Project’s activities were designed to provide data and solutions to different stakeholders in education on ways of addressing the negative implications of students' long-term exposure to poverty. Project resorted to PISA 2015 results, which confirmed students’ SES has a significant bearing on their performance, and that students from low-SES households are more likely to be low achievers. As Estonia is preforming especially well when it comes to percentage of low achievers - lowest in Europe, at 8.8%, but whose general poverty rate is comparable to other project countries, it was chosen to have its policies analysed (O1). Finally, significant for this project is conducted research which confirmed that attitudes and beliefs of teachers have direct effect on students' achievement and can support them independently of students’ SES, and that is why the second intellectual output of the project (O2) was to produce a handbook for schools and teachers on creating ideas for mitigating the effects of poverty in the form of school-based activities. The overall objective was to strengthen the capacity of schools to better support disadvantage learners in active participation in school life and in achieving better learning outcomes through: a) exploring and analysing policies and practices implemented in Estonia that enabled it to severely reduce the effect of low SES on student achievement, and drawing lessons from it; b) designing innovative school policies and practices through participative approach involving teachers, CSOs, schools, and researchers, and disseminating these. Project activities directly targeted:•Teachers: the incubator of innovative practices (C2) gathered teachers and school staff to work on tackling poverty in education and provided them with innovative practices and awareness about policies, as well as peer-learning possibilities that exist in their professional field. •Teacher-training providers: intellectual outputs of the projects were among other target groups disseminated among teacher trainers •Students with lower SES: teachers that participated in the project learnt about and as a result are better equipped to support students with lower SES. Number and type/profile of participants (for more details please see unedr 3.1)-130 relevant stakeholders from at least 17 EU, and all together 30 countries, were present at the multiplier event (E1), including teachers and school staff, as well as representatives of partner organisations. -The peer review study trip to Estonia (C1) gathered 16 participants from partner organizations; as well as local EE researchers, teachers and school staff (50).-The Innovative practices incubator /summer school (C2) gathered 34 representatives of schools, teachers and school staff, from project countries and beyond, that contributed with their knowledge to the creation of O2. -For the consultative national events (A9), partners harvested from a pool of schools and teachers that were not involved in the project, and who were targeted as either experts on the topic (CSO representatives; public offices representatives), or those who would benefit most from learning about, using, and further disseminating intellectual results that national events promoted. 91 people participated in total (in all 3 partner countries).Description of undertaken activities: -Three-day peer study visit to Estonia, hosted by the Estonian partner, with 2 representatives of each project partner (C1) correlated to the production of O1, which explored and analysed policies and practices implemented in Estonia directly or indirectly reducing the effect of low SES on student achievement, and which is published online in English.-The “Innovative school policies and practices incubator” (C2) was organized in the form of summer school and gathered more than 30 participants who worked to develop and frame innovative school policies and practices aiming at reducing the effects of poverty on students' achievement and educational experiences. This Incubator resulted in the creation and final production of the “Innovative school policies and practices handbook - Breaking the taboo - creative steps for dealing with poverty in education” (O2), published in English, Croatian, Slovenian, Macedonian and Albanian, disseminated through NEPC network and partners’ networks’ websites -Multiplier event (E1) gathered 130 participants, and besides two representatives from each project partner, included 30 teachers and school staff, and more than 70 relevant international education stakeholders, from at least 17 other EU countries. - Three consultative events (A9) (Croatia, Slovenia, North Macedonia) to present the Handbook Results: increased professional capital of the participating organisations and their staff through learning process to deal with the consequences of poverty in education.

