This document outlines the Quality for Innovation in European Schools (Q4I) project, which aims to develop a new approach for school innovation beyond quality compliance and enhance innovation, participation, and excellence. The project will map existing successful school innovation models, develop and validate a new model in 25 schools across 5 countries, and establish a sustainable network committed to supporting institutional school innovation. Key goals of the new model are developing key lifelong learning competencies, integrating ICT and informal learning, and fostering creativity, innovation, and intercultural skills. Expected milestones include analysis reports, a validated Q4I model, and a network manifesto to guide future development. Interested parties are invited to participate in research and help shape the new

1. Quality for Innovation in
European Schools
"The philosophy of a classroom in
one generation will be the philosophy
of government in the next”
Abraham Lincoln

2. Starting points
“European schools are stuck.”
Joe Cullen, MENON Policy Brief, 2013
When discussing how school education should evolve, priority must
be given to four well identified “engines of change”:
1. Key competences for lifelong learning should become a pillar
of school education achievements.
2. The use of ICT to support learning processes and to integrate
informal learning should become an integral part of school.
3. Creativity and innovation attitudes and skills are not an
optional element of school education.
4. Inter-cultural learning skills are a key requirement of future
citizens, workers, entrepreneurs.

3. Project objectives
1. to map existing models of institutional development support in
schools that have proven to work to embed change
2. to develop a new approach for school innovation that goes
beyond quality as compliance and enhances innovation,
participation and excellence
3. to validate the approach in a real-life school contexts in five
European countries, involving a minimum of 25 schools
4. to prepare the conditions for and to launch a sustainable
Network for Institutional School Innovation committed to
sustain the project results
5. to promote the knowledge produced among all interested
stakeholders and to favour the multiplication of the approach

4. Partnership
1. Generalitat Valenciana - Conselleria de Educación, Cultura y
Deporte, ES (project applicant)
2. MENON Network, BE (project coordinator)
3. MT Education and Training, ES
4. FiaTest, RO
5. Scienter, IT
6. EFQUEL - European Foundation for Quality in e-Learning, BE
7. ESHA - European School Heads Association, NL
8. EURIDIT - European Institute for Development and In-service
Training, BE

5. What’s around Q4I
Relevant institutions/networks
• European Schoolnet
• EDEN – European Distance and eLearning Network
• ESN – European School Network
• …
Relevant projects/initiatives
• LLWINGS (LLP)
• Learning School Initiative
• we.learn.it (FP7)
• VISIR (LLP)
• VISCED (LLP)
• Teacher Quality Management – TQM (LLP)
• IGUANA (LLP)
• HoTEL (FP7)
• …

6. Expected project milestones
• M1: The synthesis report on school innovation models, that
will set the basis for the model creation
• M2: The Q4I model for validation
• M3: The Q4I Conference, that will represent the launching
moment of the proposed network of schools
• M4: The piloting report
• M5: The final Q4I model and tools, which is the main long
term project outcome
• M6: The Q4I network Manifesto and network development
plan, which are at the basis of the Q4I network that represents
the sustainable legacy of the project

7. The Q4I innovative model
Schools as open
systems
Key
competences
ICT for learning
purpose
Intercultural
learning
Creativity and
innovation
TOOLS:
• Self-improvement definition
• Benchmarking
• Set of teachers competences
Strategy Stakeholders
Manifesto Policy
Adv. Committee Experts
Teachers
competences
Teachers
Entrepreneurship
for learners?
Learners
Q4I network Schools

8. What is next?
1. Website available in June 2013
2. School Innovation analysis (covering Belgium, France, Germany,
Greece, Hungary, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, UK) in the
project WIKI in July 2013
3. Q4I Research Report v1 (July 2013)
 Review Integration Seminar (Sept 2013): participation is open!
1. Draft Q4I Model available in Oct 2013
2. Q4I Network Manifesto and Development Plan in Oct 2013
3. Synthesis Report on the status of Institutional Development and
Innovation in the school world in Europe in Dec 2013

9. If you want to be part of the
initiative, the right time is now.
Write to: q4i-info@menon.org