PACT – Partnership Achieving Communities Tackling early school leaving. Erasmus Project

Project Title

PACT – Partnership Achieving Communities Tackling early school leaving.

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for school education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2017

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses; Overcoming skills mismatches (basic/transversal); Early School Leaving / combating failure in education

Project Summary

Title: PACT- Partnerships Achieving Communities Tackling early school leaving.

Background:
Community-based efforts make up the scope of this project as a way to create inclusive models for schools and communities. This is in the context of the EU2020 headline target to reduce early school leaving in 18-24 year olds to 10 % across the EU. This target ultimately led to an EU Council Recommendation (2011) on early school leaving. The Council Recommendation, together with the Council Conclusions (2015) and a number of related EU Commission documents on early school leaving, child poverty and social inclusion (2011, 2011a, 2013, 2013a, 2015), formed the basic overarching framework for early school leaving prevention in general, and also led to particular attention on inclusive systems in and around education. European cities share a focus on neighborhoods which are characterized by unstable demographic development, social tensions among ethnic groups and a challenged public services due to limited economic funds and fast changing public needs. Research shows how these factors influence everyday well-being for families, and this has a proven impact on the learning situations for children and increases the risk of early school leaving. The complexities of the contexts concerning factors for ESL are larger than what the traditional mandate of educational institutions alone can do something about. The inspiration behind creating the PACT- project was to develop new methods for increasing students well being and motivation in order to prevent early school leaving.

Results:
The activities and results in this project were:
1. The development of a student- to- student mentorship method to support talented students in at-risk conditions
2. A development of vitue education and after school-program
3. Report and video material to describe methods for community based homework programs

The Nordpolen primary school developed activities to promote student identity and belonging, and these activities wiere integrated into the school as a center for the neighborhood together with parents.
In Riga, there were targeted efforts to meet the children’s emotional and cognitive needs early within the primary schools. The models for support aimed to empower students through targeted municipal resources within the schools easily accessible for the teachers and a renewal of how the arts, crafts and ethics in after-school activities play a part in implementing policies for what is called virture education. These effeorts led to the development of different moduls in a virtue education program.

In Rotterdam, the targeted efforts focused on “student- to-student mentorship” in the upper school levels that was established in collaboration with the Erasmus University Rotterdam. These efforts led to the development of a mentor program.

The purpose with PACT was establishing flexible models for community collaborations in and around schools to motivate learning and tackle early school leaving. PACT addresses the needs of students in a holistic way (their emotional, physical, cognitive and social needs), and recognizes their individual talents and voices. Inclusive systems in and around schools particularly focus on the differentiated needs of marginalized and vulnerable groups, including those at risk of early school leaving and alienation from society.

The practitioners and community particpation in the project can bring forth nuances for expert’s assessments and methods. The methods developed can have transnational transferrable knowledge. The long term impact is hope for increased community participation and possibilites for social inclusion and a sense of belonging.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 266834,25 Eur

Project Coordinator

Oslo Kommune Bydel 3 Sagene & Country: NO

Project Partners

• GEMEENTE ROTTERDAM
• Oslo kommune Utdanningsetaten
• RIGAS DOMES IZGLITIBAS KULTURAS UN SPORTA DEPARTAMENTS
• Vereniging voor Christelijk Voortgezet onderwijs Rotterdam en omgeving, Christelijke Scholengemeenschap Comenius College
• ERASMUS UNIVERSITEIT ROTTERDAM