"The growing social challenges and economic inequalities in Europe represent the risk factor in growing up, especially in childhood mental health. Besides family influence, schools are proven to be a strong protective factor, especially for children in vulnerable situations, providing them possibilities to develop resilience and life skills needed to achieve academic and career goals as well as healthy and meaningful relationships. A variety of research and meta-analysis (according to: Cefai et co, 2018: NESET report) found that social-emotional learning (SEL) is an important experience strengthening children´s resilience, mental health, providing necessary skills, competences, knowledge and attitudes for the whole life. Within validated programs of social-emotional learning children and young people develop their self-awareness, emotion regulation, motivation, decision making, empathy and healthy relationships, conflict resolution. Even though SEL is happening all the time during growing-up, it is however necessary to provide children with targeted interventions and education activities that enable them to acquire the needed competences that they often don´t or cannot learn in their families, trough media and peer influence. While some EU member states have developed and implemented the wide specter of social-emotional learning programs, others do not have such practices or are just in the process of developing them. Also, even in the countries that implement social-emotional curriculum, the findings show that teachers often do not feel ready or even competent in this areas, which has effect on their students learning outcomes (Jennings&Greenberg, 2009.). This is especially the case for the countries within this project who still do not have nationally accepted curriculum for teaching SEL in schools. The goal of the project ""SEL-T: Social Emotional Learning for Teachers"" is to develop and provide expert material for social-emotional learning of teachers, which is available, practical and primarily aimed at them as key factor in social-emotional education in schools, combining theory and practice, together with the teacher training curriculum. The project connects 8 organizations in the region who have common goals in their work with teachers, children and youth and who have the expertise to create and develop education material, especially for teachers. These organizations from Croatia, Slovenia, Serbia and North Macedonia will offer their expertise and knowledge in the area of social-emotional learning, referring to the latest research reports on EU level, and they will together develop a complete program comprising the key components of social-emotional education (self-awareness, self-regulation, empathy, relationships). They are: Forum for Freedom in Education; Zagreb University (Faculty of Teacher Education and Faculty of Education and Rehabilitation Sciences); Society for Psychological Assistance; Xth Gymnasium Ivan Supek, UTRIP Institut for research and development; Network of Education Policy Centers; Center for Education Policy and Step by Step North Macedonia. The objectives of the SEL-T project are:- to provide future and present teachers with innovative resources for personal and social competences development, so that they become more competent in teaching and modeling these skills- to promote and make these resources (a book plus training curriculum) available to broad professional teaching community in Croatia, Serbia, Slovenia and North Macedonia- to create a network of cooperation between higher education institutions, schools and civil society organizations on the topic of personal and social development of teachers.The intellectual outputs that will be created are: (IO1) Handbook of social-emotional learning for teachers, and (IO2) Curriculum for social-emotional learning teacher program. The project lasting 26 months will make these 2 intellectual outputs directly available in five languages to: 220 teachers and education policy makers in 4 countries who will participate in the 7 dissemination events (60 in North Macedonia, Serbia and Slovenia, 160 in Croatia): 6 of them are Piloting the Curriculum of SEL Teacher Training and 1 is final SEL-T Conference in Croatia; as well as about 1000 experts and interested public who will download the outputs from the project web page. Three transnational partner meetings and mutual Learning event will provide the basis for the extensive collaboration and knowledge sharing among 8 partners. As long term project result, teachers and education experts in the partner countries and more broadly in the EU will have available innovative and practical educational material for social-emotional learning, as well as local network of experts and trainers able to support them in further implementation of the program."

<< Background >>School leaders play a significant role in the creation of positive and inclusive school cultures and students’ achievement. A common misconception is that (school) leaders are born into it which resulted in neglect of their CPD across Europe. The availability of CPD for school leaders that support the development of inclusive school cultures, and meaningful engagement with school stakeholders and school communities are important pre-conditions for the successful functioning of schools.<< Objectives >>The project aimed to provide the education systems in Croatia (HR) and North Macedonia (MK) with a professional development program on inclusive education for school principals; to empower primary and secondary school principals from HR and MK in creating inclusive school cultures and to advocate for introducing inclusion as the topic in school principals pre and in-service training and professional development.<< Implementation >>Curriculum Framework was developed based on the needs analyses in HR and MK, using best practices from SI and NL, and implemented as 5 2-day training, for primary and secondary school leaders in HR and MK (61). The effectiveness of the CF was measured by an Impact study. Policy coalitions established in HR and MK participated in reviewing the CF and the stakeholder workshops (Policy Labs) dedicated to policy recommendations for supporting school leaders in creating an inclusive school culture.<< Results >>A 5-module Curriculum Framework (CF) for CPD of school leaders for establishing inclusive school culture was developed. The 4 programs of 5-2 day modules were developed upon CF and implemented with primary and secondary principals (61) in HR and MK. An Impact study showed positive changes related to inclusive school culture. Policy Road maps (HR, MK) were developed and disseminated to policymakers. In MK this resulted in policy changes in obligatory CPD for school principals.