Learning for Sustainability

Working Group Schools: Learning for Sustainability 

The aim of the working group is to promote mutual learning and exchange on sustainability education in schools, including the development of sustainability competences. Together, the members explore the key role of primary and secondary schools in educating and empowering pupils and students for the green transition. The working group supports the implementation of the 2022 Council Recommendation on learning for the green transition and sustainable development.   

The group is made up of:

• national experts from ministries of education working on Education for Sustainable Development, sustainability and environmental education and related topics, including global and citizenship education
• NGO representatives and representatives from the European Federation of Education Employers and the European Trade Union Committee for Education
• EU and international bodies, including UNESCO, OECD, Council of Europe and the European Training Foundation.  

The group meets regularly in different formats:

• plenary meetings hosted by the European Commission in-person or online
• peer-learning activities hosted by a country (similar to study visits)
• short webinars about a specific topic chosen by the group.

These different meetings, which focus on a topic chosen by the group, usually include a keynote talk, examples from participants and/or a presentation of relevant research or project (including Erasmus+ projects). Breakout groups allow participants to discuss and exchange in a small group setting. During the peer learning activities the group visits schools to meet with students, teachers and school leaders to hear about how they integrate sustainability into school life.  

News and documents from working group

Key messages

For each of our meetings we publish key messages which summarise our discussions and include examples of good practice: 

• Whole School Approaches to sustainability (available in 24 languages)
• Organising and designing curriculum and building core competences (available in 24 languages)
• Good practice in teacher education and gaps in provision (available in 24 languages)
• Leadership for sustainability (available in 24 languages)
• Collaboration and partnerships for sustainability: building connections beyond the classroom (available in 24 languages)
• Sustainability in school education: assessment of student learning and competences (available in 24 languages) 
• Effective policy design in learning for sustainability (available in English, translations forthcoming) 
• Sustainable infrastructure and learning environments ( available in English, translations forthcoming)
• Tackling and overcoming eco-anxiety in students ( available in English, translations forthcoming)

• Vocational Education and Training sector and the greening of the labour market (available in English,  translations forthcoming)

• Student participation and action in learning for sustainability (available in English)

• The twin transitions: digital and sustainability in school education (available in English) 
• Networking of non-formal and formal education programmes - strategies at national and municipal level (available in English)
• Learning for sustainability and citizenship education (available in English)

Input papers

Before each meeting we prepare input papers which give background information, research and reflection questions on the topic we will be discussing. All input papers are publicly available (English only):   

• A whole school approach to learning for environmental sustainability
• School self-evaluation for sustainability
• Teacher education for the green transition: a digest
• Key questions for organising and designing curricula 
• Assessing student competences in sustainability
• Leading learning for sustainability: the role of school leaders

• Collaboration, partnership and whole-school approaches

• Sustainable infrastructure and learning environments
• Tackling and overcoming eco-anxiety in students
• Student engagement and action in learning for sustainability
• The twin transitions: digital and sustainability learning in schools
• Local learning for sustainability: places, partners and participation
• Learning for sustainability and citizenship education

Related publications

2024

• Study on Learning for Sustainability and digital education in primary and secondary schools (2024)

• Education and Training Monitor 2024 - special focus on sustainability (2024)
• Monitoring learning for sustainability -  developing a cross-EU approach: final report (2024)
• European Commission Eurydice report: Learning for sustainability in Europe: Building competences and supporting teachers and school (2024)

• GreenComp in practice: case studies on the use of the European competence framework (2024)

• Harnessing the potential of non-formal education for sustainability (2024)

• Education for Climate Coalition annual report (2024)

2023

• Teacher education for the green transition and sustainable development: analytical report (2023)

• Learning from thirty years of experience: case studies in teacher education for sustainability (2023)

• Student well-being and learning for sustainability (2023)

2022

• GreenComp - European sustainability competence framework (2022 - available in 24 languages)
• Council Recommendation of 16 June 2022 on learning for the green transition and sustainable development (2022 - available in 24 languages)
• Learning for the green transition and sustainable development: handbook accompanying the proposal for a Council recommendation (2022)

Working group meeting schedule 

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Contact

Mailbox: EAC-GREEN-EDUCATION@ec.europa.eu