The project aimed to provide a comprehensive and effective response to the challenge of Early School Leaving (ESL) by equipping schools, teachers, and families with innovative tools and strategies. The ultimate goal was to create a sustainable framework to reduce ESL rates and support vulnerable students. Key objectives included: 1)Strengthening partnerships between schools and families by fostering trust and collaboration to ensure active parental involvement, particularly in disadvantaged contexts. 2)Boosting students’ engagement and academic performance with a focus on reading literacy as a critical skill to combat functional dropout and enhance motivation for continued learning. 3)Enhancing schools' ability to identify and respond to ESL risks through tools that integrate risk and protective factor analysis, enabling real-time monitoring and tailored interventions for at-risk students. 4) Embedding continuous improvement processes within schools to ensure ESL prevention strategies evolve through data-driven self-assessment and systematic evaluation. The project sought to align educational practices with inclusive, proactive, and collaborative solutions to deliver long-term impact on equity and inclusion in education.
Early School Leaving (ESL) remains a persistent challenge impacting the educational, social, and economic well-being of communities across EU. Schools face significant difficulties in preventing ESL. Vulnerable families encounter barriers limiting their active involvement in education, while teachers and school leaders require tools to intervene effectively. ACCESS UP was designed to address these challenges by developing collaborative tools to support schools, teachers, students, and families and promote a systemic response. The project tackled four key needs: 1.Reducing the educational gap: disadvantaged students score lower in reading literacy(OECD,2019), a crucial competence for preventing implicit dropout and school disengagement. 2.Improving family involvement: cultural and practical barriers often hinder dialogue between schools and vulnerable families. 3.Early identification of risks: schools struggle to monitor ESL risks and protective factors in an integrated and continuous way. 4.Promoting a culture of continuous improvement: schools require structured tools to strengthen their efforts in preventing ESL. ACCESS UP addressed these challenges with innovative and inclusive approaches.