This project aims to develop a sustainable partnership between three universities and on educational authority in four different countries. This partnership creates a context for supporting teachers, school leaders and other educational specialists to strengthen their leadership capacities and their expertise with respect to school development and innovation. Key focus of the partnership is development, testing, implementation and evaluation of the joint international Master's level in-service program for teachers, school leaders and other educational specialists. This programs will be integrated in Master’s programs in Estonia, the Netherlands and Switzerland and accessible for participants from all four countries. The program consists of 12 ECTS and covers both national and joint international activities. Aim of the program is to strengthen the leadership of teachers, school leaders and other educational innovators, by focusing on the possible impact of international trends in society on schools and by studying and reflecting on differences in educational systems in different European countries. Key elements in the program that stimulate this are three exchange visits focused on school visits (individual and group) and collaborative reflection and analysis. In the time between the exchange visits participants from different countries work collaboratively (via platform) on assignments that focus on school development. Final result of the program is participants' increased understanding of reasons for changes in society and their impact in schools. Additionally, the participants are able to understand and estimate the role of teachers and school leaders and other educational innovators in preparing schools for these changes. Concrete, small-scale innovation projects will be implemented within the schools of the participants in the program. The program is unique by bringing together teachers, school leaders and other educational innovators as partners in innovation, by stimulating international exchange at a Master’s level program stimulating intensive reflection about national systems and school practices, by combining both individual professional development of the participants and school development of the schools through small-scale innovation projects at local level. The development of this joint Master’s level program will be done through a design approach in which a cycle of (re)designing-running-evaluating will be repeated three times. Through this cyclic approach, the project outcomes involve a full tested and implemented program, strengthening the sustainability of the program after ending the formal project. The design approach is also the ground on which the partnership within each participating institution and between four institutions will be developing. Namely, the areas of educational innovation, especially in the context of school leadership, are evolving continuously. Hereof, the partnership will develop by extensive inclusion of competences that need to be introduced to a contemporary educational leader and innovator. Evaluation of the program in each cycle will be done through evaluative research.
Within the Education for the Future (E4F) project - a joint international Master's level in-service program for teachers, school leaders and other educational specialists - has been developed, tested, evaluated, adapted and implemented. The program created a context for supporting teachers, school leaders and other educational specialists to strengthen their leadership capacities and their expertise with respect to school development and innovation. The program is developed within a sustainable partnership between three universities and an educational authority in four different countries. The program covers 12 to 15 ECTS covering both national and joint international activities, and is integrated in Master’s programs in Estonia, the Netherlands and Switzerland and accessible for participants from all four countries. Aim of the program is to strengthen the leadership of teachers, school leaders and other educational innovators, by focusing on the possible impact of international societal trends on schools and by studying and reflecting on differences in educational systems in different European countries. Key elements in the program that stimulate this leadership are three exchange visits focused on school visits (individual and group) and collaborative reflection and analysis. In the time between the exchange visits participants from different countries prepare national assignments that focus on school development. The results of these assignments are shared during the international exchange visits. The program is unique by bringing together teachers, school leaders and other educational innovators as partners in innovation, by stimulating international exchange at a Master’s level, by stimulating intensive reflection about national systems and school practices, and by combining both individual professional development of the participants and school development within their schools through small-scale innovation projects at local level. In the development of this joint Master’s level program a design approach has been used characterized by three cycles of (re)designing-running-evaluating. Through this cyclic approach, the program has been tested, evaluated, adapted and implemented, strengthening both the quality and the sustainability of the program after ending the formal project. Additionally, the project contributed to leadership development more than 140 participants in four countries and to school improvement in their schools. Finally the project resulted in a sustainable partnership between three universities and an educational authority based on trust, mutual recognition of expertise and shared commitment and responsibility.