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A Global Discussion on Inclusive schools

This ISHN update includes an invitation to join the FRESH Partners, a coalition of UN agencies, donors and global NGOs which promotes equity, educational success, health and social development, in a webinar with several key panel members (See below for details).

This open web meeting will be held at 9:00 am (Washington DC time) on Tuesday, 29 September.
LINK to webinar: 
https://meet.lync.com/ishn/dmccall/APQSH9ZI 
If needed, the password is 582741

The recent 2020 Global Education Monitoring report, part of the reporting on UN 2030 SD goals, is focused on inclusion. It offers an opportunity to learn how countries and global agencies can strengthen their policies and programs to address a variety of forms of exclusion. The report and an accompanying country policy database offers extensive depth and detail.

As you know, ISHN and other FRESH Partners have always promoted the use of comprehensive multi-component approaches which coordinate the delivery of several interventions. The FRESH Working Group on Health Literacy, Life Skills and Social Inclusion, with the support from Public Safety Canada, has been able to identify several such multi-intervention  frameworks that address different barriers and forms of exclusion from schools. I have attached one of the concept notes from that FRESH WG which summarizes some of these frameworks.  Many of the leaders working on these frameworks will be in the panel on September 29th at 9:00 am (Washington DC time)

Tuesday 29 September, 2020
(09:00 am Washington DC/ 14:00 London, UK)
The 2020 GEM Report on Inclusion: Findings, Principles and Potential Next Steps
  • Anna D'Addio, Lead Author, Global Education Monitoring Report, UNESCO
  • David Osher, Vice-President, Institute Fellow, American Institutes for Research, Evaluator UNICEF Child Friendly Schools
  • Stuart Cameron, Lead for Equity & Inclusion, Global Partnership for Education (GPE)
  • Connie Laurin-Bowie, Executive Director, Inclusion International
  • Tim Lewis, Professor, University of Missouri, Co-Director, OSEP Center, School Wide Positive Behavior Interventions & Support 
  • Kate Lapham, Deputy Director, Education Support Program, Open Society Foundations (Soros)
This session will provide an overview of the findings, principles and policies discussed in the 2020 Global Education Monitoring (GEM) report. The report has successfully identified the elements that can unify the many sectors and systems to strengthen and maintain inclusive education. Promoting inclusive schools is not a new goal, as policymakers, practitioners and researchers have sought to include students with learning disabilities and to help others overcome the barriers of hunger, poverty, infectious diseases and discrimination. However, the GEM report has underlined the inequalities laid bare by Covid 19 crisis and collated the responses of countries in a new country policy database. 
This open web meeting of the FRESH Partners will learn more about the report and discuss different perspectives and potential next steps for global organizations and countries. Equity and inclusion have long been the goal of several organizations and experts who have been asked to comment on the report, its implications and their planned or current activities. The session will include links to key reference documents, including those from the FRESH Working Group on Health Literacy, Life Skills & Social Inclusion, which is finalizing an extensive report on inclusion and a concept note on relevant multi-intervention program frameworks such as Child Friendly Schools and Positive Behavior Interventions & Supports.
To access this webinar, just click on this Participants Link a few minutes before the start of the session. If needed, the password is 582741

Recommended Readings & Resources:

Upcoming Initiatives

Fact-Finding Survey/Policy-Curriculum Analysis

As you may recall, ISHN has been working with UNICEF, UNESCO and other organizations to conduct a Fact-Finding Survey and Policy/Curriculum analysis on the status of core components, capacities, implementation strategies and other aspects of several multi-component approaches such as Health Promoting Schools, Child Friendly Schools, Safe Schools and others. We are about to finalize the questions and document analysis plans for this project prior to approaching all countries and states with the survey and document questions. If you have any suggestions or edits, this is your final opportunity.  Please send them to me at dmccall@internationalschoolhealth.org

Preventing Non-Communicable Diseases in Low Resource Countries

You may also recall that ISHN has been working with Plan International (UK) and the Young Health Program of Astra Zeneca to describe better practices in preventing NCDs in low resource countries. Visit this web page on the FRESH web site for details and look over the draft summary brief attached. We are developing a dissemination srategy for the several products from this project. This strategy will likely include a webinar on 24 November. Watcvh for more details soon.  



Douglas McCall
Executive Director
International School Health Network
dmccall@internationalschoolhealth.org
Skype: Doug.McCall-Canada
www.internationalschoolhealth.org