General Education Schools Development Program 2022–2029

The development programs primarily invite those general education schools where indicators related to students' psychological basic needs (motivation, engagement, competence), based on national satisfaction surveys, are significantly lower than the Estonian average.

The program is designed to involve a team formed for this purpose, typically consisting of members selected from both school management and teachers.

It is essential that the knowledge and experiences eventually reach all members of the school community and that the implementation methods are developed during the programs. If necessary, a representative of the school's governing body may also participate in the program, but the specifics of their involvement are agreed upon separately with each school.

Participation in the development programs primarily prepares schools to:

• manage processes and changes based on evidence;
• create a learner-centered school culture;
• promote quality management practices, including improving internal assessment and conducting self-analyses.

Development programs require active and continuous participation. Each educational institution agrees with the team and the university on the most important goals to pursue and the activities that lead to these goals. The focus of the goals should be directed towards supporting learner needs.

The program can vary for school teams, but it should be considered up to three years long. Three years precisely because previous experience and research have shown that it is difficult to bring about lasting changes in educational institutions in a shorter period.

The program requires participation in seminars, communication with mentors, and finding time for independent assignments. Therefore, participation should be carefully planned to fit into each team member's schedule participating in the program.

The development program is not designed to assess participating schools or scrutinize past actions but to share learning and experiences.

The program provides an opportunity, with support from the university, to take time to analyze indicators relevant to oneself, experiment with different ways of working as a team and learning from each other, and collaboratively implement important development activities for the school. The goal is that the current learning efforts will make teaching and learning processes smoother and more effective in the future.

For the program to succeed, it's crucial to have open and honest discussions within the school and with trainers and mentors. It's necessary to review all available data, analyses, and other relevant background information with universities and mentors to identify the most pressing challenge.

Internally, within the school, it's essential to communicate openly with all members from the outset and collectively discuss why we want this and what participating in development programs can offer us. Schools should participate in the program when the team feels that:

• continuous learning from each other and honest self-reflection are necessary for the overall health of the educational institution;
• participating in the program is an opportunity to analyze their activities better and grow together as a team;
• they are ready to commit to the development program for an extended period.