ABOUT

Purpose

The Framework for School Self-Assessment “Jump into Sustainable Lifestyle” is a digital tool which supports and encourages schools to put sustainability at the heart of what they do. The platform will help each user to become more aware of the current level of their school’s sustainability and its potential. This is achieved through the identification of positive things already being done, as well as areas offering potential for development.The tool aims to encourage dialogue and action within the school community, to support school vision and strategy (re)development and to facilitate the assessment of progress.

Target audience

The project is targeted at secondary schools. Any interested school can create an account and use it. It is highly recommended that the whole school community (students, teachers and school management) become actively involved. The tool is available in English, German, Estonian and Lithuanian language.

Method

The framework is in line with the whole-school approach to education for sustainable development (ESD) as it recognizes the imperative to address “the needs of learners, staff and the wider community, not only within the curriculum, but across the whole-school and learning environment. It implies collective and collaborative action in and by a school community to improve student learning, behavior and wellbeing, and the conditions that support these” (UNESCO).

You can learn about the project, its background and framework here >

Platform

The platform includes the following components for self-assessment:

 

  • Leadership and management (for administration),
  • Infrastructure and operations (for administration),
  • Partnerships (for teachers and administration),
  • Curriculum (for teachers and administration),
  • Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) competencies (for teachers),
  • Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) (for students aged 15 to 19)
  • Learning experiences (for students aged 15 to 19)
     

It also includes a survey (Your Views) for students to share their experiences or perceptions on different aspects of the school culture and ethos.

Input data is processed and represented for the school in an aggregated way. Information submitted by teachers and students is accessible to the school's management but their identities are kept confidential to encourage wide participation and open communication.

 

The tool has been tested and piloted with a total of 20 schools from four countries. We are grateful to everyone who was involved in the process and provided the project team with valuable insights on the content and navigation. If you have any questions or comments regarding the platform, please contact: [email protected] 

 

Keywords: Education for Sustainable Development (ESD); Whole-School Approach; School Self-Assessment

Project team and funding

Development of this tool was funded by Erasmus+ programme (KA201 - Strategic Partnerships for School Education). This project was implemented transnationally to pool expertise and best practices from four different countries: Lithuania, Germany, Scotland and Estonia.