Members of Policy Scotland and the Network for Social and Educational Equity (NSEE) are convening a new international network focussing on Crisis Response in Education.

This network is part of The International Congress for School Effectiveness and Improvement (ICSEI).

ICSEI was created to enhance quality and equity in education, related to educational and school effectiveness and improvement. Members of ICSEI come from all corners of the earth, from diverse settings and hold a variety of perspectives.

It brings together policymakers, practitioners and researchers around the world to develop knowledge, policies, and practices focused on improving the quality and equity of education.

Policy Scotland’s Professor Chris Chapman is a president elect of ICSEI.

He said: “The establishment of this new network is an important development for ICSEI, NSEE and Policy Scotland. We are convening the network with colleagues in Chile and The Netherlands and will engage our global community to bring together researchers, policymakers and practitioners to explore the impact of and responses to COVID-19 in education systems around world.”

Reflecting on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on education world-wide, ICSEI’s president, Kim Schildkamp, said its mission had never been more important.

On the organisation’s website, she writes: “At the height of the pandemic, over 90% of the world’s school age population was not in school. Now, as countries begin the complex process of remote learning and school re-opening, there are new challenges and risks for educational effectiveness, improvement, quality and equity.

“It is likely that this pandemic will impact unequally on people in our society, with particular concerns for people that are already vulnerable (e.g., suffering from existing physical and mental health problems).

“The impact on our society is tremendous. For example, many people have to deal with schools closing, parents working from home and at the same time taking care of (and the education of) their children, and people around us getting seriously ill.

“At the same time, what is heart-warming to see is the capability of people to re-invent themselves and the way they work (a huge thank you to school leaders and teachers around the world for moving entire education programs online), and people reaching out to each other in the most difficult circumstances.

“More than ever, policymakers, practitioners, and researchers around the world need to work together to mitigate quality and equity risks caused by the current pandemic.”

In February this year, the University of Glasgow’s and Policy Scotland hosted the inaugural ICSEI Professional Learning Conference, which aimed to encourage participants to reflect on the emerging empowerment agenda within Scottish education. The event was chaired by Professor Chris Chapman of Policy Scotland and NSEE.

The conference was aimed at teachers and educational leaders in schools and local authorities, and was designed to explore the key emerging debates within Scottish education. Videos by the presenters are available on the website.

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