The focus was on the professionalization of promoting special aptitudes and talents of school management, teachers, school supervisors,and the staff of the Board of Education for Vienna. It was also on inclusion and the further development of innovative teaching settings to provide equal opportunities for all students. New experiences and insights into different European school systems lead to a general broadening of the perspective. The agreed upon objectives of the Erasmus+ project "European Spotlights" were: 1. Professionalization of all schools and participants involved in the project in Vienna on the topic of promoting special aptitudes and talents. 2. Opening new possibilities for school and teaching development gained through the impressions during the project in the sense of pedagogical autonomy. 3. Further development in the area of the promotion of special aptitudes and talents in terms of the Resources-goals-performance plan and the School quality management system. 4. Striving for the attainment/the award of the seal of quality for the promotion of special aptitudes and talents for middle schools (awarded by of the Center for the Promotion of Special Aptitudes and Talents and the Board of Education for Vienna.
"European Spotlights" is a collective project of the Board of Education for Vienna in cooperation with the European Office for Vienna and the Centre for the Promotion of Special Aptitudes and Talents (BBF, Begabungs- und Begabtenförderung). The goal was to accompany and support schools with developing better systems to promote special aptitudes and talents. Through job-shadowing in various European schools, teachers will gain new insights and inspirations, thus enabling professionalization of all participants. The development of the students' performance potential is encouraged further through a more differentiated and individualized level of instruction. The joy of lifelong learning, thereby further developing the students´ individual personality. The Board of Education for Vienna strongly believes in the promotion of special aptitudes and talents. The introduction of the Seal of quality for the promotion of special aptitudes and talents for elementary schools was one of the first initiatives nationwide. So far, only six middle schools have received this seal of quality from the Board of Education for Vienna. The mobilities have brought opportunities for the schools in terms of school and teaching development.