Description

Guidance on what works (to help improve the design of policies and practices).

Beneficiaries

  • Coordinators/actors involved in the national FOQUALE network (i.e. the network of Ministry’s initiatives to fight against early school leaving);
  • Coordinators/actors involved in the national platform providing support to early school leavers; and field actors who want to implement projects targeting early school leavers.

Countries

Country/ies or organisation that developed the tool

France, Ministry of Education

Date of creation of toolkit and periodicity of updates

Published 2012-13. No updates. 

Purpose of the toolkit

  • Guidance on what works (to help improve the design of policies and practices).
  • Guidance on how to evaluate measures to address early leaving
  • To enable the reflection upon practices and to help field practitioners gain time when implementing a project targeting early school leavers. It provides them with a useful methodological framework. 

Description of each of the tools

The tool provides guidelines on how to implement a project. It refers to projects targeting early school leavers, however, the methodological guide could be used to implement any type of project targeting young people. The guide also provides examples of best practices targeting early school leavers/ learners at risk.

The guide discusses the different stages of project implementation and provides advice at each step:

  • Analysis of the context in which the project will be implemented, analysis of resources and partnerships available, needs assessment of early leavers on the territory.
  • Design of the project (objectives, intervention logic, mobilise team of actors, define pedagogies, define partnerships, define communication strategy, define budget, how to prepare an evaluation, how to disseminate results).
  • Define and compose a project team and a steering committee.
  • Type of resources available (ESF, regional and local funding opportunities, private funds, etc.).
  • Success factors (i.e. clear objectives, successful partnership, reach of early leavers, specific pedagogical approaches, individual support provided to early leavers,  evaluation of the initiative).
  • Example of solutions/initiatives targeting early leavers: detailed description of various initiatives, their methodology, budget, results, analysis of success factors and drawbacks.

Note that the repository of initiatives only includes initiatives launched by the Ministry of Education.

Type of indicators used in the identification of learners at risk of early leaving

As the guide is to be used mainly by professionals working for national initiatives addressing early school leaving, the identification is expected to be done by the French central level system for identifying early leavers (the SIEI).

The tool nonetheless presents some examples of indicators for the identification of the needs of early leavers and presents examples of actions to be taken in relation to those needs, for instance:

  • A young early leaver has psychological problems (e.g. depression) > needs medical/psychological support> define partnerships with counselling and medical services.
  • A young early leaver with low self-esteem could be in need of a positive experience/ feeling of being useful. An option could be to integrate the individual into short-term certification programmes or into a dynamic project (e.g. volunteering).
  • A young early leaver has no clue of labour market opportunities will need to be in contact with labour market stakeholders. An option could be to organise visits to enterprises, short term internships, etc.

The tool also presents some indicators for budgeting the project, for instance:

  • Number of young people who will participate/year.
  • Number of young people who will participate/week or day.
  • How many group activities?
  • How much educational staff and their role/salary?
  • Will lunches be provided?
  • Will remuneration be granted to the young person?
  • Need of material resources (computers, work uniform, etc.).

Type of guidance given to users

See above ‘Description of each of the tools’. It provides guidelines on how to implement a project. It refers to projects targeting early school leavers, however, the methodological guide could be used to implement any type of project targeting young people.

The guide also provides examples of best practices targeting early school leavers/learners at risk, thus presenting various types of solutions/ initiatives that were successful.

Source of information of the different tools

Designed by experts from the Ministry.

Downloads

Guide of Innovative Solutions

EN