The PICAET project can be placed in the context of the early school leaving of many students who are at risk of social exclusion within European societies, as educational environments become more multicultural. Therefore, the PURPOSE of PIACET is the prevention of early school leaving among students at risk of social exclusion, contributing to the improvement of the quality of intercultural/inclusive training of teachers at the pre-primary and primary educational levels. The specific OBJECTIVES of the project during the two years envisioned include: - Mapping and providing a selection of effective intercultural/inclusive education practices that European countries are carrying out to combat early school leaving of students at risk of social exclusion. - Validate a system of indicators to identify effective intercultural/inclusive practices. - Design and implement a systematic teacher training programme that enables teachers to employ and further develop the most effective intercultural/inclusive practices that promote social inclusion and equity of school children at risk of early school leaving. - Disseminate a set of effective intercultural/educational practices in schools across Europe, as well the system of indicators so that teachers can diagnose their own practices; sharing these indicators with international institutions and Ministries of Education. The association brings together nine partners from six EU countries. Specifically, three universities (UPO, Spain, UHO, Greece and ESEPF, Portugal); two non-profit associations (IAIE, Holland and SIRIUS, Belgium) and three schools (Malala, Spain, Giovanni Falcone School, Italy and School Tahia, Croatia). TWO MIAIN INTELLECTUAL PRODUCTS will be created: (O1) a methodological guide of effective practices "Intercultural training for intercultural/inclusive education" and a system of indicators to identify such practices. This tool will provide criteria to identify what really qualifies them as "effective practices", in relation to initiatives in Europe focusing on intercultural/inclusive education, and will provide teachers with the possibility to self-diagnose their own educational practices. (O2) A systematic intercultural/inclusive training for pre-primary and primary teachers based on the use of effective practices, so that they are able to successfully address the challenges in their learning environments related to equity, diversity and inclusion. The METHODOLOGY will be inductive, that is to say, from the analysis of concrete realities, an experimental approach will be elaborated that responds to identified needs. First of all, effective practices in intercultural training in Europe will be analyzed. Subsequently, a training itinerary will be designed and tested in multiple selected locations, adjusting it according to the results obtained. The expected RESULTS are: - Teachers will update their knowledge on intercultural/inclusive education and acquire practical tools for the prevention of early school leaving of disadvantaged students. - Teachers and schools will be better able to integrate an intercultural/inclusive approach into their practices. - Teachers will develop their intercultural competences and pedagogical strategies, sensitive to the diversity they find in their classrooms. - Creation of a network for the exchange of effective practices that employ an inclusive/intercultural approach. - Creation of awareness among political authorities of the need to contribute to the professional development of teachers from an intercultural/inclusive perspective as a key element for the prevention of the early school leaving of disadvantaged students. In a broader perspective, PICAET will be designed as a pilot project with scalable results and will develop a model that can be transferred to other education sectors to improve the training of education professionals. With regard to the LONG-TERM IMPACT, the project aims to contribute to improving the performance of students at risk of social exclusion, helping to create more inclusive societies and promoting social cohesion. In this manner, the project will offer an important contribution to the "Agenda 2030" for Sustainable Development of the United Nations: "Guarantee an inclusive, equitable and quality education" (UN, 2015), as well as the Europe 2020 Strategy that has set the objective of reducing the proportion of students leaving education and training prematurely to less than 10%. In sum, society will benefit from more qualified citizens and teachers: a key step to link intercultural/inclusive training in initial training and teacher development with the training systems for the qualification of the professional profiles of teachers. The Europe 2020 development strategy will be at the core of all project activities.
In the light of these figures and context, PICESL aimed to prevent ESL of pupils in situations at risk of social exclusion within European societies, as educational environments become more multicultural and fragmented. The SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES of PICESL were: - Mapp a selection of effective intercultural/inclusive practices to support vulnerable students and keep them in education until attaining at least an upper secondary education qualification. - Validate a system of indicators to identify effective intercultural/inclusive practices. - Design and implement a systematic teacher training program that enables teachers to employ and further develop pedagogies that promote social inclusion and equity of school children at risk of ESL. - Disseminate a set of school practices across Europe, as well the system of indicators to help teachers diagnose their own practices. PICESL is therefore consistent with the European and national contexts (social inclusion and addressing early dropouts from education and disadvantaged situations, strengthening the profiles of the teaching professions). Additionally, the project focus on the expansion and execution of education policies, and the transferability of country-specific good practices.
Early school leaving (ESL) is a major concern within the European Union. One in seven young Europeans leaves the education system without the necessary skills for a successful transition to active life. In other words, currently, around 6.4 million young people in Europe are defined as early school dropouts. The fact that many young people opt to leave school too early increases the risk of being on unemployment and socially excluded. Although national policies and interventions in some countries have led to some decreases, the rates have been incrementally growing with the Covid-19 closing schools, confining families, and maintaining social distance, as well as students not being in school, becoming accustomed to alternative teaching methodologies requiring technological equipment and training will no doubt have placed a strain on already technologically depleted economies. The post-pandemic period has only exacerbated this challenge that affects both the lives of students and teachers, thus, making the need of this project more evident and urgent as teachers feel unprepared and demand practical tools to address this issue. Despite the multiple variables that impact on ESL, PICESL focuses mainly on in-school factors.