The Support of Action Planning project focuses on support and development of strategic management on the level of
school authorities, secondary schools, tertiary vocational schools and on preparation of material used for support of
action planning, at both these levels, and on support of the action and long-term system that will be used also after
completion of this project.
The objective of this project is to ensure continuous methodological and supervisory support not only for preparation of the Regional Action Plan for the Development of Education (RAP), but also for the progressive use of action planning approaches at secondary and tertiary vocational schools. For each region in this project, a RAP expert guarantor who will provide this support is designated. The said RAP expert guarantor will participate in the RAP preparatory meeting of the designated Education Working Group, as well as the RAP implementation team. His task will be to continuously monitor and ensure compliance of the forthcoming RAP with the educational policy of the Czech Republic (The Educational Policy Strategy of the Czech Republic until 2020 and the Long-Term Plan for the Development of the Educational System). He will also provide to RAP creators professional and methodological support, ensure content implementation during given workshops, etc. The RAP expert guarantor shall ensure that the RAP creation, during all its phases, is in compliance with the prescribed methodology. Specific attention will be focused on the topic of inclusion; in this area, NUV shall closely co-operate with the following projects: Inclusive and Quality Education in Socially Excluded Localities and Support of Consulting Systems Quality.
One of the important issues during RAP preparation will be to determine the needs and intentions of secondary and tertiary vocational schools. That is why the goal of this project also includes preparing and ensuring support and surveys at regional secondary and tertiary vocational schools in the areas of intervention affected by subsequent support of the ESF. Namely, the following 7 areas of intervention, according to the Operational Plan for Research, Development, and Education (OP RDE):
- Quality of collaboration between schools and employers;
- Polytechnic education – curriculum shall be also prepared for kindergartens and primary schools[1];
- Entrepreneurial skills - curriculum shall be also prepared for primary schools (to certain extent also kindergartens);
- Career counselling - curriculum shall be also prepared for primary schools;
- Networks of lifelong learning schools, including infrastructure needs;
- Inclusive education (specific attention will be focused on the topic of inclusion; close co-operation with the Agency for Social Inclusion (ASI) will be required in this area);
- Infrastructure needs (in the area of support of polytechnic education also for primary schools – only in connection with the above content interventions);
And also the following optional topics:
- Language education based on the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport priorities for 2015-2020, including infrastructure needs;
- ICT including infrastructure needs (support of digital competencies, connectivity of schools);
- Basic literacy.
This information and further analysis will become the basis for the Regional Action Plans. The project will ensure common approach and concept of the areas of intervention. Furthermore, the project will ensure collaboration with schools, e.g. preparation of schools for data collection. At the same time, it will adhere to the principle of co-operation and partnership with other regional players. The project will also include exchange of experience with action planning at individual schools and methodological support of the action planning process, which is to become the tool of quality management in education in a given region, as well as, at schools.
Secondary and tertiary vocational schools, in each region, will be involved in the RAP preparation, during the entire duration of the project. School principals will participate in the work of the Education Working Group, they will engage in the questionnaire survey and last but not least, they will participate together with other teaching staff in the preparation of the activity plan for the development of education at their school or the School Action Plan. The project will provide schools with methodological guidance not only for preparation of the activity plan for the development of education, but also for its assessment.
Following the initial survey and the RAP, the schools will prepare own activity plans for the development of education or their own School Action Plans. This will allow them to develop further in the areas of intervention, according with their needs and in accordance with policies at national and regional levels.
The above activities include a series of meetings, training, and consulting activities.
The action planning that is based on the survey of needs and data analyses shall be repeated in regions after about 3 years and the development, at school and regional levels, shall be monitored. The overall project duration is 70 months.
[1] Acknowledgement of overlapping with functions of kindergartens and primary schools does not mean that the collaboration with these schools is part of the Support of Regional Action Planning project; collaboration with kindergartens and primary schools is part of other projects (e.g. Strategic Management and Planning at Schools and Regions).