agency’s position paper.
The newsletter also gives an update on the Agency’s collaboration with international partners, including news of new and on-going activities within the European Commission’s Technical Support Instrument and Working Groups to develop the European Education Area.
Finally, it gives details of a report on the joint webinar organised by UNESCO and the Agency on fostering stakeholder dialogue on legislation and policy, UNESCO IBE’s inclusive education resource pack, and this year’s International Day of Education.
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A framework of values and competences for inclusion for education professionals
 The Agency’s new Profile for Inclusive Teacher Professional Learning outlines the core values and areas of competence considered crucial for all education professionals working in or towards inclusive education at all levels of the education system. The final output from the Teacher Professional Learning for Inclusion (TPL4I) project, the new Profile is the result of several TPL4I activities, including an analysis of policies in 26 Agency member countries, a conceptual working paper, surveys and workshops.
The Profile is available to download as a PDF on the Agency website. The framework of core values and areas of competence, which is central to the Profile, is also available as a separate Word document. This can be used to develop or align national frameworks for inclusion, and is available in all Agency member country languages.
More details are available in the Profile news item.
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Inclusive Education and the Pandemic – Aiming for Resilience
 A new Agency report, entitled Inclusive Education and the Pandemic – Aiming for Resilience, examines key European education measures and practices for dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021 publications. Part of the Building Resilience through Inclusive Education Systems (BRIES) activity, the new report builds on a previously published review of 2020 publications. The report explores the impact of COVID-19 on European inclusive education systems, the lessons learned and potential future developments. It also provides recommendations for dealing with future crises in education.
Download the report on the Agency website. For more information on the BRIES activities, read the BRIES news item.
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European Agency Statistics on Inclusive Education
 The European Agency Statistics on Inclusive Education (EASIE) provide individual country data on education systems in participating Agency member countries. This data informs country-level work on learners’ rights issues connected to equity and participation in inclusive education. New data tables and updated country background information for the 2019/2020 school year are now available on the Agency’s data web area. Read more in the EASIE data news item.
EASIE cross-country reports collate the available data from each participating country. The Cross-Country Report for the 2018/2019 school year is available to download on the website.
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Voices into Action synthesis report and infographic
 The Agency has published a new report summarising the Voices into Action (VIA) activity, which examines the critical issue of including the voices of learners and their families in educational decision-making. The report provides an overview of the VIA literature review, an analysis of previous Agency work, and relevant country examples. It aims to help
policy-makers from Agency member countries’ ministries of education and other national stakeholders who work with learners and families to promote learner participation and build more inclusive education systems. Download the VIA report on the Agency website.
The VIA Framework for Meaningful Participation, which is described in the report, is also presented in an infographic. Policy-makers, school leaders, teachers and other stakeholders can use the framework to encourage meaningful participation of learners and families in educational decision making across all education levels. The infographic is available in all Agency languages.
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Section of the VIA Framework for Meaningful Participation in Inclusive Education infographic. |
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Second edition of the Agency’s position paper
 The 2022 position paper presents an update to the Agency’s position on inclusive education systems that was published in 2015. The position paper sets out a vision for the essential features of inclusive education systems, agreed by Agency member countries.
The updated position paper retains the vision for inclusive education systems outlined in the first edition from 2015, that ‘all learners of any age are provided with meaningful, high-quality educational opportunities in their local community, alongside their friends and peers’. The position presented in the paper is fully in line with European Union and international stated priorities for education.
A separate Background Information Paper presents the evidence and literature that informed this 2022 update of the Agency position paper.
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International Co-operation
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New projects within the European Commission’s Technical Support Instrument
A new multi-country project within the European Commission’s Technical Support Instrument (TSI) will aim to ensure equal access to inclusive education across Italy, Portugal and Spain. The Agency will work as a technical provider to the countries. The project will support the three countries in their continued efforts to improve their inclusive education systems and practices. For more information on the project and its launch event, read the
TSI multi-country news item.
In addition, the kick-off meeting has taken place in TSI work with the Ministry of National Education in France to develop and deploy a digital tool for inclusive education. The project will identify the strengths and weaknesses of an inclusive education app for teachers and propose ways of enhancing its implementation. Find out more in the TSI France news item.
Finally, phase 2 of work with the Ministry of Education and Religious Affairs in Greece has also begun. The project will work with stakeholders to pilot a new inclusive education policy framework. It follows phase 1, which worked to implement a new law on inclusive education in Greece. Find out more about phase 2 in the TSI Greece news item.
A new TSI web area contains more information on all Agency participation in TSI projects.
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TSI projects are funded by the European Union. |
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Agency participation in Commission Working Groups to develop the European Education Area
The Agency is taking part in the European Commission’s Working Groups that are contributing to the European Education Area development. The Working Groups build on the results of the Education and Training (ET) 2020 Working Groups and aim to enable participating countries to share information and inspire change. They consist of representatives from governments and stakeholder organisations from across Europe.
The Agency is participating as an expert in the Early childhood education and care, Schools and Equality and values in education and training Working Groups. Find out more about the Working Groups and a peer learning activity in the Working Group on Schools on the website.
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Towards a shared vision of inclusion in education: UNESCO webinar report
 The report from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the Agency’s joint webinar in April 2022 on fostering stakeholder dialogue on legislation and policy is now available on UNESCO’s website. Find out more about the report.
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UNESCO International Bureau of Education (IBE) inclusive education resource pack
 The UNESCO IBE ‘Reaching out to all learners’ resource pack supports inclusion and equity in education.
The resource pack is designed to be used collaboratively by schools and in other education contexts, such as in teacher education and education research, to support inclusive education practices at the school level. By encouraging inclusive practices in the classroom, the resource pack aims to promote inclusion and equity across all levels of the education system.
Find out more about the resource pack.
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International Day of Education calls for political mobilisation to prioritise education
 The theme of the 2023 International Day of Education, which takes place on 24 January, is ‘To invest in people, prioritize education’. As the mid-point on the journey towards the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted by United Nations Member States in 2015, the 2023 International Day of Education is also the ideal time to review progress towards meeting the Agenda’s Sustainable Development Goals.
Find out more about how to get involved in the International Day of Education.
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