Project(s) are expected to contribute to all of the following expected outcomes:

• A better understanding of which interventions and measures are effective to produce intended but also novel learning outcomes needed for the green transition of our society and economy.
• Improved methods for measuring impact and implementation of sustainability and climate-related education.
• Better feedback-loops between improved output-oriented monitoring of sustainability and climate-related education and education policy-related decision-making, including planning and reorienting curricula and programmes, to ensure that policy and programmes remain relevant and effective.

The dimension of “sustainability and greening of education and training systems” is still relatively new in the EU context^[1]. Through the Commission’s proposal on learning for environmental sustainability^[2] as well as European sustainability competence framework^[3] – both published in 2022 – EU Member States/Associated countries have received new impetus to implement education and training related to the environment and sustainability. For effective policy-making, including development and revision of curricula and study programmes, it is necessary to assess and monitor the impact that sustainability-related education has. The objective of this project is therefore to better understand and to provide recommendations on how to measure what learners actually learn and how this influences mind-set and actions on sustainability at the individual and collective level.

Projects should therefore:

• Address both inputs to and outcomes of learning^[4] and the processes that link them: Methods that address impact assessment of learning outcomes require taking into account commitment (e.g. legislation, policy measures, top-level strategies and action plans), context (governance, structure of education system) implementation (e.g. funding, governance, curricula, teacher training, sustainable infrastructure and resource management) and results (e.g. learning outcomes in terms of skills and competences).
• Capture the lifelong learning scope and ambition of learning for sustainability: to do so, it will be important to widen the current focus of monitoring pupils and students (mainly at secondary level) to both younger and older generations. Moving beyond formal learning and even beyond education to measuring impact in the wider economy and society requires taking into account contextual factors - both education-related and non-educational - that might influence learning outcomes.
• Address novel concepts and competences put forward in sustainability and climate change education, such as participatory and challenge-based education, living labs, exploratory and futures thinking. Such approaches encourage learners to imagine and create what does not yet exist, yet they are difficult to capture with pre-defined targets and indicators. Research should therefore go beyond test-based student assessment, which often serves to monitor and measure impact and progress in the area and include aspects such as links with the local community or interdisciplinary, hands-on and socio-emotional approaches, which are crucial for effective learning for sustainability.

Actions should envisage clustering activities with relevant projects and initiatives, such as the two Horizon 2020 projects ECF4CLIM and GreenSCENT, the GreenComp (the European sustainability competence framework developed by the JRC) for cross-projects cooperation, consultations and joint activities on crosscutting issues, to share their results, as well as to participate in joint meetings and communication events. To this end, proposals should foresee a dedicated work package and/or task and earmark the appropriate resources accordingly.

Projects are requested to develop the following outputs:

• A set of indicators to monitor progress in implementing such education measures.
• A mapping of policy evaluation methods, monitoring frames and indicators and their relation with approaches and programs in the area of sustainability and climate change education, in EU Member States/Associated countries and internationally, with the objective to identify best practices and reproducible solutions. This should build on work developed during the UN Decade in Education for Sustainable Development (DESD) and the Global Action Programme for Sustainable Development (GAP), which include a “Global Monitoring and Evaluation Framework” as well as evaluation and assessment of impacts through large-scale testing (including international assessments, such as PISA, TIMSS, PIRLS), project-based monitoring/assessment, surveys, etc.
• Definition of suitable areas for assessment of the impact of education policies/interventions (e.g. measurement of skills/competence of learners, educators; investment in green education; link between education and engagement in sustainability and climate action; effective communication strategies; training of professionals).
• A comprehensive assessment model on the basis of a wide range of indicators (e.g. capturing commitments, implementation and results).
• A methodology tailored for conducting impact assessments and evaluations of policies on learning for sustainability (taking into account inputs, processes, context, outcomes), addressed to and adaptable to different education and training approaches and levels in a life-long learning context (i.e. early childhood education and care, school, vocational education and training (VET) and higher education, citizen science, non-formal learning).
• Running of minimum 2 case studies using the developed methodology.

This topic also requires the effective contribution of SSH disciplines and the involvement of SSH experts, institutions as well as the inclusion of relevant SSH expertise, in order to produce meaningful and significant effects enhancing the societal impact of the related research activities.

[1] EU Green Deal and other key EU initiatives highlight the importance of education and training for the green transition.

[2] https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=COM:2022:11:FIN)

[3] https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC128040

[4] Learning outcomes relate to what learners know and can do after a “learning intervention”, usually after an extended period of time (like a study programme). Learning interventions themselves depend on a range of inputs (inducing investments, policies, curricula design). Learning outcomes are usually described as knowledge, skills and attitudes that learners have developed in a specific area.